BLACK SUN - A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT

It was the beginning of my career as a Visual Art Teacher. I was conducting an art class in Grade V. I asked children to draw a scenery by their imagination.

One child named Ameya was completely engrossed in drawing scenery. I was excited to see his work. As I went close by, to my surprise, he had coloured a daytime scenery beautifully in which he had shown a 'Black Sun'.

I was insisting him to give a red or orange colour to the Sun. Though I knew that as a teacher I should give freedom to children to put their thoughts on the paper.

That particular week children's work was going to be observed by the authority of the school. It was the beginning of my career, so I wanted to show my best performance.

I asked Ameya to draw the scenery again and give red or orange colour to the Sun. Then he replied to me very politely that he had drawn a scenery where the sunset was on the other side of the hills and he had shown the backside of the Sun whose head is covered with dark black hair.

I was astonished to hear his reply and I realized that children have a beautiful imagination. We have to give them the freedom to express their thoughts.

It was a lifetime message to me from a learner who was just 10 years old.
I remembered a quote written by author Stephen Covey

“Every human has four endowments- self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change”