About Srushti
Bangalore
Srushti registered as trust in 2001, has worked for 18+ years, on enabling young people to spearhead change, to improve the learning and development of children in schools. We have worked extensively with young people in schools and colleges, in more than 500 backward rural areas, across 21 districts, of North Karnataka. Operating under the name, Srushti Performing Arts & Communication center, we have now revised and expanded the scope of its work under the name - Srushti Rasaa. Srushti Degree College was started in 2011, to nurture this innovative and entrepreneurial mind-set in young people.
Some of our key, long term programs, were the Inclusive Education, Girl Child Education (Meena Program), and the school transformation using RTE Act. Young people bought back more than 2500 out of school children back to school, by finding innovative solutions to resolve issues of child marriage, sibling care, child labour, disability issues, etc. We have partnered with SSA & the Education Department in Karnataka, and Ministry of Human Resource Development at National level, and UNICEF.
School Transformation - RTE Act
Raichur, Karnataka ( 2009 – 2011)
After the landmark Right to Education Act was passed, the big question was- How might we help bring school transformation, taking the aid of RTE Act, in backward rural areas ?
In 2009, we were the first few NGOs to work bringing school transformation, using the recently passed land mark Right To Education Act, with a radical, creative approach.
Srushti worked in 15 villages in Manvi Taluk, Raichur District, Karnataka 2009- 2011, with college going and drop out youth, by engaging them with their village Govt. school. These, youth were trained over a period of a year, in creatively using the arts and digital media for communication. Many platforms for dialog with school community was created using performances, short films, radio programs, news papers, etc, to look into the learning and development needs of children in schools. “Eli, edeli shikshana Kayda kaythide”, a roopakam was performed in these villages, to the school community, to create awareness on RTE Act. While the Srushti youth team used the powerful method of collaborative problem solving, to get people from the community to work out acceptable sustainable solutions.
This program of developing adolescents as youth social innovators, while building their capacity in developmental communication, was recognized by UNESCO and Plan India, as one of the best learning initiatives summit ( 2010) in South Asia.
Meena Program
Rural North Karnataka - 2006 to 2009
How might we enrol and retain the girl child, in school to complete their school education in North Karnataka ?
The very low literacy of girls and huge big drop out rates among girl children in North Karnataka, was a big concern. In 2006, SSA, Karnataka & UNICEF awarded Srushti the project to roll out the Meena-Girl Child Education program across 108 extremely backward rural villages in 7 districts of North Karnataka.
Meena project, created platforms for young people from city and villages to engage with children in school and together co-create solutions for bringing out of school children, back to school.
Meena, a dance theatre performance by college youth, was designed with “could be scenarios of having a educated girl in community” from MEENA stories (UNICEF), to have dialogs among students, parents and teachers around Girl Child Education.The performances created informal spaces for children to speak about their need to go to school and be heard by parents and elders in the community, making them see the issue from the child’s perspective.
Through this period, 108 meena groups (children led self help groups) were created, one in every Govt. school, with a teacher facilitator. Through art activation, meetings & dialogue, the groups found innovative solutions to hard problems like child marriage, sibling care, and agricultural labour. Srushti youth brought 712 girls back to school over a 1 year period which in turn has had a lasting impact on those families across generations.
This program, was successful and spread state wide. Srushti was roped into to provide technical support, for teacher training and hand holding, to roll out Meena program in 664 schools in Raichur, with UNICEF and SSA.
Inclusive education
Bangalore & Rural Karnataka 2003 - 2006
Building acceptance of children with special needs within the classroom and school community
In implementing the Inclusive Education program in schools in 2003 by SSA, Education Dept Karnataka faced the challenge of creating an environment of acceptance of the children with special needs ( CWSN), with Non disabled children, teachers and parents.
Our solution was to shift people’s attitude towards CWSN, from sympathy to empathy, by highlighting their abilities. A talented group of youth from Bangalore colleges, who were both challenged and normal, came together to work on this. Using the Roopakam, (dance theatre) - Namagu Ide Samarthya - we too have abilities, they also came up with a number of arts activities to make non-disabled people recognize the abilities of disabled. A visually impaired Bharathanatyam dancer, challenged normal children to dance and use space like him, by blindfolding their eyes. They became curious to know how he learnt dance. The hearing impaired challenged the normal children to speak in sign language, which ended up in many non-disabled children learning sign language. Every program ended with children admitting that they were more abled, than themselves.
Starting in 10 school Urban Bangalore City, we went on to do this program in 340 Govt. schools in backward rural areas, in 21 districts of Karnataka, from 2003 to 2006.
This program was selected by MHRD, to be showcased as an innovative initiative undertaken by SSA, Karnataka with SRUSHTI, at the 2nd National level MHRD conference for teachers from all States of India.
Srushti Kalanubhava Fest
Creating open spaces for dialogues to reimagine possibilities, using an arts experience.
This is one of our flagship programs, where topics which concern the young, are chosen contextually to explore, which do not have a simple yes or no answers. This festival brings together artists and young people, teachers, and people from all backgrounds. We have so far conducted 5 such events.
Srushti Kalanubhava Fest 2018 explored the theme ‘Honesty within college campus’
The topic rose from an incident of robbery within classroom. At this inter-collegiate event, Srushti Idea challenge was introduced, which was to design a student driven activity to resolve an issue arising from dishonesty, thereby instilling honesty among peers. 5 colleges were selected for the Srushti Idea challenge and supported with art and design thinking workshop to implement their idea in their college. This event was attended by 250 students from 9 colleges, who participated in the event.
Srushti Kalanubhava Fest 2016 explored the theme of gender violence.
Bangalore city faced an ugly incident of rape of girl on January 1st, which disturbed the city and also the nation. The students decided to use this topic of gender issues, to reimagine equations based on equality. This event was attended by more than 200 students from 10 colleges in neighborhood, where they explored gender issues through collage, drama, and other arts. At the end of event, 10 student leaders from all 9 colleges, came out with a resolution as to how they stop gender violence against girls in their college campus.
Srushti Kalanubhava Fest 2014 explored the theme of ‘Violence within institutional spaces’
The inter-collegiate arts event to explore this topic, was attended by around 120 students from 12 colleges in the neighbourhood. Contextually evolved from an issue of rape in the neighbourhood school, in Bangalore, which put the entire city into shame, became the topic to be explored in 2014 – “Violence within institutional space”. The college students did forum theatre to explore this topic, from 4 kinds of abuse, like physical, sexual, emotional and neglect, which may happen in institutional spaces. They were assisted by a psychologist on how they can support peers to support others and find solutions to such an incidents.
Srushti Kalanubhava Fest 2008 explored the theme of Gender Equality with Basavanna’s Vachana.
Srushti In collaboration with SSA, Karnataka, organised a 2 day residential arts camp, to explore the works of a great social reformer of Karnataka and vachana writer, Basavanna. It was attended by 124 children belonging to Meena groups, both boys and girls, 62 teachers from 62 blocks, from 18 backward districts of Karnataka, learnt to use these vachanas to create awareness on gender equality. Various artists, helped children explore his vachanas, through their art forms. The 2 day camp was an eye opener to boys, on how girls were being discriminated at home, school and their role in bringing gender equality.
Srushti Kalanubhava Fest – 2006 explored the theme of social inclusivity in the classroom by exploring songs of Purandara Dasa, a social reformer & poet
This was a 2 day residential arts camp conducted by Srushti and SSA, Karnataka, in 2006. 120, children with special needs and non disabled children from 12 districts spent a 2 day arts camp exploring the works of Purandaradasa. There was no need to talk about Inclusion, it happened through exploring songs of Purandara Dasa, through dance, drama, music, stories, etc. Inclusion, happened at various levels- Children with special needs and non-disabled, teachers & students, officers and teachers, artists and students.