Indus Valley School students spread colours and joy
Art students spent their Saturday painting the dining hall of Karwan-e-Hayat, a mental health facility.
Farzana, a patient at Karwan-e-Hayat mental health facility, enjoys painting flowers on the walls of the male dining centre along with IVS students and teachers on Saturday afternoon. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
The students who play with colours all the time decided to spread some around as well.
This Saturday, a bunch of Indus Valley School (IVS) students took a trip to Karwan-e-Hayat mental health facility in Keamari to make a difference in the lives of its patients.
As soon as the students filled the dining room for men to start their painting job for the day, music blared across the hall and instructions flew from one direction to another. Most of the student volunteers were in their second year while a few fourth years also decided to share some of the fun.
Despite the smell of paint wafting through the hallways, the patients were excited to watch their dining hall come alive. A few patients lingered at the door, watching the young art students sketch a branch on the wall. Others couldn’t resist themselves and joined in the fun. “I cannot paint but I like it,” said an excited Naeem. “My hands shake so I will just watch them now,” he said sheepishly. “The artists are doing a good job and art is itself a great thing.”
Naeem was a certified Microsoft programmer until he suffered with hallucinations and voices that others could not hear and was transferred to the institute. Agreeing that he is a better programmer than an artist, Naeem was nevertheless an enthusiastic connoisseur of the painted works. When the students insisted that he give it a shot, he grabbed a paintbrush himself and tried to paint a bird on the wall with the huge smile on his face.
Planning it out
Naveed, a teacher at IVS, told The Express Tribune all about how they have been planning this activity for several weeks. “We have worked over it for weeks,” said Naveed. “Students from their second year, some from fourth year are quite enthusiastic about this project.”
Before they drove down to Keamari for the activity, the students researched on which colours to use. “We did our homework considering some colours might be sensitive for the patients,” the teacher said. “We consulted a doctor to find out which colours soothe the mind.” Naveed was confident that their choice of colours - green for the branches and orange for the birds - will prove to be very relaxing for the patients. “We have a whole plan on how we will decorate the entire hall,” she said excitedly at the start of the day.
Maria, who joined her classmates in the project, felt that this activity was designed to engage the patients in something other than what they experienced every day. “So far we are planning on painting this hall,” she said, pointing to the dining room for men.
“But we are considering expanding this project.” The team hopes to paint the female dining room and the computer lab in the coming weeks. The final decision rests with the IVS management.
Peace of mind
The patients at Karwan-e-Hayat appreciated the IVS students’visit. “I am really enjoying this activity, it should happen more often,” said Farzana, who has been under treatment for the past three years. A major in bio-chemistry, Farzana, was one of the few patients who took the paintbrush confidently and drew sketches of flowers with the help of stencils.
Rakshanda Khan, an employee at Karwan-e-Hayat said that, “Such events are helpful for the patients under treatment here as it provides them with happiness and a peace of mind.” Karwan-e-Hayat hopes to extend our collaboration with IVS so that such initiatives can be extended to other places as well, she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.
The students who play with colours all the time decided to spread some around as well.
This Saturday, a bunch of Indus Valley School (IVS) students took a trip to Karwan-e-Hayat mental health facility in Keamari to make a difference in the lives of its patients.
As soon as the students filled the dining room for men to start their painting job for the day, music blared across the hall and instructions flew from one direction to another. Most of the student volunteers were in their second year while a few fourth years also decided to share some of the fun.
Despite the smell of paint wafting through the hallways, the patients were excited to watch their dining hall come alive. A few patients lingered at the door, watching the young art students sketch a branch on the wall. Others couldn’t resist themselves and joined in the fun. “I cannot paint but I like it,” said an excited Naeem. “My hands shake so I will just watch them now,” he said sheepishly. “The artists are doing a good job and art is itself a great thing.”
Naeem was a certified Microsoft programmer until he suffered with hallucinations and voices that others could not hear and was transferred to the institute. Agreeing that he is a better programmer than an artist, Naeem was nevertheless an enthusiastic connoisseur of the painted works. When the students insisted that he give it a shot, he grabbed a paintbrush himself and tried to paint a bird on the wall with the huge smile on his face.
Planning it out
Naveed, a teacher at IVS, told The Express Tribune all about how they have been planning this activity for several weeks. “We have worked over it for weeks,” said Naveed. “Students from their second year, some from fourth year are quite enthusiastic about this project.”
Before they drove down to Keamari for the activity, the students researched on which colours to use. “We did our homework considering some colours might be sensitive for the patients,” the teacher said. “We consulted a doctor to find out which colours soothe the mind.” Naveed was confident that their choice of colours - green for the branches and orange for the birds - will prove to be very relaxing for the patients. “We have a whole plan on how we will decorate the entire hall,” she said excitedly at the start of the day.
Maria, who joined her classmates in the project, felt that this activity was designed to engage the patients in something other than what they experienced every day. “So far we are planning on painting this hall,” she said, pointing to the dining room for men.
“But we are considering expanding this project.” The team hopes to paint the female dining room and the computer lab in the coming weeks. The final decision rests with the IVS management.
Peace of mind
The patients at Karwan-e-Hayat appreciated the IVS students’visit. “I am really enjoying this activity, it should happen more often,” said Farzana, who has been under treatment for the past three years. A major in bio-chemistry, Farzana, was one of the few patients who took the paintbrush confidently and drew sketches of flowers with the help of stencils.
Rakshanda Khan, an employee at Karwan-e-Hayat said that, “Such events are helpful for the patients under treatment here as it provides them with happiness and a peace of mind.” Karwan-e-Hayat hopes to extend our collaboration with IVS so that such initiatives can be extended to other places as well, she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.