Postcards for an inclusive celebration

CHENNAI: We often talk about inclusivity and equal participation in our celebrations, but how often do we actually see it happening? A recent event in Chennai offered a meaningful example of what inclusion can look like.

Historian Meenakshi Devaraj curated a set of six postcards featuring familiar visuals of Madras in kolam form. The postcards were first handed over to the children at the special girls' hostel of Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust, a home for children with intellectual disabilities who have been abandoned by their families.

The children were invited to be part of the celebration by engaging with the postcards through drawing, colouring and writing on them. The postcards, created by Nampayanam in collaboration with the Postcrossing Society of India and Postcards Ville, feature different aspects of the city, including the Corporation, the seashore community, Marina and its statues, the music season and the film industry.

“When Meenakshi expressed her idea of an inclusive event and involving the children in the celebration, we wondered if they would be able to understand and participate. When we explained the idea to them, they were happy to take part,” says Iyyappan Subramanian, Founder and Managing Trustee of Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust.

The trust currently has 125 children in its shelters, both boys and girls. Iyyappan says many of them are good at art and craft activities, which made the postcard project an enjoyable way for them to participate.

"Some kids drew on the postcards, some wrote messages and some coloured them. That is how they took part in the celebration. It was a joyful and exciting moment for them," he says.

For Meenakshi, the experience was deeply personal. She has used kolams to tell stories about Madras in various forms, but seeing the children interact with her work gave the project a different meaning.

"I have spoken about the history of Madras to many people. My kolams have taken many forms, but when my Madras kolam postcards were introduced to special children, the feeling that went through me cannot be described in words," she tells us.

The children had different responses to the postcards. Some recognised Marina Beach and its statues, while others connected with the activity through drawing and colouring. For Meenakshi, the idea was not about expecting everyone to participate in the same way, but about giving them an opportunity to be part of the celebration.

“Usually, children with intellectual disabilities are not involved in Madras Day celebrations. We celebrate in different spaces, but they are often left out. This year, I took the initiative hoping others would follow and make their celebrations more inclusive,” she adds.

Iyyappan also hopes more such opportunities will be created in the future for people with disabilities.

“The initiative may have been a small part of the city's Madras Day celebrations, but it carried a larger message. Celebrating a city is also about celebrating its people, and that celebration becomes more meaningful when everyone has a place in it,” he adds.