Imagination, copyright, magic, wildlife, beauty, leadership … The list of things we discussed during the third session of my reading workshop at VP’s Vinodkumar Gujar Bal Vikas Mandir was endless. With individual and team activities as usual, the sessions flew by – and I can hardly believe that I have just one session left!
Free Workshop for Parents
Here’s some media coverage of the free workshop I conducted for parents … Looking forward to the Reading Challenge: details in the news clip!
Reading Challenge Sakaal Times
Varsha Seshan’s workshops in the Sakaal Times today! With the Reading Challenge just around the corner, I conducted a special curtain-raiser today on getting children to read. “My children don’t read at all!” “I keep asking him to tell me about what he’s reading; he never tells me anything!” “His friend reads so much, but […]
Day Two: Reading Workshop
At VP’s Bal Vikas Mandir, workshops are not just enjoyable work. On Monday, after my first two sessions, I was not well. “Could I have just soup for dinner?” I asked. “Of course,” was the reply. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door – Vicks and Crocin to ensure that I slept […]
Mythical Maze
“Mythical Maze” – that’s the theme for this years reading challenge at the British Library. What is a reading challenge all about? What does it achieve? Here’s a bit about it. Children are divided into two age brackets – 5-7 and 8-13. Each age bracket has a select list of books that fit under the […]
Christmas Reading
Fills my heart with joy …
Reading Challenge, British Library
Last year, it was ‘Creepy House’; this year, it’s ‘Mythical Maze’. Children in the age-group 5-13 can take part in a fantastic journey through books, discovering selkies, fairies and even the Trojan horse. There will also be three workshops for each age-group, aimed at building confidence and improving expression. Here are the details of the […]
Reading Workshop at Baramati
“Do you know who Augustus Gloop is?” I asked. “A Roman emperor!” responded a boy, promptly. We all laughed; we could not help it. Articulate, enthusiastic and full of energy, the children from Vidya Pratishthan’s Bal Vikas Mandir filled Monday and Tuesday with ideas and action. “Have you heard of Roald Dahl?” I asked another […]
Changes
I’ve been away from my blog for three weeks! Now, nothing seems Momentous enough to resume my regular writing. So, finally, I’m putting lots of things together just to set the writing rolling once more. 1) I got married. 2) I had another birthday and became one year older. 3) I discovered that Red Turtle […]
Workshop Cancelled
The workshop scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled … My apologies!
Arangetrams and Anniversaries
My dance teacher does not remember the exact date of her Arangetram, but she does remember that it was in 1964. Just for today, I’m going to pretend to myself that her Arangetram was the 29th of October, 1964. Because today, I think of all the time that has passed since our Arangetram: my sister’s and […]
Reading Workshop, Poona Club Library
This is the first time I have received so many queries about the workshop! Here are a few more details, just to make things clear. Reading Workshop for Children Dates: 1st and 2nd November, 2014 Time: 10 am to noon Fee: Rs 500 per child Total duration: 4 hours Age-group: 8-12 years Objectives: To develop a […]
Of Education and Breaking Traffic Rules
My signal turned green. I began to move – and banged into a motorcycle going the wrong way, and breaking the signal into the bargain. With my hand and foot mildly grazed, I was more than a little angry. I had not yet noticed that my bike was damaged, or I would have been still […]
Diwali
We were in mourning this Diwali for my grandfather who died earlier this year. I remember, as a child, feeling so bad for people in mourning. I remember someone telling me about her father-in-law’s brother’s death, because of which the entire family was in mourning. And I remember feeling a little guilty about thinking about how pointless it […]
Reading Workshop
I started going to the Poona Club library – no, I never called it ‘United Services Library’ – longer ago than I can remember. I do know, though, that in my head, Poona Club library was the only real library I knew. Not because it had exceptional books. Not because it opened my eyes to books […]
Day Two: Vocabulary Workshop
I met a seven-year-old who could unscramble words faster than anyone I’ve seen. Apart from my parents of course. My parents have about thirty years of Scrabble practice, though. (That’s over four times the little boy’s age, for those of you who cannot do the math.) I met another seven-year-old, who was all too willing to […]
Day One: Vocabulary Workshop
The holidays have just begun, and you don’t want to sit in a library and develop your vocabulary. Yet, the ten children who came to JustBooks Magarpatta City had a crazy, noisy, active, fun morning. Word search puzzles, category games, drawing, acting and speaking – all found their way into two hours. Tomorrow promises to […]
Vocabulary Workshop Rescheduled
As Magarpatta City Public School has examinations until the 18th of October, the Vocabulary Workshop for Children has been postponed. Here are the new details: Dates: 20th and 21st October, 2014 Time: 10:30-12:30 Venue: JustBooks, Magarpatta City Age-group: 8-12 years Registration fee: Rs. 500 The last day for registrations is Sunday, 19th October. Please pass […]
Vocabulary Workshop, Magarpatta City
Registrations for my vocabulary workshop at Magarpatta City close on Friday, 17th October. Vocabulary Workshop for Children Dates: 18th and 19th October, 2014 Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Venue: JustBooks, Magarpatta City Age-group: 8-12 years Registration fee: Rs. 500
Memorabilia – II
My grandmother was a disciple of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, and recalled, often, how Pandit Ravi Shankar called her a ‘child prodigy’ when she performed at the Allahabad Univeristy Music Conference. Here is what the press has to say about her: Last and not the least Kumari Ratnam Mahadeo’s Sitar recital should be commended […]