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  Module 1 : Emotional Self Awareness : VIDEO 1 : You can also right click to watch the Video on YOU TUBE https://youtu.be/1tG62HQyoRU  (Links to an external site.)       STORY – Lions Whisker: Emotional Self Awareness ( A folktale from Ethiopia - adapted version) Story Based Reflection Task s : write in your journal for your own reflection. Draw the part of the story that stood out for you. What feelings did the story bring out in you? What did you feel drawing it out? Write about it.Listen to the story again.   Take Moments from the story and make a list of feelings that you experienced while listening to the story. What you felt when you heard the young girl had no mother, or when the young girl refused food from the new mother, or when the old woman threw the whisker into the fire. ~ Know your Emotions: Read this chapter in   https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontopsychology/chapter/10-1-the-experience-of-emoti...

:) : Ridhi is 5 years old and lives with her Appa, Amma in a flat in Indra Nagar. Ridhi’s Ajji had come to stay with them for some time and Ridhi was having a great time playing with Ajji and listening to her stories. But today Ridhi was feeling very sad. Ridhi missed her Amma. It was 3 days since Amma had gone to the hospital. “ Ajji How long to wait for Amma? When will she come back from the hospital with Appa.“ Has the baby come out from Amma’s stomach? I thought her stomach would burst with the baby becoming bigger and bigger inside” “You know Ajji I think a Baby is like cake.   I wait and wait and watch the cake mix growing bigger and bigger in the oven and then Ting the oven makes a sound and the cake is ready to take out, no?. I think Babies are like that – they have to become bigger inside the tummy and then finally one day they are ready to come out. “Ting”.  The doctor takes the baby from inside Amma and the Baby is ready like a cake...but ....but......

I can be called the Queen of U-Turns. I can never reach a new destination without once taking a wrong turn or heading at-least half a kilometer or more away from my destination and then realising something is wrong making that U turn and heading back again. The first vehicle I learnt to ride was a cycle like most of us, but unlike most of you, this was not a simple SLR or even a champ. My first learning experience was an Atlas cycle, male version (yes, with the bar), huge for a 13 year old, and with no brakes. It belonged to my dance class friend. So I would meet and greet this no-brake-tall-guy every Tuesday & Thursday surreptitiously during class hours. Sneaking out of class and chakkar marroing around the streets was a thrill.  What is interesting is that I could not climb onto the cycle normally, I had to find a boulder or a raised platform, from which I had to literally launch myself onto that tall guy and then quickly pedal off. What was even bette...

Ammi midiththu, Arundhati parththu is a saying that is part of the Tamil marriage culture. Arundhati was the wife of Sage Vasishta and meant to be the epitome of pativrata. Traditionally most women like my Grandmother would idolize this role and play their part to the "t", even eating off the same plate! I wanted to know more about Arundhati and I found a very learned woman who could coach her husband when he had no answers (thats pretty normal and true in most cases!). Yet the story that is amazing here is connected to my opening words... At the wedding ceremony couples are asked to observe the double stars of Arundhati and Vasishta, (Alcor & Mizar in the Ursa Major constellation). Both these are binary stars visible to the sharp eyes. You would believe couples are asked to look at these stars to signify the union should be like the mythological characters - pure and perfect. Nope, that's not it. The real reason behind it is that these stars display a unique beh...

Looking for a story to fit into the theme of 'Change' I came upon Mullah ' s stories. The last line is such a clincher for me. Do we really know who we are or is the soul clothed by a story called Personality...ahhh..this makes so much sense to me!! Read on: Who Is Who There is a beautiful story about Mulla Nasruddin: He had gone for a pilgrimage to Kabba, the Mohammedan holy land. And there were millions of pilgrims – because it is expected by the Mohammedan scriptures that every Mohammedan, at least once in his life, must go to Kabba; otherwise he is not considered to be a real Mohammedan. So even the poorest Mohammedan sell their houses, sell their ornaments, their land, everything, because at least once in their life they have to go to Kabba. So every year there is a great gathering. All caravansaries are full, all hotels are full. Nowhere was there any vacancy, and Mulla was very tired. He clung to the feet of the manager of a hotel and he said, ...

   I was introduced to the love of my life way back when I was a young, enthusiastic teacher at a special school. But we rarely met, perhaps once in a while when I chose to, but what with a million things to do and learn and also being deeply involved in teaching special children, I hardly noticed him. Little did I realise he would show up later in my life the way he did!    I got married and believed I had chosen the right guy, well...I also believed terrorism was what you saw in movies and child abuse was something that happened in very depraved societies and not in mine... ...but, to continue on my marriage, something was missing. I felt a void within me, an emotional chasm, and I felt very incomplete.    Meanwhile I started a family and within a span of 4 and half years I had two children! I struggled with my inner emotional void and external world of mundane chores. I felt so tied down, I wanted wings to fly, to dance and swirl and soar in the cl...

The Herb Society of America has this to say about Mythology: Mythology is the handmaid of literature, and literature promotes happiness. Myths were told or sung to people at least 5,000 years ago. They were told to explain dreams or reasoning for certain happenings or to understand their gods. ://www.herbsociety-stu.org/Mythology.htm The website gives a brief outline of many herbs and also the myths/stories behind these herbs But the story I find most fascinating and filled with Jungian interpretations is the story of Mint... Minthe or Mentha was a beautiful naiadian (naiad), a water maiden who lived near the river Cocytus. The lord of the underworld Hades (otherwise known as Pluto), falls in love with her and seduces her easily, as she is completely mesmerized by the handsome God and his golden chariot.  Hades has committed great folly; his wife is none other than the mighty Persephone. The spurned wife captures the hapless lover and has her crushed. Hades unable to sto...

Story : The Great Vegetable Race Story characters: Miss.Baingan; Mrs.Khadu Khadu, Yo Carrot; Oye Onions and the winner is Runner Beans   Story Line: A simple story, where the veggies are excited over a competition, added flavor is the fact that Miss.Baingan thinks it is a beauty contest! They all come prepared...but eventually the race is won by Runner Beans!! Applause!! Applause!! A great way to have children participate in this story is have them bring vegetables and dress it up for the story! Best suited for the little ones... But I had fun, doing up my veggies...take a look.... Story: The Enormous Carrot Story Characters: Any animal that you can find, people too Story Line: Based on the story "The Enormous Turnip", I adapted it to use  a carrot as children are familiar with it and the veggie is also one that throws shoot out, which can be pulled out.. So Grandfather and his family try to pull out the carrot, but fi...

Where do I begin to tell you of all the wonderful things that have been happening? October started with a bang...with a great storytelling session for the Picturing Change event at Thalam Gallery in Domlur. Let me rewind a bit to tell you that I met a wonderful soul called Mathangi in a theatre workshop. Somehow in spite of the age difference we really clicked!! We kept in touch, and I happened to keep bumping into her from time to time. and so it happened....she invited me to do a story session for children from the Anganwadis that she was working with, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. But the request was to do it in Kannada! That is a challenge, as I can tell in English and Tamil, but have never tried Kannada. Luckily for me, Aparna, who I work with at Kid and Parent Foundation is fluent in Kannada, so we accepted the invitation to do a session in Kanglish (if you will pardon my typical englification of Kannada!) Picturing Change is a wonderful idea, conceptualized ...

Stories serve a higher purpose. Every storyteller starts with a passion to tell a story. They are in all probability enamored by the hero or the hero's quest (here I use Hero without bias...to denote male and female). But soon this fascination starts to wind itself around the teller, and she/ he soon begins to play with the story. Adapting it, changing it to suit the occasion, or completely transforming it to make it their own. But there is another angle to it. Stories speak directly to our consciousness. Things that were not said may be construed by the audience and every person takes back what they want to from the story...I as the story teller, have no control over it. Can we then engage the audience in a way to step up their understanding. That is what is called as scaffolding. A term widely used in drama and theater practices. Where the audience/ participants will actively engage with the story through specific strategies...which could include asking questions, role ...