Comm WS June 2013

Last day: We had a session of turning attention inwards (can be helpful in stressful situations), role of forgiveness, EFT, practice session on Jo-hari window. Abhishek very courageously volunteered himself for it. Later, we all (including sachin) had a round of volunteering info about our "hidden" self as a part of Jo-hari window exercise. Many participants took advantage of this "kumbh mela" (or VDS) and tried to become transparent and "light". (VDS- Voluntary disclosure scheme)

The upshot was: how to be comfortable with who we are- and try to change ourselves from a position of calm strength rather than self-hatred. Finally we went back to our "fight club"- the big hall in the OPD. Everyone got up the stage and practised block- corrections facing about 70-80 people.
A parting photo-session. Then, we all dispersed. We have exchanged IDs and we will keep in touch with each other. We hope that these participants will conduct such short modules in their areas, with help from those in TISA who have become familiar with the structure and content of Comm WS. Thanks for leaving encouraging comments..
Our special thanks to Ajay and Hemant, for planning, setting up, implementing this workshop in spite of big challenges- thanks are due to them for taking care of the participants and their practical needs..

Day 2:

Rains continued. To get to Anugrah we had to wade through a foot of water.Anyhow, we  began on time in the morning and raced through Block corrections, Intro marathon, VS with a stranger (a lady), mini-presentations, some free hand discussions and then- mutual videography in pairs- followed by review.
After lunch, we went to large octagonal OPD waiting hall for the big challenge: intro and some talk in front of strangers in a large hall with great acoustics..
Thereafter, we had three plays: Sadhu ke vesh me Thug; Kangaroo; Teen Bhikari (all by Girija Sharan Aggarwal). It was followed by a feedback session by participants. Later, we went to Assan lake for Chai-pakora and some fun. Fortunately rain had stopped. Kushal sang some touching Rabindra sangeet; others too sang and had great time in the open expanse by the side of the lake- as the sky cleared, sun shone and the distant ranges caught the setting sun.. a magical hour.

Day 1: Despite non-stop rain, flooding, traffic jams- and all the confusion let loose by weather gods - the first day took off normally- as almost all the expected participants managed to arrive. We had intro rounds, some personal stories and personal wisdom, some energisers ("bole bum", "nani pani"), some practice rounds.. We shared two video clips to appreciate the vast difference between Fluent speech and Communication.
Then, Stammering interviews; We went over: Body language (smile, eye contact), cancellation, bouncing and prolongation. A little discussion about - underlying psychological issues. A brief video about voice modulation and importance of active listening.
Pitter patter of the rain continued through out the day-  but for us the day slipped by unnoticed, as we met new friends, discovered new ways of looking at and dealing with our issues and problems, cracked jokes and shared "funny" moments..