Summer vacations are at their peak and everyone's trying hard to grab your kid's attention. This weekend, a children's mela and a mix of plays for youngsters, tempt you <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/apr/mini-joker.jpg" border="5" /> There's lots to do at the Summertime Mela Summertime Mela On: Today, 12 noon to 5 pm At: Akshara High School, MHADA, Charkop Sector 8, Kandivili (W). Call: 29674000 If you haven't been able to enrol your child in the Summertime with Prithvi workshops, here's a chance to get a glimpse of the goings on at several theatre-related short courses. At the Mela, you can see and marvel at creations by children who participated in workshops including Hands Full of Clay, Meri Duniya with a Twist, and Upside Down, Inside Out. The Story Corner will have Sanjana Kapoor, Loveleen Mishra, Chatura Rao and Shaili Sathyu read for 4 to 8 year-olds. Chaplin Shorts will screen three of Charlie Chaplin's silent short films and encourage kids to create their own voiceovers, with a little help from Sujay Saple and Puja Sarup. Other activities at the Mela include Make Your Own Clay Models, Mural Painting, Junk Art, Games With Magic Bus and a mime performance by Gillo. Chitron Ki Kamal Machi Dhamal and Badmash Kahin Ka On: Today and Tomorrow at 11 am At: Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W). Call: 26149546 Tickets: Rs 100 Watch two children's plays that share the same theme - education - but with a different approach to the subject. Chitron Ki Kamal Machi Dhamal is about a group of children struggling to impress an overbearing drawing teacher, who sets practically unachievable standards for all his students. Suddenly, the irregular drawings created by the kids turn real. The students then, strive to get the errant characters back into their drawing book before the teacher punishes them. Badmash Kahin Ka, on the other hand, shows how a boy who has recently failed his exams, attempts to 'grow up' taking help from a talking scarecrow. In his effort to be taken seriously he often gets beaten up. But his scarecrow-friend tells him that even Chacha Nehru, Gandhiji and Abraham Lincoln were beaten up as kids, so he is in good company. Writer-director Ramnath Tharwal believes that the play is an attempt to sensitise parents even as it will entertain children, "Education should be such that a child is not forced to excel in drawing as well as biology if s/he is not good at it. Teachers and parents should understand the aptitude of the child and work with them accordingly," he says. Budhi Kaki On: April 25 at 7.15 pm At: Gyan Ashram, opposite Canossa Convent High School, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (E). Call: 9820570267 At a time when it's common for kids to get entertained by dazzling wizards, Japanese anime and teenaged-pop idols, Munshi Premchand's short story Budhi Kaki might seem a wee bit out of place. But NSD graduate, Rupal Patel, who has adapted the story for stage, believes the child actors will keep audiences glued. Budhi Kaki's plot goes like this: An old lady bequeaths all her possessions to her nephew and his wife but as soon as she does that the inheritors start ill-treating her to the extent that she is not even given food to eat. The old lady then meticulously fights back to regain her rights. The storyline might sound quite similar to the Saas-Bahu sagas but Patel says there's a lot to learn through the play. The obvious lesson is to respect your elders. "We also try to impress upon the audience the that wasting food is a bad habit. When you don't get food to eat for even a day, you instantly realise the importance of a meal," Patel summarises.

Summer vacations are at their peak and everyone's trying hard to grab your kid's attention. This weekend, a children's mela and a mix of plays for youngsters, tempt you

Time to turn into a bachcha

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