SOULspace

“Euphemisms” is the topic which caught my eye today. In an article in The Hindu (Tuesday, 27th Jan.), the author talks of how there is a tendency in journalism to cling to euphemisms (“in other words”). We have euphemisms being used in any and every field. Saying “Sex worker”, instead of prostitute is the expected norm in that field, but does it change what they do and how we look at them? The author also points out that there are some very funny euphemisms being used, like saying “vertically challenged” instead of a short person, “differently enabled” for a person with multiple disabilities. What caught my eye is this area that lies close to my heart. that of Disability and euphemisms related to it. Incredibly this is a thought that I have also had many times in my work with the disabled and later while interacting with people and trying to understand their stance on disability. Disability and its related fields now insist on the use of “politically correct language”. For sure where I...

Ayah amma I want to go to the toilet” yells little Sukanya, rocking in her chair. Lakshmi ayah rushes into the class room slightly out of breadth, and with ease which comes from practice transfers her onto a wheelchair, all the while talking to her, softly, gently, pacifying the child. “Bus was late kutty , traffic jam no” she says to the child, while wheeling her into the bathroom, making sure she closes the door behind her. They come out after a while, once again friends. Lakshmi ayah was my right hand in the class. One minute wheeling the kids to the toilet, the next helping me clear the tables of the days work, sweeping, cleaning, feeding, lifting, seating, carrying. The work list is endless in a special school. Especially for a person like her with 15 years of service, who had seen the small school grow into the colossal institute it now was. Teachers had come and gone, management changes, children had grown up and left. She had seen innumerable volunteers, helpers and more, ...

I am constantly searching for really interesting stories to tell children. Now it is also true that the school I go to has storytelling right from 1st standard, so that means by the time they are in 4th standard they have heard ... a lot of stories! I have an affinity for Indian stories. So keeping this in mind I was looking for a good Indian story. The difficulty in choosing a story is also because of the exposure that these children have to Amar Chitra Kathas, which are Indian Mythology/History stories in comic form. So my search requires that I spend many hours on the net, or going through actual books. This time I chanced upon a book called Vikramaditya's Throne by Poile Sengupta. I read with increasing interest and the more I read, the more I liked it. She uses a a technique of layering, where she tells a story within a story. It is extremely fascinating not only for me but also my young listeners. Though the original story talks from the perspective of a small girl who has ...

This is Uthara's original story. Even though, a moral at the end seems to be mandatory for her, I like her thought process...so here goes..( I have not edited any grammatical/spelling errors!!) Uthara is my daughter, age-7 1/2! Story No.1 Who Is The Greatest? In a big house in the Dining Table there was a cup of Tea, Coffe,Milk. the coffe and the tea were discusing Who was greatest. "I am the gratest because I am the latest drink" said the coffe. "I was there even befor british came also". But cup of milk kept quiet. Then a boy came and drank the cup of milk! The cup coffe was very sad, the cup of tea too. But next secend the boy's mother and father came and drank the drinks. the father drank the tea and the mother drank the coffe. cups were so happy, they all said to each other now on words we both are best of friends. the moral of the story is Everybody is the same. Story No.2 (based on an idea given by her father!) Nothing Once in a village there live...

Yep! I had a blast! Today was the culmination of my efforts in storytelling for this term at my special school. Over the last 4 months, I've been doing one story with the special children in the Non-Formal educational group, every Thursday.( Non- formal implies that these children, who have cerebral palsy and other associated disabilities like mental retardation/sensory impairments, get training in a number of life skills, along with some functional literacy skills.) Every week it was a challenge selecting a story for this group. The story had to be simple and realistic enough for them to relate to. Fantasy doesn't work, as it has no meaning, long plots also have no value. Finally out of all the stories done, it was Varsha who decided that it would be the story of the Milkman's Cow. Varsha is a shy, reserved, non-verbal teenager, and when i started off with these sessions, she would be looking elsewhere, not interested, just not connecting. Then I did Milkman's Cow, an...

Nivedita played the fur elise by Beethoven. I was floored! She played it with such elan and panache. Who doesn't recognise that melody? Such a confident young girl she has become, I cannot resist writing about her! I've seen her 6/7 years back in 1st standard. Naughty, talkative, smart, and very people savvy, she was everyone's darling. I am seeing her now, and I guess she must be about 15/16 years old... She looks smart, and savvy, and plays the synthesizer like a pro! She is really an inspiration for me. I look at her parents, and admire them. What a fantastic job they have done, they have raised her so well inspite of all the odds. You see Nivedita studies in a special school, and has Cerebral palsy. A condition which affects her mobility and coordination. We need to make such children true champions of this world, give them awards, rewards and accolades. Talk about them every where, so that we can all learn to appreciate life!

People were her lifeline. She wanted them and likewise they too were attracted to her. Her charm and common sense, her piety and her calm, were there for all to imbibe and to emulate. They say a woman is the back bone of the family; she can make it or break it. This lady was the matriarch of our family. Her kind and gentle demeanor was only a facade for an assertive and stubborn personality. She laid the rules, the values, the religious rituals to be followed. All laid down by her dictum. Don’t mistake me, she was not dictator, but I can call her a benevolent despot!! She grew old, her roots firm and secure, enclosed in the protective fold of her son’s family she could now lead a retired life. Handing over all her responsibilities and her chores into the competent and capable hands of her daughter in law, albeit reluctantly, she immersed herself in piety and worship. The first blow came when grandfather passed away. The red dot on the forehead of a married woman is her proud declarat...