My first class at the Delhi Collage of Art

Today was the day, that the one year diploma in fine arts that I am pursuing from the Delhi Collage of Art, kicked off. Though this was to start from the 1st of August, it was decided that an orientation session, followed by the first class would be held today, 3rd of August, to facilitate students from all batches (Full time 5 days a week, Alternate days, Sunday) and branches (Rajouri Garden, Safdarjung Enclave) to attend a common session at the Safdarjung Enclave branch. It was scheduled to be from 12 noon to 3pm. But as per IST, it started at 12.30pm and went on till 4.30pm, with a 15 minute break in between, while we were served some refreshments.

The pre-lunch session was consumed in the introduction of the faculty members and the general brief on the college, the course, and the regulations. There was a lot of pep talk, and the session though initially a monologue, soon shifted to a more interactive one. The faculty members shared details about themselves, the course, and their expectations from the students. The principal of the college, Mr. Ashwani Kumar Prithviwasi introduced the faculty to the students and highlighted the faculty members' background and strengths. It was very nice to meet all of them and to have been able to interact with them. Forthcoming days would give us an opportunity to imbibe their qualities and derive knowledge and technical know-how on subjects related to the course. I really look forward to such interactions, rather impatiently.

The post-lunch session was the first formal class of the year (academic year), which was conducted by Mr. Prithviwasi. (Ashwani Sir from now on). He had this special style of conducting the class, which made everyone relax and feel involved. He prompted everyone (even the backbenchers) to actively participate in this interactive class. He gave some very relevant examples from his past experiences to explain the basics and the need for hard work. His style was very honest and simple, and his manner quite comforting and disarming. His anecdotes were well timed and made perfect sense at the same time. Never did his tone seem to be condescending or derogatory.

The session ended on a high note with him emphasising the need to be proactive and to put in our best efforts. Nothing to replace hard work, was the motto.

I have enrolled in the full time batch, which runs from Monday through Friday, from 9am to 1pm, at the Safdarjung Enclave branch. So my mornings and afternoons, on weekdays are booked. With a minimum of 5 sketches to be done everyday, the evenings should be taken care of as well. 5 sketches are for C-grade students, the expectations are higher from us. Practice is to be the key to our success.

I hope that this new phase of my life provides the impetus that has been missing for some time now. My future lies in my hands and with professional help at hand, I think it would be really stupid to make a mistake now and not make ample efforts.