Page 12 - Balvihar january 2024

The Mural of Harmony

An otherwise quiet town, Parisarapuram, buzzed
with activity when it decided to hold an art
festival. People from all age groups gathered
to participate, and the streets were filled with
individuals dressed in brightly colored clothes.
The children didn't want to be left behind and
had joined in to celebrate art. Six children
gathered for a special project.

They were excited because they had to create
a big art mural together. However, they soon
found themselves tangled in a web of different
ideas.
One child, who loved drawing fish and water,
said, "I want our mural to be all about the sea
and its creatures!" Another child, fascinated
by birds and fluffy clouds, objected, "No way!
I think we should have a bright blue sky with white clouds and colorful birds." A third child,
who admired tall mountains and the bright orange sun, chimed in, "I vote for mountains and
the sun! It's so majestic!" The fourth child had stars and planets in mind, insisting, "My theme
is space – planets, stars, and nothing else!" The fifth child, keeping a secret, teased, "I have a
surprise theme. Just wait and watch!" The sixth child, eager to contribute, said, "I'm good at
drawing fish and water. Can I go ahead with that theme?"
But the others were too busy arguing about whose idea was the best. They couldn't agree on
a single theme for the mural.

An adult thought about stepping in, but some wise person suggested, "Let us allow the kids to
figure it out. Something magical might happen."

So, they decided to work on different sections of the wall, each child following their chosen
theme. The sixth child, feeling a bit left out, offered to help. Hours passed, and the wall started
to look like a wild mix of colors. Yet, something felt incomplete.

The sixth child, who had been quietly assisting the others, suddenly exclaimed, "I know what's
missing!" With a brush in hand, the child drew a simple human figures in the middle of the
mural.

Everyone stepped back and looked at the mural. The crowd that had gathered around wondered
aloud how it looked. One child proudly said, "Now it's perfect! The sea, sky, mountains, space,
forest, animals and there is a human too, one of us!"

12

Balvihar - January 2024