Month: November 2024

Love Class

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Life classes have profoundly reshaped my understanding of emotions, love, and growth. The idea that “things that hurt, instruct” struck a deep chord with me, transforming how I view challenges. Embracing pain as a teacher has helped me see obstacles as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks. The Love class was especially moving, exploring the depth of love and its connection to vulnerability and sacrifice. Hearing diverse stories about love expanded my perspective, turning the session into a heartfelt and enriching experience. A heartfelt thanks to the facilitators for their wisdom, creating a space for reflection, connection, and transformation.

Unveiling Unseen Places

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We have been to Nargol, where we had planned to explore the Parsi culture. We learned that no community is allowed in the Fire Temple of Parsis and the reason behind this custom. We could not learn much about the culture, but since we were in a group of colleagues, we enjoyed the time. We visited the Bird sanctuary at Daman, which was also a nice experience. We visited a fort and a church and had lunch at a Dhaba. Overall, we enjoyed it as a fun trip. 
Sarika Agarwal & Ranjana Tandon.

Love Class

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Honestly, sharing life classes have profoundly changed my viewpoints and perspectives, leading to a positive transformation in my life. These sessions have provided me with practical knowledge that has reshaped how I view the world, particularly the concept that life inherently involves suffering and how we can learn from it. One of the most significant takeaways for me has been the idea that “things that hurt, instruct.” This simple yet powerful insight has taught me to embrace challenges and hardships as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks. It’s a reminder that every painful experience carries a lesson, a chance to gain wisdom and resilience. The classes have helped me develop a deeper understanding of love, not just as an emotion, but as a force that guides us through difficulties. Overall, these lessons have not only expanded my intellectual grasp of life’s complexities but also deeply impacted my emotional and spiritual well-being. I now see obstacles as part of the journey toward greater self-awareness and strength.

Life Classes(Love class) – Day 5 & 6

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The Love class has been a deeply emotional experience for me, especially when we explored the connection between love and pain. We often think of love as a beautiful, uplifting feeling, but there’s another side to it—one that involves vulnerability, sacrifice, and sometimes, emotional pain.

During the class, it became clear that love isn’t just about joy and affection.The hurt that comes when we care deeply for others, the heartache we sometimes endure, and the vulnerability that makes us truly connect. Understanding this aspect of love has helped me realize that pain isn’t something to avoid or fear. Instead, it is part of the process of growing deeper in love, both with ourselves and with others. The second day of the Love class stands out as one of the most heartwarming experiences I’ve had. Listening to everyone’s stories about their definitions of love was deeply moving. It was enlightening to hear how each person’s view of love was shaped by their own experiences, and these reflections expanded my understanding of the topic in unexpected ways. The openness and honesty with which everyone shared created a truly special, safe space for reflection and connection.

A heartfelt thank you to our facilitators for guiding us through these powerful realizations. Their openness and ability to create a space where we could explore both the beauty and the complexities of love was invaluable. Their passion made this journey through love and pain a truly enriching and eye-opening experience.

Emotions: An inevitable part of living

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“I don’t ever want to feel sad…”

What a wishful thinking, I reckon.

It wasn’t too long ago that I realised not wanting to feel an emotion is never a ‘good’ option. As a bandaid option, yes, sounds great. However, will that feeling come back to haunt you sometime later in life, in a different setting, in a different way?
Probably yes.

How do you deal with a wind-whirl of feelings and emotions that come hitting you across your face, with an increasing pain in your stomach that doesn’t resemble butterflies anymore, and an aching, sharp, deafening sound that leaves you hearing your own heartbeat?
It sounds scary and overwhelming.

From these life classes, I take back one thing – ways to manage my emotions: Acceptance.

Acceptance comes in various forms – maybe in search of truth, maybe through the learnings of Buddha, or maybe through therapy.

My form is acceptance?
Therapy!

When discussing these unsettling emotions, I have a nerve to discuss something pleasant (my way to deal with discomfort, I guess?). Love, no? I mean, the two days of life classes were dedicated to this very emotion. Love in every form – be it familial, platonic or romantic. However, something I really enjoyed was knowing what this particular class has done crazy in love. There’s something mischievous, flirty and innocent in sharing what each of us has done to express the extent of love we feel.

Abrupt ending – thanks.

LIfe Classes – Day 5 & 6

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A Question I Am Left With After This Life Class:

Many of us are familiar with the age-old phrase, “Ignorance is bliss,” but is ignorance really bliss? I found this excerpt from the book particularly thought-provoking: “What makes life difficult is that the process of confronting and solving problems is a painful one.” The key, I think, is becoming aware of that pain—acknowledging it, making space for it in our lives, and spending time getting to know it. This is what makes the difference. Once we become familiar with that pain in a way that allows us not to hold on to it, we set ourselves free and transcend it.

Another moment that stood out to me was the activity we did on the second day of the Love class. It was incredibly wholesome to hear everyone’s stories about what love means to them. It was truly enjoyable. A big thank you to our facilitators for their time, energy, and infectious enthusiasm.

Unvelining Unseen places – Day 5 and 6

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पारसी संस्कृति

Open minded (पूर्वाग्रहमुक्त)

उदवाडा और नारगोल में स्थित पारसी लोगों की रहनसहन, खानपान एवं धर्म के प्रति उनकी निष्ठा देखकर पता चलता है कि वे अपनी संस्कृति का आदर करते हैं | उन्होंने भारतीय संस्कृति में से भाषा, रहनसहन और विभिन्न कला को आत्मसात किया जैसे ‘दूध में शक़्कर में घूल जाती” है | उनके रहन – सहन की बात करें तो साधी जीवन शैली और विनम्र स्वभाव |

हर घर के सामने अग्नि और कुआँ का होना यह दर्शाता कि ये दोनों उनकी संस्कृति का हिस्सा है | उनके खान – पान की बात करें तो उनके मसाले भी अलग है | जिससे उनकी पहचान बनी है | उनके घर के आँगन में रंगोली और तोरण भी होते हैं | तोरण में मुर्गा या मुर्गी खास कर के होते है वे उन्हें Goodluck मानते है |

इस तरह उनका प्रकृति के प्रति प्रेमभाव दिखाई दिया |

स्नेहा गद्रे और वैशाली पटेल ( ILT )

Storytelling (Day 5,6)

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In our storytelling life class, we delved into the fascinating concept of Abhinaya—the art of expression in storytelling. We explored the four types of Abhinaya through an insightful video that provided detailed explanations for each type:

1. Angika Abhinaya: Expressions through body movements.

2. Vachika Abhinaya: Verbal expressions through dialogue or sound.

3. Aharya Abhinaya: Use of costumes, makeup, and props to convey emotions.

4. Satvika Abhinaya: Portrayal of inner feelings and emotional states.

After understanding these elements, we applied our learning by crafting a story, developing its beginning, middle, and end, and narrating it with expressive techniques inspired by the Abhinayas.

To enrich our understanding further, we watched the movie Rockstar, which beautifully encapsulates the essence of storytelling and emotional expression. The movie helped us draw parallels between cinematic storytelling and the Abhinayas, adding depth to our learning experience.

Storytelling- Day 5 & 6

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We started the session with some interesting stories of vacation.We were literally engrossed into it as per the narration done by each participants.After it we added light on a few topics like types of Abhinaya, Story ideas etc. Abhinaya means to carry towards in sanskrit. Carrying ideas and emotions towards the audience. Types of Abhinaya are Angika Abhinaya : The art of conveying emotions through physical gestures and postures.2. Vachika Abhinaya : The use of voice and speech to express emotions and tell stories.3. Aharya Abhinaya : The employment of costumes, makeup, and accessories to enhance the storytelling experience.4. Satvika Abhinaya : The expression of emotions through internal feelings and emotional states.Our Facilitators provided great insights about each topic and also showed videos related to each type of Abhinaya which enabled us to understand it better.

Now after learning Abhinaya related topic properly.We went to explore story ideas through an activity where we were supposed to get 5 story theme’s but finally work on one story.Once story was developed on basic frame of Beginning, Middle part and End of the story, We were supposed to share the story with other participants and get feedback on the same.Facilitators shared their works and added individual attention that we are on right track towards making of stories. Thank you to both Sagar sir and Nayan sir for an engaging and enlightening session. 

Days 1 and 2 of the Critical Thinking Session: A Shift in Perspective

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The first two days of our Critical Thinking session have been nothing short of transformative, reshaping how I approach everyday problems and decision-making. With the guidance of insightful facilitators, we delved into the complexities of brain development and engaged with thought-provoking questions that emphasized the power of perspective. I realized how viewing situations from different angles can significantly change the decisions we make.

One of the most impactful topics we explored was the concept of System 1 and System 2 thinking. System 1 is our quick, intuitive mode of thought. It’s always active, helping us respond instantly to simple tasks—like recognizing faces, interpreting familiar situations, or reacting to sudden events. On the other hand, System 2 is our slower, more analytical side. It’s engaged when we need to think critically, analyze complex problems, or make deliberate decisions. It’s a reminder to pause and engage System 2 for more balanced and well-considered choices.

The session also deepened my awareness of subtle social and political influences on our thoughts and decisions. I hadn’t fully realized how much external factors shape our worldview. Now, I find myself questioning certain ideas I’ve taken for granted and examining my own biases more closely.

Overall, this experience has sparked a more nuanced approach to daily challenges. It’s shown me that the first reaction isn’t always the best one, and that stepping back to think critically can lead to more balanced and effective solutions.

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