Where the mind is without fear

Priya Rao recently left a decade long corporate career to try her hands at things that she loves and finds meaningful. It was around this time that she came in touch with the children at Snehadhara. 
Since then she has been working with our senior students doing what they all love - cooking. In this heartfelt piece Priya describes her journey with the children over the last few months and how she has started to look at life differently.

Where the mind is without fear

During one of our Sunday evening visits to her place, over a cup of steaming tea, when Lakshmi casually mentioned ‘Snehadhara Foundation’, little did I realize that six months later I would be sitting here writing about my own journey at Snehadhara. Our ten minute conversation that day had me leaving her place expressing my interest in ‘being a part’ of the place. Soon I met the team and the children. A memorable, short but honest conversation marked the beginning of my journey here.


My inherent interest in cooking and my own experiments in the kitchen could not have had a better opportunity ( or found a better meaning?) than ‘Oota Thota’ – the center’s flagship program in cultivating and encouraging ‘cooking’ for independent living amongst the children. Six months into the program and we have together enjoyed our various chopping, grating, peeling, boiling, kneading and mixing sessions in the kitchen. From writing a recipe, measuring out ingredients to making last minute impromptu changes in the recipe while in the kitchen has been truly fun as well as most enriching. Through our kitchen experiments together, I have learnt to unlearn, let go of rigidities and most importantly, overcome the fear of outcome – and to experiment.  All this has been most reflective in my journey of my own life. 

Priya (right) works with a child in a session on dyeing

Each child has and continues to contribute towards teaching aspects of living life in ways that one typically either overlooks or assumes the presence of it already. 

I knew ‘Origami’ was about folding paper into ‘shapes’ of what we see as animals/birds and the flowers – however, I did not know that the art of folding paper in itself was beautiful! I knew weaving as coordinating colors and patterned weaves, but I did not realize that randomly matched colors and patterns woven spontaneously could result in a tapestry so colorful and lively. I know tie-dye is used to create patterns on fabric but did not understand that tying a piece of fabric in itself can create wonderful patterns! I have understood spontaneity, understood random and understood involvement – and what they actually mean and their outcomes – thanks to the children.

To let go of attachment and thereby the fear of losing, has been an important lesson that the children teach me. I see an Ahan, Naman and Nihal most involved in baking a loaf of bread - in recalling the recipe, writing the recipe, reading it aloud, gathering the ingredients, measuring them out, then kneading, mixing, chopping, grating and finally till it goes into the oven. But once out of the oven, they are not there anywhere around! They would have gone back to their routine and their space - with no complexities of unnecessary ownership. 

Detachment is divine indeed. It is then no wonder that the mind is indeed without fear. And a mind without fear is a mind that truly lives LIFE.

Children, Drum Your Heart Out!

We are blessed to have a team of wonderful people working with us and our children through the year. One among them is Ashirwad Acharekar. Ashirwad is a facilitator in our Pipilika program, and has used drumming extensively in his work with children and adults. His innate warmth, love for children and unique facilitation style brings forth the subtler dimensions of engaging with oneself and a group.
In this blog Ashirwad brings to us a leaf from his diary, notes from one such drumming session with the children and his reflection on it…


Children, Drum Your Heart Out!


The children did not settle down, in the beginning.  Pratinav was reluctant to come into the class room.  He was cajoled and told that the door wouldn’t be closed unless he came in, and slowly he consented.  He sat in the corner and was playing his piece on the djembe.  He initially said ‘I don’t like to sing’.  So, we created a tune and sang ‘I don’t like to sing’.  Slowly, he settled in.

Arvind cried and shouted in the beginning.  I leaped towards the fan like a monkey and fell down with a wobble.  He was amused and insisted that I did it again and again. That settled him, in no time. Soon, he was smiling and ready to try his hands on the tabla and djembe.  He enjoyed listening to the songs and was responding to the drumming.

Karthik was interested in the nuts-bolts of the congo.  He unscrewed one and put it back.  He liked the uneven surface of the tabla and tried plucking off the shyai from the dagga a couple of times.  He banged on the congo many times.  He liked to occupy the chair placed behind the congo.  He tried his hands on the tabla and dholak too.  After the congo, when the dholak was given to him, he tried to bang it from the top.  A staff demonstrated, how to bang it from the sides and he imitated it well.  He was frequently moving from one instrument to another, one corner to the other.

Ashirwad works with children in a Pipilika Session

Sai Charan walked in midway through the class, were doing an exercise, wherein I wanted to sensitise children, and had told them to lie down with their backs touching the ground.  When the body is in full contact with the ground, the sound conducted to the whole being is different than when you stand.  I wanted to experiment with this.  Sai seemed restless. He wanted to go to his mother and was crying for her.  Most children managed to lie down on the ground.  A good 3-4 minutes of drumming happened, when they were lying down.  Sai Charan did multiple rounds of lying-sitting-bowing, almost like he was doing a prayer, Namaz.

Ahan chose to move to a small store room, attached to the session-room.  Anagha, a staff, left a djembe inside and later we found that he had picked it and was playing it.

 It was the first session for Abhiram.  He had never stayed in the past with anybody else, other than his mother.  While his mom was in the parents’ session, he became an integral part of the children’s session.   He has motor difficulties and is unable to stand independently. Anagha, supported him. When the drumming started, he moved back and forth with that rhythm of the drums. To check if Abhiram’s rhythmic movement had anything to do with the drums, I decided to play the drums to a rhythm alternately. When I stopped playing the drums, I noticed that Abhiram’s movements when out of sync. They automatically fell into sync, almost seamlessly, when I restarted the drums.

My sons, Chirantan and Arnav were playing their drums as an accompaniment for songs like ‘jaaa ne ja, dhoondata fir yahan’, ‘though all things perish from under the sky’ and other fast paced songs.

Towards the end of the session, I made sounds like a cow calls, those of a bull calling a cow and the cow saying ‘no’.  We did this musically with cat and dog calls as well.  The sound ‘Aa’ exercises the navel area of the body.  The idea of making these sounds was to get in touch with the energy centre and open up the possibility of changing energy patterns in the children.

Overall, there was a sense of peaceful chaos in the session. I felt satisfied that each child soaked in the activities and the experience differently, in their own unique way. When I reflect on this session and the many other sessions that I have facilitated, I realise that drumming can be very intense and it has the ability to crack open an untouched corner of our being.

Every child is an artist, and I long to be a child again

Vani Joshi talks about how an experiment with art activities with her son, turned out to be a life changing experience…


Not too long ago, in the summer of 2014, Kabir had his annual term break. He and I had time on our hands and we wanted to spend it together. I did not want any gadgets or devices to come in the way of this time. I wanted to make the most of it. Just us and what we create together.

And so we did Art! We drew, we painted, we danced, we sang, we did gardening, cooking, we made our own sensory play stuff, created our own games, and had fun. There was very little direction in each of these activities. We had our materials and our imagination. We didn’t worry about anything going wrong, because there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in art! There was joy while we did what we did, and a contentment that would prevail even after the activity was over.

Every evening we would showcase what we did that day and would eagerly look forward to the next day's activities. I wouldn't really spend a lot of time preparing or planning. I simply like to imagine situations that would be fun and try to create activities around them. In case of Kabir, I had a few sensory and fine motor goals in mind, which helped me along in deciding what to do in addition to having fun. But ‘fun’ was the key!

The vacation was over before we knew it, but we had created beautiful artwork and myriad memories. I decided to share the pictures of our summer fun on Facebook. Soon, my friends mentioned how much they enjoyed the art work, and became curious to know how we did it. This was very encouraging.

And then, one of the friends, asked me to come over to Snehadhara Foundation, and introduce the same activities with a group of children at the centre. I was nervous. I am not an artist, nor am I an art teacher. And I have very little experience doing any artwork myself! With encouragement from the staff at Snehadhara, I decided to give it a shot.

I created the session plans for the first month and showed up for my very first session. The experience was nothing like I had expected it to be. Both the facilitator and the children were new to each other. While I had a plan to execute, I tried consciously to not lose sight of the key elements of communication and fun. I tried to talk to the children and keep them engaged in the activity, incorporating songs and staying spirited. I did encounter issues of anxieties, interests and readiness but they all became takeaways and guidelines for the future sessions.

The response from the children themselves was nothing short of overwhelming! They welcomed me with an open heart, with love. They were willing to walk that extra mile of trying to work on new projects, new materials even if they were not the most comfortable with them or did not have the readiness to work independently. They were willing to try and they're the ones who encouraged me. I get to research and plan for new activities and the experiences they would offer. I have begun to understand the children's needs and interests and expectations from a session so I am able to better structure my activities around them. I am able to create a balance between familiarity and novelty so that the children can sustain interest and also participate as independently as possible.

An important part of my sessions is display and appreciation of the created artwork. It is one of the most rewarding aspect of the activity, to see the kids' faces light up as their work is displayed and their efforts is appreciated. It gives everyone involved a sense of accomplishment and a natural closure to the activity.

It's been over three months since I first started these weekly art sessions, and today I look forward to each one of them. What started as an idea to keep Kabir engaged during summer break has now become a very significant part of my life. Each of the sessions have been emotionally enriching and deeply motivating. Through these experiences I have come to learn so much about art, myself and life itself. And each of tis has given a new dimension to my interactions with my son, Kabir.

I am sharing with you what I see as learnings from this experience:

• Being a non-verbal medium, children engage with art spontaneously and their involvement is complete. There is no greater connection that you see a child involved in an activity he/she enjoys.
• The process of creation is experiential in nature. Engaging in making an artwork is both relaxing and cathartic. Asking the child as to what they have made may not yield answers as it is not the child's need to tell, but our need to know. The child has already expressed what he/she wanted to say through the artwork.
• Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso. Art has great significance in fostering independence, individuality and helping children become more like themselves instead of like someone else. It also has a bearing on our role as facilitators. While we can direct the children, we should not instruct too much so as to not hamper the child's inherent creativity and spontaneity. Conformity is never the goal if creativity.
• There is no right or wrong in art. The "process" is where the magic happens. It is more important than the "product".

The best part of the experience has been watching the children engage with art. The children work without judging themselves, they paint freely, they enjoy the process whole heartedly, and they live in the moment- that is the greatest gift.


Oh what wouldn't I give to be able to paint like a child...again!

Children and Me

When I was asked to write about “Children and me” or “The child in me”, I wondered where to begin. As I thought about it, I went back in time to the lovely moments I have had with children, some that took me to heights of ecstasy, some that showed me a different perspective and some that taught me lessons for life. While penning down these few words, my heart reaches out with gratitude to the children of the world.
To Pooja for letting me experience “interconnectedness” with a simple but profound quote, “Sumathi, I am in love with the whole world!”

To Krithika who asked me after I had admonished a few children for not listening to me, “Were you angry with me because you were worried about the consequences, or were you angry because we did not listen to you?”

To Sandeep who has a severe speech deficit but every morning, points to the ‘sun’ and says “Sandeep, sun!”

To Keerthi, who time and again reminds me how to enjoy every moment by just being present there!

To Mubaraka who gave me her perspective of how contrasting I look when I am enjoying a session with her vis-à-vis when I discipline her with her comment, “Yesterday you were so small, today you are so big!”

To Samarth who everyday reminds me everyday that true communication is not only verbal with his non-verbal, soul searching look filled with divine love.

To Akanksha, who replied to a question about who she wants to become when she grows up “I want to be myself!”

To Swati who thoughtfully asked me why poor children always wore clothes that were loose for them!

To Younus, who taught me one of the aspects of Asperger’s syndrome with his comment on another Asperger’s child’s way of speaking, “Why is she talking like “National Geographic?”

To Arshad who asked me why the Governor nominates one Anglo-Indian member to the Vidhana Sabha even today!

To Aditi’s naiveté comment on “Don’t drink and drive” - “So that you don’t get susu on the way!”

To Arvind, who lets me experience immense joy through the simple action of just lifting one finger upwards!

The inner child in me

Every child reminds me of the layers that I wear,

Of the masquerades and facades we adults share,

Of interconnectedness beyond petty barriers,

Of tenderness and beauty like that of flowers,

My gratitude to children all over the world,

My fervent wish - bring everyone into your fold!

- Blog post by Sumathi Ramjee

Sumathi is an ABT Practitioner with Special children in Deepika School, ASHA and Bubbles Centre for Autism for over a decade. Sumathi believes that working with children has given a new meaning to life, distinguishing between ‘living’ and ‘living with awareness’

At Snehadhara, she has been a part of our Pipilika program from 2013.

Life Lessons through Pottery

Working with clay, for me is to be in touch with myself. It is the very taproot of life itself. Confronting clay has lead me to explore and live the earthy, intense and passionate side of me.

                                       

I am sharing with you five important lessons clay has taught me through these years:

Patience and Empathy
Clay has its own personality and characteristic that interests me. No matter how experienced and how good the clay might be, it does not necessarily respond to you at all times. It has thought me to approach the medium with utmost patience, understanding and empathy.

Paradoxes of Life
Clay work is full of paradoxes. It is one of the most technically challenging medium of art. Yet, it is used by children. It is simple and yet so complex at the same time. It is an ancient material made of earth yet it is also one of the modern materials of science. Clay is soft, wet and sensuous as well as a strong sturdy substance; resistant as well as pliable.

Keep at it- one can never see the results early
Clay can be moulded into any shape or form. But clay work may not be always easy. You never see the result immediately. The clay work goes through a series of processes before it finally can be called a finished product. Only after it has undergone a firing process does one see the end result. This aspect for me has been most challenging, exciting and mysterious. Just like many of the stages in life clay goes through many stages before it is finally ready.

Accepting change
Clay looks very different in every state. In the beginning it is soft and wet, waxy and cheese-like. When it is medium dry, it is chalky and very delicate. When the piece is fired it takes on a totally new look, very different from any of the previous stages. It has allowed me to accept these changes in the medium, and as an extension that I see in and around me.

Lessons in communication and relationships
When one chooses to work with clay there is always a period of communication between the maker and the medium. This communication mostly involves wishing and  ‘telling’ the clay what you want it to look like and the clay talking back to you about what it can do for you in turn. It is an interaction with you and the capabilities of clay.
There are many ways to shape clay. It can be entirely built by hand or it can be thrown on the wheel. Wheel work can be very calming, sensuous, rhythmic as well as addictive. Both children and adults are drawn to these qualities. Clay allows you to do many things - functional things, decorative things, draw on it, carve on it, dig into it and make a complete mess of it, this is the beauty of working with clay. It allows you to be in your elements and help you develop a free relationship with it.

                                           

Cynthia working with the children at the center

Clay by nature is in a perpetual state of rest. Yet, like all of us, in it lies great potential for interaction and life. Clay has never failed to nourish, calm and motivate me. In clay, as in life, people are not always expecting fantastic results at the end of it but art, many times, is found where one least expects it.
For me, working with clay has been an extension to exploring my emotions, my mind, coping with life and finding new beginnings.

- Blog post by Cynthia Suzan

Cynthia has been a potter, working with clay for over two decades. At Snehadhara’s pottery studio, Maati, Cynthia is a guest faculty exploring pottery as a medium with our children for expression, communication and relaxation. 

Defining Inclusion by un-defining it

I have often tried to understand what this word ‘inclusion’ means. As I was reading up, I came across its many definitions. I felt that getting down to the act of defining it, itself echoed ‘Exclusion’ the loudest.

Some thoughts on inclusion I came across were:

"Inclusion is about a sense of belonging, about feeling respected, valued for who you are. It is an all-encompassing practice of ensuring that people of differing abilities related to, for example, sex, age, and race, feel a sense of belonging, are engaged, and are connected to the goals and objectives of the whole wider society."

"Inclusion is as much about (special needs) kids reaching their potential as it is about normal kids reaching their compassion potential."

“Sport is a wonderful equalizer and a very efficient tool to ensure inclusion. It can certainly place everyone on a level playing field.”

 “Inclusive education is really about fostering an education system that is accessible to children of all ability levels and embraces the participation of the whole community in the education process.”

All of these said little that may together define Inclusion but what Umaima got me to experience was way beyond all these definitions.

Umaima is a child of 18 yrs who comes to the Snehadhara and is a part of our programs. I took her with me to a government school in Putenahalli where I go on Tuesdays to work with class 7 children as a part of our ‘Art in Education’ project.

On this particular day Umaima came along to help me get there. She was clad in her usual lovely Salwar Kameez and Burkha as we were walking into the school. She decided to hold my mobile and books as we got to the class assigned to us. I was dressed in jeans and a short kurta. Surely she looked more commanding.

Umaima led me to the 7 grade class. As we entered, a class of 36 children stood up watching her and greeted her “Good afternoon Ma’am”. Now for her, this was reason enough to flash a lovely smile and start muttering something to herself. While I watched her responses, I also hoped that she does not start talking the usual lines from her script. As I continued explaining to the class what we would be doing, Umaima was standing confidently facing the class and nodding along.

Soon, I introduced myself to the class and didn’t quite realize that I’d missed introducing Umaima. A child in the class put up his hand and asked me in Kannada “Ma’am principal Ma’am du hasaru yennu?” (What is the name of this principal Madam?) Much before I could understand whom the question was addressed to, Umaima replied loudly in her typical sing song style “ Umaima Sadaf”.The class giggled. She didn’t sound like a Principal.

While at one end, I was overwhelmed with her immediate response to the question, at the other I did have to tell the class about her. When the giggles stopped, I began “She is not the principal and it is quite natural that you laugh when you hear someone close to 20 yrs sounding like this. She is a mentally retarded adult who does have a mental age that is much lesser. She comes to the centre and has just accompanied me today.” It was not easy for me to talk about her as she just kept smiling at the attention she was being given. She of course was quite oblivious to the subject of the discussion. I continued,    “But, if you don’t want me to bring her along from next week I could have her not come along”. Even before I finished saying this, a  child sitting in the front bench closest to her stood up and said “ No…no Ma’am nodi nanagu hindi disability edhe ( Madam, even I have a Hindi disability). I can’t read hindi although many others can”.Tears rolled down my eyes. Finally, I felt probably this is what I would want to call Inclusion.  There is a society out there which is going to help us expand our Universe.

The purpose of getting to the school was to integrate artistic methodologies into classroom settings, to make learning as organic as possible. What more than this? This project has a different meaning for us now. And we have Umaima who will assist me and help many of us unlearn as we learn.

                                                                                           -Gitanjali Sarangan

                                 

                                

We walk together to walk alone

Many times our journey with each other starts way before we actually meet.  With this sense of interconnectedness we walk into another year of Pipilika with our parents, caregivers, and facilitators. As we walk together each of us are also traversing a path that our accomplishments, strengths, fears, conditionings and patterns have made for us. 

What are my strengths? What is unique of me? What are my fears? These sessions, we believe will make a way to understand and answer a few of these questions for ourselves.

The symbolism of the tree we create together is that of being bountiful, nurturing, giver. This tree also speaks of the dynamic nature of its existence. As comforting as it is to many, it allows itself to shed the old leaves and hold the fresh new ones that emerge, showing us the transient nature of life itself.

As we draw these parallels from the tree, as we talk of being grounded and rooted, what are the winds of fear that blow past us? What is the nature of this fear? What are our responses to this fear? Like the tree how to we allow fresh and free responses to our daily challenges? How do we learn to reflect? How do we learn to ask these questions?

As the sessions of Pipilika unfold we hope to explore together, these questions, these fears and apprehensions, and where the roots of these hopes lie.

Tree mandala made by the parents and facilitators

What would it mean to go back to the roots and engage with a medium that is primal and basic?

As the parents reflected on their hopes and fears, the children took to working with clay. In the realm of the emotions, children, parents and educators are all learners at the same level. Neither the child nor the adult is free of fear or has understood its various implications. 

While we as adults may know more than children do about various practical or technical aspects of the world, we have to approach this question of emotional learning with tentativeness and a sense of humility.

In their first Pipilika session for the year, children worked with their hands to make flowers, and some sea animals. They sang and shared stories with each other as their hands brought to life new animals from clay.

Children work with clay

Whether it’s the metaphor of the tree or the clay (earth) that supports it- they remain a constant reminder to each of us of the small roles that we play in a larger plan of the universe.  Each one of us have the ability to create, destroy, nurture, nourish and grow.

Holding this thought lets co-create spaces for ourselves to raise these questions, seek answers, dialogue and experience this beautiful ‘Tree of Life’.

'Love Earthquake' stop motion animation

Watch 'Love Earthquake', a 25sec stop motion animation film created by the Saturday Pipilika program children on 8th Feb, 2014.

Chunks of clay turn into characters of their imagination.
 A rubber tree with green tubes,
Slimy snakes and a hungry lion
a love tower, a bird,
a boy, a girl,
and a blue ball. 

Witness the story of these characters come alive in the link below.

PLOG - The PNLIT Blog: The story of water, live at Puttenahalli Lake

PLOG - The PNLIT Blog: The story of water, live at Puttenahalli Lake: The winter sun was out, and so were 56 kids along with their little siblings and parents. They all came to Puttenahalli Lake on this plea...

Snehadhara features on The Hindu yet again....

Bangalore, January 6, 2014

An alternate rhythm

RASHIKA MAJUMDAR

The Hindu Different drum: Snehadhara uses visual arts to help children express themselves. Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar

Arts-based therapy centres that use music and dance to help the differently abled are making their presence in Bangalore.

Music, art and dance is all it takes to connect mind, body and soul. When these expressive arts help the differently-abled overcome their challenges and express their voices, Art-Based Therapy (ABT) becomes an important and powerful tool

A home for everyone

Snehadhara, an ABT centre in JP Nagar uses multi-arts to help its students with motor, language and speech, cognitive, sensory and social skills. Research to refine and improve methodologies using ABT is also carried out at the centre.

The foundation, started in December 2012, uses voice, language, songs, dance, drama, puppetry, story-telling, drumming, music and visual arts to help children and adolescents with skills and self- expression. It works with differently-abled children and adults, their caregivers and parents.

“The differently-abled seem to experience the world in their own ways as their perceptual world varies from ours,” says Gitanjali Sarangan, the director of Snehadhara Foundation. “We can make learning a fun filled creative journey for them with the help of music, songs, drama, plays in different languages and visual arts.” The organization has 10 facilitators and seven caregivers who engage the students in different activities on a daily basis. A unique feature is the Oota Thota, an activity which encourages students to prepare food from scratch as a form of therapy.

“When students go out with us and buy the necessary ingredients, it helps to build their sense of weights and measures. The smell, the taste and cooking helps develop their sensory perceptions,” Gitanjali adds.

Pallavi Chander, a therapist at Snehadhara feels art lies in the process and not the product. She and other facilitators use dramatics, storytelling and role-play to help children.

“For instance, while staging a drama every aspect from script, costumes, stage props to backstage activities and performing can be deconstructed to achieve a certain physical or emotional goal and help one overcome a certain challenge.”

On a new note

Vocal, instrumental and rhythmic movements in music and musical instruments can be applied to achieve developmental goals in autism. With this conviction, Ganesh Anantharaman heads the Sampoorna Music Therapy Center for Children with Autism in Horamavu. With 11 students and four therapists, the organisation completes its first year in January. Their focus is developing skills in social, emotional, motor and cognitive areas for children in the spectrum through a structured, wide-ranging and long-term music intervention program.

“Music and movement therapy evokes the innate desire and motivation for self-expression and self-regulation in children on the spectrum. This expression seems to be a reward in itself, an affirmation of the personhood of each child,” writes Anantharaman in an article on a web magazine, The Alternative. Individual and group sessions are conducted for children at the centre with a different module depending on each child’s need. Group sessions involve instrumental improvisations and singing. “A child who in February, would only play instruments and listen to the instructor, can now hum and sing. Another child who had speech difficulties can now sing full lines of a song. The progress varies in each child,” says Shruthi V Kumar, a therapist at Sampoorna.

Using rhythm and movement

Studio for Movement Arts and Therapies at Richmond Town has initiated art and movement therapy programmes for children with learning disabilities in Bangalore since 2010. Movement is used as a medium to gain access to the sub conscious and thoughts for a positive change. The centre also provides an intensive one-year certificate training course for creative arts therapy and organises workshops for therapists.

“Every child is different and before designing any activity, we first assess the child. The activity is goal oriented and depends where the child is on the spectrum. These activities help develop his gross and fine motor skills,” says Brinda Jacob Janvrin, founder of the centre. “Some autistic children respond well to music, while others might not. Sometimes, it takes months to help the child maintain eye-contact. It is a slow and effective process which may take about a year to show results,” she adds. Just like any form of therapy, ABT too requires time and patience. With care and long-term programs like these, children and adults with various difficulties can be empowered to use the arts to express their world.