At just eight, Ahana Rhea Berkin is very conscious about the environment. Why not? After all, we live in a world with kid activists like Greta Thunberg, who are spearheading the fight against climate change. But while Ahana may not take the world stage and voice her thoughts out, she is definitely doing it through her art. A DIY enthusiast and a self-taught artist, Ahana's installation art piece was recently showcased at The Marina Mall in Chennai on Republic Day. Titled Beeconscious, the art installation represents a beehive made out of plastic containers and bottle caps. "The installation had a dual purpose. One, it was to create awareness about the importance of bees, and two, I wanted to send a message to everyone to stop using plastic," says Ahana, a Class 2 student at Hiranandani Upscale School.
So how did Ahana manage the feat? "I completed most of the installation live. I had cut and stapled together some hexagonal canvases. They were then painted yellow. On the canvas, I stuck bottle caps and plastic food delivery containers that made up the beehive. To make the bee, I used a plastic bottle, painted yellow with black stripes," says Ahana. And there's a reason why they chose to do it on Republic Day. Ahana's mother Kumudam Berkin says, "We already have movements like the Swachh Bharat Mission. More youngsters should be at the forefront of such missions. Concepts like these should be explored and what better day to do it than on the 72nd Republic Day?"
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Ahana was watching an educational video on the internet one day when she chanced upon another video about the importance of bees. "She was blown away after learning that without bees the world would come to an end. She was so excited to do something about it and then came up with the idea for an installation," says Kumudam. Ahana conceptualised the installation in December. "As parents, we noticed that she would take regular items like pencil shavings, bottle caps and cotton and create art. She has always believed that any material can be used to create art," says Kumudam about Ahana's love for DIY.