AugusT 2023                                                     WORKSHOP 5

In August 2023, After giving a full panel blood tests and HIV tests (sponsored), 20 of us set out from Kamatipura, to a rented Bungalow in Lonavala, staying together, sharing meals, a lot of banter and discussions, to enable ourselves to be in a non-event setting. We also wanted to seed some deeper connections and explorations into the self-identity, our theme for the three days. We sang all the way to Lonavala, and danced and for the first time, our participants traveled for pleasure and community.

We started our days with physical exercises, and proceeded to core theatre. Post lunch, we explored art and clay. 

In Theatre, we explored the theme of Identity, body choices, dressing up and self-care. We enacted a fictional story of Babita, a woman rising herself up with the help of a community, and every step of the story, our participants decided her course of action. It was amazing to see Babita becoming a collector in one group and a beauty parlor owner in another!  During theatre exercises we identified their natural talent to empathize with the character, and it was amazing to see their on the spot improvisations with dialogues and characters evolving on the spot! (Process Theatre)

In Clay sessions, we explored their identities, making them recreate their homes, and favorite things in their houses, from their culture and lives. It was amazing to see some women creating and story-telling via clay sculptures of rural ritual significance involving a community of women and sisterhood, without any pointers. We saw a marked improvement in the quality and construction of complicated art pieces in Clay.

In Painting sessions, we explored making Textures in Canvas to express emotions via colors. Then we explored the basic anatomy of a face, and used mirrors to trace out self-portrait features on to Canvas leading to stunning self-portraits of each participant. It was an exercise about self observation and expression that created amazing pieces of art and moments of quiet reflection.

In free times, we danced!!! We cut cake and celebrated our one year completion!

On the last day, we went to the Tiger Point in Lonavala, and liteally floated on clouds!! We came back to Mumbai with heavy hearts but with resolved minds to assert and express our identities further!

We formed a Whatsapp group and we started communicating regularly after this workshop. Lonavala brought us extremely close together as a sisterhood.