Do her pictures tell a story?

Do her pictures tell a story?
Preetu Nair, TNN


Photo courtesy: Rajtilak Naik

Panaji: We have seen only those scars on her skin,but there might be others deep down, inflicted by pain much more acute.

As she recovers from the torture allegedly inflicted by her employers , the child maid has for the first time in her life laid her hands on books and crayons. Cocooned inside a GMC ward , away from the cruel world she has so far experienced, the ten year old is learning the English alphabet, tutored by the policemen guarding her.

And she is drawing pictures. Neat, bright and colourful pictures. But amidst all the vibrancy might be lurking her worst demon-loneliness.

Most of her pictures are of her are of her house in Gadak, Hubli , surrounded by green fields and a girl standing alone. The minor says she is the girl in her sketches . In some sketches, along with her own name she has written the word 'Audrey' . Audrey Pinto is director of SCAN , an NGO, and has been with the girl since the day she was rescued.

Drawings can be used as a way of understanding more about what a child has gone through, how they view their past, present and future, says psychologists.

"Children express their needs and environment through the pictures they draw. From the pictures she had drawn it appears that she feels lonely. Perhaps after what she has gone through he family probably has no role to play in her environment as she cannot identify with them," said clinical psychologist Dr Mita Majumdar. However, she added that these are presumptions and one can arrive at a final decision only after interacting with the child and seeing her pictures.

Incidentally, the minor doesn't talk much about her family. "She doesn't talk about her mother or siblings. She told us very clearly that she doesn't want to go with her grandparents and mother. She told us that she wants to study," said Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) member Ezilda Sapeco.

August 1, The Times of India, Goa edition