by Shalini Sinha (Shalini is our favourite artist and graphic designer)

When Jo first asked me if I would like to draw and paint on the school walls with the children, I hesitated. Painting over a large surface can be overwhelming, and my earlier experience was that of painful measuring of grids and drawings to exact proportions. The preparatory drawings were fun: looking for references in my children’s book’s got me quite enthused. The lovely white walls waiting to be painted on made me hope fervently that it wouldn’t end up being one big mess.

My initial uncertainty of painting a mural with children was proved so wrong, and what a delightful, rewarding experience it turned out to be. The Latika Vihar children were the first little painters. The spontaneity of the children took me by surprise as each child clamored for their turn and asked what they should paint next. There were so many willing helpers and soon walls were covered with splashes of colour. The paint dripped a bit and the lingering fragrance of linseed oil and turpentine stayed for quite a while, but who cared, it was all great fun.

Next were the morning painting sessions with the Karuna Vihar children. It was a change in momentum as the children painted individually with the help of their teachers: Again, the enthusiasm and joyfulness with which each child made their creation on the wall was something I hadn’t experienced before, nor had I seen such loving patience in teachers.

It was the process of painting, of slowly watching the walls transformed with bursts of colour and images, which was fascinating. Children, unlike adults, paint with abandonment.
For me, the pictures on the walls were an expression of joy, vitality and creativity emanating from the school itself, a place of compassion and most of all, of hope.