Puppeteer Anurupa Roy was astounded a few years ago when she came across a child who was surprised at seeing mangoes grow on a tree!
It was then, says the puppeteer that the pervading detachment of children with the outside world, suddenly dawned upon her.
"He thought mangoes came from supermarkets and that somebody had stuck them on to the tree," says Roy.
The puppeteer is part of the team, which conceptualised and designed "Elements" an interactive exhibition for children currently being hosted at the National Museum here.
The exhibition seeks to kindle the senses of an Internet driven generation where sensorial experiences are a rare luxury for children, who live structured lives mostly in enclosed spaces.
A brainchild of Think Arts, founded by Das, the experiential, interactive art and theatre exhibition, invites children, aged six to twelve years old, to explore another world.
"A generation ago, this exhibition would have been redundant. We had the outdoors to play in. We touched, smelt, felt, heard and used all of our senses as we explored. These experiences fuelled our imagination," says Ruchira Das, who has co-created the exhibition with Roy.
"Through 'Elements', the children return to a world of wonder, in all of its senses. Here, children are left to their own non-electronic devices," she says.
As children embark upon this journey, they first halt at the art room, that has just about every kind of, what may be called, 'junk.'
From cardboard boxes and scraps of cloth (katran) and colorful paper to poster colours, the room is a repository that would let a child's imagination run riots.
"The room invites children to engage in building a sculpture (using what is available around them) by sticking, tearing, tying etc," says Das.
