Two more children joined the reading workshop at Friends Library today!With seven children in the cosy children's section of Friends Library, Day Two of the reading workshop was a day of learning. We spoke about the publishing process and copyright. We designed book covers. We shared myths from around the world. And we had a quiz to round things up.Tomorrow promises to be fun too! … [Read more...]
Three Days to Go for my Workshop at Friends Library!
Are you ready? Have you passed the word? Will you please?Any queries? Write to me! … [Read more...]
Exploring the World of Stories: A Reading Workshop for Children
Summer holidays! Time for yet another reading workshop!I'm moving to another library now - Friends Library, Salunke Vihar Road Mark the dates: 19th May - 23rd May 2014 Age-group: 8-12 years Time: 10 am - 11:30 am Registration fee: Rs. 750Join the fun! Let's explore the world of stories! … [Read more...]
Thank you!
For all those who came and watched me and listened to me at Art Hop Pune, thank you!I began with almost no one in my audience. In five minutes, there were over twenty people - a large number in such a small place. And as I was doing my last piece, the place was full. I was honoured!Of course, the result of having no one to begin with was that I forgot to market myself. I forgot to tell people that I was a writer and a dancer. In the very end, I apologised and said, "By the way, I'm a writer too. And my collection, The Story-Catcher, is on sale here."Needless to say, no copies were sold.Despite that, what a charming experience it was! Art Hop Pune was a grand event! … [Read more...]
Lecture Demonstration at Art Hop Pune
Nritta is one of the two pillars of the magnificent structure called dance. Nritta is pure technique, with no hidden symbolism, no complex meaning and no detailed explanation involved. What is the purpose, then, of nritta?That's one of the modules of today's lecture demonstration at Oakwood Sen5es at 5pm. Be part of Art Hop Pune! … [Read more...]
British Library Workshops
Express Yourself!
Sigh. And that's the end of another fun workshop at the British Library!We played, we laughed, we shared ideas. For once, I honestly believe the children enjoyed the workshop more than I did.One child had to explain the word 'FREEZE'. The rules were - no acting, no translating, no using the words 'ice', 'cold', 'still', 'fear' and 'move'. He stood, thinking, for a long time. Then he began, "Once upon a time, there lived an Eskimo. One day, he decided to go to Antarctica. He went all the way there and he made an igloo. But then on top of a mountain there, it was so chilly that he ..." … [Read more...]
My next workshop is tomorrow!
A custom-made workshop for the Reading Challenge at the British Library!Yes, each of these cards is hand-made. Each card contains a word from the Creepy House Reading Challenge.I've lost count of how many cards I made. … [Read more...]
Inspired by Taboo!
The next workshop I'm doing at the British Library promises to be fun!My father got a rubber stamp saying 'VARSHA SESHAN' long, long ago. I kept it safely. I visited a bookshop about six months ago and impulsively bought a stamp pad, but did not use it. I bought chart paper to make a lantern for Diwali (yes, five months ago) and never made the lantern.I put all of them together to make my own Taboo cards, using words that I found in books that are part of the Creepy House Reading Challenge. They look lovely; I'm waiting to use them!Suppose you have to get your team to say the word ‘breakfast’. You cannot act or translate. You can speak, making full sentences, but there’s another rule. You are given five words that you aren’t allowed to use! Without using the words ‘eat’, ‘morning’, ‘lunch’, ‘food’ and ‘dinner’, can you make your team say the word ‘breakfast’? Express yourself! Use … [Read more...]
‘What happens next?’ at British Library
The afternoon's workshop at the British Library began with a presentation that helped the eight children understand the mood of terror. Sights and sounds, ghosts, enormous spiders, zombies, mummies and pirates found their way into ideas children expressed before they began to write.And then, I gave them their prompt - The crows cried out in the distance. Hundreds, thousands of crows perched on the roof of the old, empty house. Then, the door opened ...I was prepared for a creepy story. I got eight creepy stories.One wrote of the 'Door of No Return'. An old violinist opened the door ... A tremendous sound echoed. NEXT LEVEL! flashed the computer screen.Another wrote about three children being whisked away into a mirror in the haunted house. And then, the ghost of Mr Scribble Hopper wrote the names of the three children on a piece of paper listing the children he had killed.What … [Read more...]