Participants: Registrants
The content is brilliant the methodology perfect. The community workshop was great. We need more of the same. I came with a hole in me.. All that I couldAll that I did Did not seem to be enough Counsellors, therapists – the whole list Everyday in someway This hole began to grow bigger and bigger Until I could ignore it no longer Today I am free I am floating.. I am singing Today I can breathe in fresh air Smell the leaves Run barefoot in the rain Like a child I am free all over again. Rajesh PI We enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere, the fun and learning and the flexible format of the workshop. We were impressed by the sensitivity, personal style, and openness and honesty of Radha, the facilitator. In the community workshop, we could see in action what we had learnt. Shikha Singh The facilitator was clear and articulate and brilliant in this technique. Priya Varadarajan. It was a great experience. I ‘removed out’ my inner feelings in most of the games and I had great moments. After this, I will have no stage fear. Suffiaya Fathima I experienced personal change when least expected. The exercises and games prepared us for more intense sessions and the sessions were well planned out. Santosh Padmanabhan The ambiance was of relaxed fun but with a purpose. The facilitator. Radha with her rich experience, humane and committed nature and immense energy made the workshop a great experience. She has sincerity and commitment.. She is calm and communicative with high energy levels. In the Glass cobra exercise, the moment of getting back my lost partner was a aha moment for me. Vinu Pallisery I did get a lot of space to unwind and know myself and we were free to explore ourselves. I realized the power of a truly democratic space. It helped me re-realise my self-esteem and the stereotypes that bog us . All this lead to my being at much at peace with myself and immensely re-energised and ready to continue with life in a new spirit. As we rehearsed before the forum, Radha redefined the experience of “rehearsals” for me! We never actually repeated what we would eventually do “on stage”. We replaced emotions – anger with fear, fear with love, tension with peace – and emoted silently, without using words but also without miming – and we played the emotions out in a fast-forwarded fashion. It was an epiphany for me! This was a rehearsal?! Yes indeed it was!! The way the “play” seeped into our skins after that, the way we carried the narratives inside our pulses after that – was, to make an understatement, fascinating! We lived the scripts on stage, and there was no question of forgetting lines – the actors had connected through the scripts and each one knew what the other would say …. I personally am grateful to Radha for doing this … for breaking so many small assumptions and redefining living for me. The community workshop was immensely helpful – insightful and deeply revealing. The whole workshop was a redefinition of the teaching model, a destabilising of the teacher-knows-students-learns model, a space where we all voiced concerns and explored doubts, shed tears and felt love flow … it was much more than a conventional “workshop” can be. The strange feeling of liberation as men and women mingled physically yet respectfully, is too powerful and deep for me to describe in a few words. I particularly want to comment on these: Radha’s ability to bring a diverse group of 24 people together – in a few hours – and keep them weaved together with threads of powerful emotions. Ensuring that participants could have a free-flowing experience as well. Her ability to practice democracy with the group – not resorting to partial behaviour even for a moment – not letting anyone feel left out or less desired within the group; this and her tremendous warmth and positive energy that rubbed off on all of us! She has an unmitigated dedication to the cause – a real stimulant for me and inspired faith in one’s own self. Rakhi Ghoshal. The pacing of the workshop was just right with enough emphasis on debrief of the games and exercises we did. I was very impressed with the energy, patience and sense of humour of Radha. In glass cobra, as I struggled to find my ‘ahead’ partner, the support of the one behind me was touching and I had the feeling that that what mattered was not just my cause but that of the group. At the end of the workshop, I have made peace with uncertainty of outcome, differences of opinions in the personal and conflict resolution spheres. I felt “at peace”. Padmaja Nagrur The facilitator had a great ‘stage presence’. Her ability to engage everyone and understand the ‘level’ of each in the group was noteworthy. The ‘aha’ moment for me was during the Forum performance when during an intervention by a Spect-actor, I could speak what I had rehearsed effortlessly especially because I could easily relate to that feeling. Sanna Meharally The Facilitator has an amazing personality, stuck to the plan and surely made a great difference in my life. I enjoyed the games and their interpretation. Vivhek Pai The facilitator is an amazing person with a great sense of balance- God sent! The Rainbow of desires was the ‘aha’ moment for me. I discovered a lot of emotions fighting within me and waiting to explode. But that day, it gave me a different perspective towards life. Sujata Shrikanth The facilitator was warm, understanding and just perfect. She was very encouraging and supportive. The warmth I received from the group was amazing. I am touched – don’t know how but it certainly touched me deep. Sanjukta Ajinkya ___________________________________________________ The workshop was really a fun way of becoming “aware’. The facilitator has a humane touch, exhibits perfect professionalism. She is willing to accept mistakes and share them. Her passion and excitement about TO and life were remarkable. The ‘aha’ moment was during image theater when I let my body do the talking. I found out a bit more about my ‘true thoughts’. The rainbow of desires too gave me an aha moment when reality came through in small ‘lapses’, like blending of emotions. Rajani Ramachnadran The workshop engaged the participants fully; there was commitment to learning in an atmosphere of complete openness. The facilitator remained extremely composed ; and open to suggestions. She is completely committed and has great faith in TO. Priya Venkatesh The facilitator’s wisdom and warmth really helped the working group to become a ‘community’. She was authentic with firm belief in the methodology . She exhibited tremendous respect for the participants, spectators and audience. Her energy, passion and commitment to TO is inspiring. It was a great personal journey for me. I have struggled to make sense of this work in the context that I engage it in. This workshop has helped me to come to terms with this confusion. Your courage and determination to go after your dreams fearlessly are an inspiration. I am moved and thank you for tis superb opportunity. Madhu The workshop was very close to my inner being and provoked new dimension of thoughts in me. The facilitator was able to know her group very closely and she was extending her boundaries to entice with the sensitivity of the team. She had the magic wand through her experience which helped the group to rise and reach out the unsaid dimensions of their truth. Her the sensibility to hear the details of the words from the participants ceaselessly and related to the background where it originated and bought it to the context of TO was noteworthy. The Glass Cobra was simply awesome and no words to explain the depth to lose and to find, it was simply incredible I did not come with a lot of expectations but I came with a heart to enjoy the process and connect with people. It was a beautiful experience which fostered various thinking patterns and carved composition of life moments for me and the way I react and how better I could handle in future. Thank you, so much for bringing this happiness and wholesome joy that I share today. Uma Sugantharaj |