Experiential Learning Visit to Jeekavandlapaali

Chikkaballapur, 21 February 2026

Students from the Presidency School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SoLAS), Presidency University, Bengaluru, participated in an experiential learning visit to Jeekavandlapaali village near Chikkaballapur, approximately 65 km from Bengaluru. The visit was organised as part of an initiative to provide students with exposure to indigenous art practices and rural community life.

During the visit, students interacted with a multi-generational artisan practising Tholu Bommalata, a traditional leather shadow puppetry art form recognised by the Government of India as a protected cultural heritage craft. The artisan demonstrated the process of preparing leather, sketching figures, and painting puppets using natural pigments. He also explained how episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are traditionally performed during village festivals.

Students observed the tools, materials and techniques involved in puppet-making. They also participated in a hands-on activity, attempting basic sketching and colouring under the artisan’s guidance. The session enabled them to appreciate the skill, precision and time required to sustain such traditional crafts.

The visit included an interaction at the local Paalvaadi (village early childhood centre), where students observed the learning environment and community engagement at the grassroots level. The artisan’s family hosted the students and provided refreshments, facilitating informal discussions about livelihood, the transmission of craft traditions, and rural life.

The visit allowed students to connect classroom discussions on culture, tradition and heritage with lived practice. It provided direct exposure to an indigenous art form and offered insights into the socio-economic realities faced by artisans sustaining traditional crafts in contemporary India.

The programme concluded with a reflection session during which students shared their observations and key takeaways from the visit.