Third edition of Olam in Kerala capital to offer a range of products and workshops

Olam, beginning on February 1, brings fun, food, music and sales to one venue

Olam, an event that brings fun, food, music and sales to one venue, is back with a new edition. What began as an attempt to highlight local entrepreneurship soon became well-known for its imaginative array of products, stalls and eclectic activities.

The third edition of Olam begins today (Saturday) at Tagore Theatre with an interesting range of activities and workshops for children below the age of 12. Along with stalls selling and showcasing clothes, saris, handmade artefacts, food and so on, the highlight of the two-day fete are the hands-on workshops for children.

The workshops aim at exposing children to art, craft, reading, story-telling, nature and DIY sessions too. So, there will be installations, trampolines and treasure hunts. But the treasure hunt, for instance, will be around nature trails and the clues might be to spot a manjadi, the leaf of a tree and so on. The workshops are being conducted by individuals who have a flair for child-centred activities,” explains Jisha Das, one of the organisers.

So, children can test their memory, dig for dinosaurs, test their agility or sense of balance in a mini-obstacle race. If your child has a yen for colours, let them splash paint on a wall or indulge in clay painting or try art with natural colours. Those with verve and creativity can test their skills in a ‘play kitchen’, build a house and do some block building. In the meantime, budding scientists can even do experiments at the event.

The organisers explain that both the days have novel events planned for both parents and children. In a workshop conducted by Kochi-based Paul Paul Academy, children and their parents can sway to the magic of rhythms created by Paul Paul Chiriankandath.

Then there is a session by Bengaluru-based Remya Sumith, where she will encourage children to get their hands dirty with some gardening and close encounters with plants. Paurnami Chitran will show participants how to make bookmarks.

“While the usual sessions on face-painting and caricaturing will be there, we wanted to add some interesting, interactive activities for parents and children. City-based Pink Perch, which conducts workshops on make-up, has planned one that will have Liji Varghese demonstrating some simple hair styles that dads can do for their daughters. Winners of a drawing competition for children will have their creations printed on T shirts by Anusha Stephen’s Talking Canvas while Archana Gopinath of The Reading Room promises to transport participants on a magic carpet with her story-telling sessions. Or there is Sherin Binu Jones who will tell a story and get the children to tell a story of their own with the help of props. And if it is abracadabra that enchants you, learn magic with Manu Poojappura,” adds Jisha.

Mums or dads can enrol for Inde TG’s soap-making classes to make bathing bars that are free from harmful chemicals or participate in Ameya’s workshop to learn to make soaps, lotion bar, talc-free body powder and so on.

Tickets are priced ₹100 per person and covers the games and installations and gives access to the stalls. Rates of each workshop varies.

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