SPASTN showcases craft skills
Candles manufactured by the children at the Spastics Society of Tamilnadu. — Pic. by N. Balaji
THE VOCATIONAL Centre at the Spastic Society of Tamil Nadu (SPASTN) trains children to unleash their creativity in organic, eco-friendly mediums such as paper and jute. The children craft jute, cloth and paper bags, candles, terracotta lamps and diyas, ceramic tiles and jewellery, stationery items, and eye catching paper furniture made under the Appropriate Paper Technology (APT) scheme.
The well crafted candles are imaginative, to say the least. The containers range from glass goblets in attractive shapes, to terracotta forms, coconut shell holders and enormous terracotta flowerpots. Many of the paper craft products have value additions in terms of artwork.
The jute bags too come in a range of lunch and shopping bags, tamboolam bags, attractive satchels and travel kit bags. Training in ceramics and firing is another part of vocational training. On display are ceramic tiles, beads for jewellery, kurta buttons etc.
Paper furniture, which is part of the APT training and actually used in classrooms, is eminently practical and meaningful. Sturdy and artistically finished in attractive hues, lamination and artwork, the furniture items include elegant chairs, toilet seats, tables and most importantly, support frames for the disabled to navigate. The APT products also include teaching aids, paper bowlsetc. As Annie Shyam, Director, SPASTN, puts it: "Imparting craft skills under our vocational training programme not only brings out the children's creativity but also gives them the skill for their future life. It is therapeutic and teaches them academic concepts such as working on the shapes of the objects created, and other significant matters such as handling time, money and life itself". All the craft items can be ordered at SPASTN, Taramani Road, Chennai - 600 011.
PUSHPA CHARI
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
