Ananya, the petite sixteen year old, sighed when she looked at the timetable taped to her desk. Next up was the art class- a class that heralded mixed experiences. It was not as if Ananya disliked art; in fact, there was something about famous works of art that spoke to Ananya on a deeply personal level. What she did not exactly enjoy was creating works of art.
To be honest, Ananya could sketch. In fact, her art teacher, Ms Padma, believed that Ananya’s sketches stood out for their clean lines and depth. But creating them was a painful process- literally and figuratively! Holding a pencil didn’t exactly feel great, but was there a way to sketch without laying her hands on a pencil ? Ms Padma had suggested digital art; but Ananya believed that creating digital art was like eating instant noodles- instant gratification with no real satisfaction! So, Ms Padma decided to
introduce Ananya to painting. Oh the feeling of having to deal with messy paints, water and brush… every single session had ended in tears! So, they were back to sketching with a pencil on
paper.
Ananya picked up her pencils, sketch pad, and her iPad, which was loaded with her AAC- her own true voice, and headed to the art studio, determined to speak what was on her mind. After all, what was the point of possessing a voice if one did not put it to good use!
‘Good Morning’, smiled Ms Padma, as the students walked in and settled into their places, ‘today we are going to learn Gond art. It is a form of folk art from Madhya Pradesh. We will try to draw
our self portrait in this art form.’
Ananya took deep breaths to calm her racing heart. It was time to put her plan to action.
‘Ms Padma’, typed Ananya on her AAC, and the app spoke what she typed
‘Yes Ananya’, replied Ms Padma, ‘do you want to say something?’
‘I don’t want to sketch’, typed Ananya, ‘my fingers hurt because of the pencil.’
‘But your sketches are so beautiful’, remarked Ms Padma, ‘and if you don’t want to sketch , what will you do in the art class?’
‘I want to learn art appreciation’, typed Ananya, ‘I want to talk about why a painting speaks to me, and the meaning that I derive from it.’
‘Hmm..’, said Ms Padma, ‘this sounds interesting. Let me have something ready for the next class.
Sure enough, the art class next day did not disappoint. Ananya walked into the art class next day to find a picture of the self portrait of Frida Kahlo wearing a necklace of thorns displayed.
‘Good afternoon class’, said Ms Padma, ‘we are going to do something different today. We are going to learn about Frida Kahlo and her work, and talk about what we feel when we look at this famous self portrait.’
Ms Padma then went on to talk about Frida Kahlo and her work. Everyone listened intently, for the class was nothing like the usual.
Once she was done, Ms Padma said, ‘I want all of you to look keenly at this self portrait of Frida Kahlo and tell me the meaning that it conveys.’
‘I will go first’, typed Ananya
‘Sure’, smiled Ms Padma
‘To me’, typed Ananya, ‘the necklace of thorns around Frida’s neck is like the challenges that life throws at us! Like, I can’t talk, no matter how hard I try! The hummingbird, cat and monkey, to
me signify, resilience and tools like my AAC, which helps me overcome my challenges and communicate.’
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Art is expression. But art doesn’t have to be limited to creating sketches, paintings and more, most of which can be sensorially uncomfortable for many of us. Looking for meaning in art is cathartic and so is being able to communicate what a work of art signifies ; and this too is a gateway that AAC opens up for many of us.
Avaz Megaphone is a platform for neurodivergent individuals to express themselves through the written word. We accept opinion pieces, short stories and poetry. Authors of accepted works will receive an honorarium. To make a submission please email us on: collaborate@avazapp.com
WRITTEN BY
Aditi Sowmyanarayan
Student & Writer
Aditi Sowmyanarayan is a nineteen year old who uses Avaz, a text to speech app, to communicate. She goes to Ishanya India Foundation, a special school in Bengaluru. Aditi is an avid blogger and an aspiring writer. She blogs on www.smallstepbigthought.blogspot.com
She can be reached on Instagram at writeaditi and on her Facebook page : small step big thought
