Creative writing workshop on 14th and 15th Nov

Soulpen: Writing for happiness

How do I define creative writing? All our lives, we write for others, because writing is a means of communication. However, writing can also be used to communicate with ourselves, to find out who we are. Before it becomes an art, writing is intrinsically a therapeutic process. It can heal our uncertainties.

Creative writing, therefore, is that writing in which the writer is more important than the reader. It is a beautiful process of turning within.

The next Creative writing workshop in Bangalore is scheduled for 14th and 15th Nov.

Timing:

Saturday 14th Nov : 2 pm to 6 pm.

Sunday 15th Nov: 10 am to 6 pm


Fees: Rs. 1,500/
(Writing material, Tea, and snacks included)

Venue: Times of India, MG road, Bangalore

Eligibility: Preferably over 18yrs old and a love for writing or reading or both.

Focus: The aim of the workshop is to fuel the love of writing towards an intense and natural discipline. It will help the beginner as well as the writer who is stuck in the middle of a book.

Call : 9945192862

Here is the feedback of the last batch at TOI.

Flow chart:

Why do we write? Because we need to tell the story.
As toddlers, we were all creative with the use of words. The neighbor who had a dog was bowwow. The little boy who played cricket was katakata. The kite which flew in the sky was whoosh.
When we started pre-school, our talents grew to huge proportions. We came back home and told granny, 'Today I climbed a duck. Tomorrow our teacher is going to die. So school will be closed.'
And then the devil struck. We were given a pencil and a rubber and asked to memorize spellings and all the love for words and thoughts was lost with the wind.

This workshop will erase whatever scars our education inflicted on our imagination.
We will write and read out and no one will laugh.

We shall begin with an exercise, a ritual for overcoming the writers block, or to get started. Participants will be given blank papers, with a manageable word limit. Lap tops will not be needed.

We shall do more exercises to stretch the mind and work the writing muscle.

The class will read out a couple of their favorite short stories and we will analyze the story-line and compare it to the structure. Then we will work on a short story structure. To begin with, we will write a short story with a straight narrative, and then we will play with the structure.

Those who have a story in mind will write their on their own. Others can follow a guideline.

Everyone has a novel inside. Lets write ours. How does one write a novel? The masala formula. Or, the nine rasas.

The kind of education we have had, the information overload, the media inputs, have made intellectual zombies out of us. We think with our brains, not with our minds.

Which is why, the first step is to become aware of what 'rasa' one goes through when writing something. Writing is a lonely job. Words have to become alive, they have to gain the power, a power more intense than a human ear, a sense of fulfillment more satisfying than an orgasm.

Where do novels come from? What is the essence of the novel?

Characterization: The back bone of story telling. Class will read out the characters and discuss their difficulties in creating an imaginary human being from words.

Exercises: Three different approaches to creating your character.

The purpose of all these exercises will be for all the participants to complete a short story.

And to fuel the love of writing towards a natural and intense discipline of sitting with a pen and paper.

Call me at 9945192862 for registering.


Author's profile :

I am a recently published novelist of A Grasshopper's Pilgrimage. This book should be available in most of the Crosswords and Landmarks. You can read reviews of this book on this blog. Just type the title in the search box.

I am also a film maker. I was trained at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in Film Editing. I have made several documentary films, and taught the various aspects of film making at NID (National Institute of Design), Ahemedabad and also at the FTII. I have conducted a creative writing workshop at the Srishti School of Art and Design last year.

I write for the creative outlet, deep fulfillment and clarity of mind that sometimes comes as a gift with a good session of writing.

Blissful Beloved of the Being

Mountain, Who am I? is what I called this blog till date.

I don't exactly know who I am still, but you can call me Ma Ananda Atmapreeta. It means Mom Blissful Beloved of the Being. Its a spiritual name given to me by Swami, Paramhamsa Nithyananda.

Basically, I am an attention seeker. Thats why the novel, thats why this blog. Attention is a form of energy, it is something we like to call, but isn't, love.

Attention seekers claim they have loved everyone and wail that nobody loves them back.

In the ASP (Ananda Spurna Programme), a two day meditation programme that deals with the different Chakras, they tell this story that stirred my heart painfully, for I knew it was written for me.

A woman grows old without her husband even knowing her name. She keeps serving him, as he is engrossed in... writing a book!

As he completes the book, he looks up and sees an old woman lighting a lamp.

'Who are you?' he asks.

'Continue your work. Never mind who I am.' she says.

'My book is done. Please tell me. Who are you?' he insists.

'I am your wife'. she says.

'What. You are my wife? And I never even knew? '

'Its Ok. I was happy to serve you, since I knew you are writing a great book.'

(I hope my hubby does not read this post. He is going to freak out. I am always disturbing him while he is writing.)

'It wasnt that the lady did not want to disturb him. She did not need to seek his attention.'

I did the ASP about an year ago, and since then this story keeps coming to my mind. Sometimes I have hated this great lady. And then I have been baffled by her. But mostly I have harboured an intense jealousy towards her. How did she manage such a feat? How did she remain happy with a writerholic who only wrote and wrote? Didnt she ever feel like drowning him in the well? Is she even a healthy specimen? Is theirs an ideal marriage? Whats so great about her? And, most important, why cant I get her out of my mind? Why do I have to compare myself to her, each time I feel my husband is not giving me enough bhav?

Yesterday evening, I finally got something I have been waiting for since a couple of months. I got a beautiful white paper with Swamis photo, a lotus, and a name. With an english translation of the meaning.

Ma Ananda Atmapreeta.

Blissful beloved of the being.

Tears of gratitude flowed down my face as I realized that this is my path, my goal, my sadhana. To seek and to get, attention, energy and love from within. To find the beloved within. To become the beloved, of the being.

I am going to change my legal and illegal names to this name soon. I would be really grateful if all of you who know me would call me by this name. You may break it up and call me by any of the short forms. Ma, Ananda, Atma, or Preeta. My favorite would be Atmapreeta.

Thank you.

barefoot, and bareheaded

Because I am yet to meet other barefooted souls in my neighborhood, I became a member of a barefooters group that shares their experiences with bare-footing online! You will be surprised to know how many people on the earth feel so passionately about bare footing that they need to type it down!

Here is one interesting mail I recently read in the SBL (Society for Barefoot Living) Digest that resonated deeply.

I am a religious leader, a priestess of the Craft.

Being barefoot is part of my connection with the Earth, not cutting myself off, not insulating myself. It's standard for us to remove shoes to go in sacred space, as in many other faiths.

I also value being bareheaded except when it's very cold or thick rain - light rain is nice. My head is touched by air currents, sky, the heavens, the Above of the sacred, mirroring the Below sacred of my feet on the deep Earth..


I once had a problem when talking of doing an interfaith talk at a mosque. To Muslims it is important for women to cover the head in sacred space. This comes from the submission of women to hide themselves, to cover the sexuality of hair, and contrasts with the bareheaded male whose head is open to the sky/ the divine.


Well of course I could not "cover my head in shame." Nor could I go in their sacred space and insult their faith by ignoring their idea of courtesy. I compromised by wearing a wreath of leaves which from all sides looked like my head was covered but from Above the crown of my head was bare.


I don't know of any religious space where it's a problem being barefoot. Though there are some dubious customs around footwashing which represent doing something filthy to express "humility" that is to crush or deny the self. Washing the feet of lepers, or the very poor was historically a symbol of humility for kings and I think the pope still does it.


Psychologically the feet are the furthest from the dominating brain. So they have the greatest degree of freedom from our controlling ideas of being 'proper' or 'correct.' Feet therefore sometimes express the inner self going against what we feel we "ought" to be/ think/ do. It would be nice of footwashing could be a revaluing of the gentle freedom loving feet.


In terms of the spiritual gates of the self, going from head down to feet, feet are the patient 'footsoldiers' the hardworking, simple side of the self. Which sometimes betrays surprising signals of the inner child/ freedom self.

'Teaching in a school,

is more difficult than teaching in a college.' she said. Yup, she is a school teacher. Who 'tested' me today as I gave my first 'demonstration class' in a school, where I may join as an English teacher ( :) ), if I pass the test.

And, she was right. Teaching in a school, one has to go down to their level. I thought being a mother has prepared me, but a classroom is different.

I taught the poem, 'The road not taken,' by Robert Frost. And went hoarse trying to explain to them again and again that the road less traveled is not a geographical location, but a path, a method, a career.

To begin with, city kids these days know not what a 'wood' means. They don't know what a 'grassy road that wants wear' is, cos they have never stepped on one. So sad.

When I asked them to name a different career, they couldn't go beyond Doctor, Engineer, Journalist, Air-hostess. One boy wanted to be an Astronaut. Why are all of them going away from the earth?

And yet, and yet and yet. Why am I feeling so happy? Because twenty kids were raising their hands saying 'Miss! Miss!'?

'Are you going to be our new teacher, Miss?'

Although I have no idea, I gave them a homework: Write a four line poem.

'Our own poem, Miss?'

'Yes, darling. Your very own, fresh poem.'

'So do I pass the test? Do I get the job?' I asked the senior Miss.

'Well, I could tell that you enjoyed yourself. We shall call you on Monday to let you know.' She said, with a sweet sweet smile.

Those of you who want more posts about teaching in a school, pray for me do.

As for me, I know whatever is best will happen. Inshaallaah.

Play the video do

My mother is a smart lady. She is the first software programmer of India. Ok, one of the first. And yet, she knows not how to play the videos on my blog. So either I will have to transcribe all of them for her sake, which is not a bad idea, but then we lose out on the cinematic experience, Mom.

I told her to search for 'how to play a you tube video' on my blog, but she says she is too lazy to even do that.

So this post is dedicated to her and to other blog-lazy group of duffers.

Coincidently, this post is almost exactly one year old.




First, click on the play button. The bottom one, next to the line.

You will see a circle going round round in the middle of the frame. Wait for a few seconds, till you hear a sound. As soon as you hear a sound, click on the play button quickly, so that it becomes a pause button, and then again becomes play, after changing color. If you stare at the place next to the button, you should see a red (or any deep) colour spreading towards the right. If this happens, well done. Now your video is getting buffered. Till this happens, keep clicking the play button, it will work only if you click when the sound is heard.

Another sign that your video is getting buffered is that the circular dots in the center of the screen disappear. And the video stops playing.

Wait for a few minutes till the complete line is coloured, This means your video is buffered. A Buffered video is something that plays continuously. Streamlined. Whatever.

Oh, by the way, I learnt this method through trial and error, so I might have got the technical bits all mixed up.

Sometimes, it is not possible to display a video (because the embed code is not available), but a link is given. Click on the link, you will go to you-tube directly, and play stop play till the video gets buffered, the same as above. You can search for your old favourite songs on you tube and do time pass all day.

And if you want the 'link' to the video even if it is posted on the blog, double click on the image, you will go to the you tube page and the url on top is the link.

This is an old Sunil Dutt and Nutan song sung by Mukesh.

I saw this movie with Aai, long long back. I remember that she noticed how softly Sunil Dutt sits on the floor near Nutans bed as he sings her to sleep.

You taught me to appreiciate this stuff, Aai, called body language and all that. So please play the videos on my blog, do.

user freindly children

Are your kids friendly to you? Can you live with them? Are they user friendly or do they bite?

We have made our children 'employable'. They are useful to society but are they caring? Are they, spiritually smart?

Also, what kind of children are we? Do we really spend time with our elders? Are our parents happy with us? Are we happy with ourselves?

Yes, these are heavy questions, and I might have spoiled your mood.

So please watch this video and lighten up.


This discourse contains vision laid out by living enlightened master Paramahamsa Nithyananda. In this discourse Swamiji talks about how bringing up the kids with the principles of the ancient vedic system, he has been successful in creating and embedding principles of Jivan Mukthi in children. Swamiji, at this discourse laid the framework for establishing 108 Nithyananda Vidyalayas where education will teach life skills and employable skills in an integrated fashion

'Swami Vivekananda says that if you can tell a four year old the great vedantic truths of jeevan mukti, he will be accept and understand them.

The reason we do not teach children about spirituality is not because they cant understand it, its because we don't know how (or even what ) to teach it.

True secularism is not is rejecting all religions, but in accepting all religions.'

are you the cub or the goat

Yes, I know you have heard this story before.

But listen to it again, straight from the Master's lips.

The cub who lived with goats and was kidnapped by a Lion.

Nothing less than a pure thrill, this is originally a story written by Swami Vivekananda, and enchantingly narrated in this video by Swami Nithyananda.



And, if you enjoyed the above video, this is his interpretation.

When the Lion feeds meat to the cub, with the first taste of blood, it is initiation.

The cub was never a goat, it only had to realize, to recognize the image in the river.

The funniest bit is the Master eats grass, to let the cub form a relationship of trust with him.

Film Appreciation Course in Mumbai

This is for my younger sister, Rajashree, a bestselling novelist (Trust me) and award winning film maker (Rebel).

Film Appreciation course in Mumbai

Deepen your understanding of Cinema with a month-long course in film
appreciation and the history of Cinema in India and the rest of the
world. Conducted by an award-winning filmmaker and bestselling novelist
who has taught at FTII, Pune, and some of the best film schools in
Bombay.

This course is suitable for:
• Film buffs
• People who are interested in film-making. (While this is not a course
that teaches you how to make films, a knowledge of the basics of FA and
the history of cinema would definitely help film-makers.
E.g.,cinematographers won't learn how to light up a set, but they would
benefit from seeing the way low-key, high-contrast lighting was used in
German Expressionist films. )
• Film journalists and critics
• Students and teachers of mass communications and the arts FACULTY


Rajashree’s been a film buff since she was a kid – she once stood in a
line for five hours to get tickets for Sholay. She studied film
appreciation at the National Film Archive of India. She has been
working in Bombay after learning direction at the Film and Television
Institute of India, Poona. She’s assisted Mansoor Khan and Sanjay Leela
Bhansali. A film she wrote and directed, The Rebel, was screened at
many film festivals, and won the National Award and the Golden Ten
Award. Her critically acclaimed first book, Trust Me, is a lighthearted
romantic comedy set in the Bombay film industry. According to figures
given by The Times of India and The Sunday Telegraph, Trust Me is the
biggest-selling Indian chick lit novel. She has taught at FTII, Pune,
and some of the best film schools in Bombay. http://rajashree.in

WHEN

Full-day classes on Saturdays over one month beginning on the 31st of October.

CERTIFICATE

The students would be given certificates at the successful completion of the workshop.

WHERE

Classes will be held at Goregaon, Mumbai (urf Bombay :)).

FEES

The fees are Rs 4,900. They would be paid at the time of admission.

Lunch and refreshments are included.

CONTACT

Please call 97694 49556 or email rajashree.in@gmail.com
COURSE CONTENT
UNDERSTANDING THE ELEMENTS OF FILM-MAKING
• 'In the beginning comes the word' - the script Acting Art direction
Costume design
• An introduction to screen grammar: Cinematography: Image Size, Camera
Angles, Camera Movements, Composition, Lighting, Camera Speed,
Graphics, Colour, Rule of Thirds & The Golden Points, Depth of
Field, Selective Focus Editing Transitions – Cut, dissolve, fade, wipe,
bleach Principles of Editing Sound Design: Speech, Sound Effects,
Music, Silence • Types of films Feature films –fiction Short films
Documentary films Ad films
• A brief overview of how films are made would be given to the
students, so that they can understand the process of film-making -
pre-production, production and post-production.
HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA
• Silent Era Lumiere Griffith Chaplin Eisenstien German Expressionistic
Cinema
• History of World Cinema: Talkies American 30’s films: Analytic
Dramatic Style, Studio System, Genres Italian Neo-Realism French New
Wave The Auteurs. Bunuel, Tarkovsky, Ozu Contemporary World Cinema
Iranian Films
HISTORY OF INDIAN CINEMA • Save Dada, Dadasaheb Phalke Studio Period:
Prabhat’s Sant Tukaram, Ashok Kumar Post-Independence films: Raj
Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar 60’s films: Guide, the rise of Rajesh
Khanna Art Cinema: Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak
• Sholay and the Angry Young Man The Parallel Film Movement 80's and
90's Hindi Films Contemporary Cinema Analysis of the structure of
Commercial Hindi Cinema Analysis of the structure of ‘Multiplex’ Hindi
Cinema

the healing stick

A couple of months ago, I and two thousand others, took the healing initiation from Swami Nithyananda. The process took approximately three hours. After the forehead touch initiation, Swami gave each one of us a small healing stick cut from a tree grown in the ashram. This tree is specially grown for the purpose of becoming healing sticks for us healers.

We were told that when we give healing to members of the opposite sex, we should do so not by direct touch but with the stick. Having done Reiki and pranic healing earlier, I was curios to experiance the power of the healing stick.

The first to fall to the magic was my brother in law. He fell asleep in five minutes. Next was my dhobi. He comes every alternate morning with the ironed bundle of clothes and wordlessly sits cross legged on the floor and closes his eyes, waiting for the healing stick on his forehead. Another satsangi who comes home also fell into a long silence when I touched his forehead with the healing stick.

Last night, we went for a party. I declined a drink, mentioning that I have given up all vices since I am a healer, hoping that someone will ask me for a healing. One by one, all of them took healing, much to my delight.

When the guys came to me for a healing, I took out the stick and heard this conversation:

Woman (who had taken healing): Why is she using that stick on the fellow?
Hubby: Because he is a fellow.
Woman: That is sick. It is really sick.

I did not get pissed off at the woman, because I was in the healing glow. But lady, I take the opportunity to answer you here.

Personally, I have no objection, or attraction, to touching any Tom, Dick or Harry. A few days back I was walking down a street at night with my kid and we saw one man lying on the street, probably drunk. He was lying in an awkward position, and coughing away, almost suffocating on foam. I requested a few passerby s to turn him, but they walked away. So with my kids help, I turned the fellow in a more comfortable position, so that he could vomit easily. During those two minutes, I also remembered my healing mantra.

Suddenly a few people came forward to give him water, etc, and I left the scene. This fellow was unconscous, so it was not an issue to touch him. But if he was conscous, drunk, who would offer him a healing?

Secondly, I am sure it can be difficult for a man to appreiciate the impersonal nature of the healing energy through the direct touch of a woman he has never met before. It is much easier to relax, to feel secluded in your inner space when an organic material touches you.

A doctor needs to touch a patient, to feel his pulse, etc, to cure him. A Nithya Spiritual healer does not. Healing is a spiritual phenomenon, which may or may not have immediate physical results.

All of us, though, are in touch with our spiritual selves. Even if we don't have the humility to say so, we all feel the tangible, positive effect of healing. A lot of us are starved of affection and healing is a divine hug.

If you still think it is sick to use the stick, please say so. I shall use it on you and you tell me whether it works.

just because he is in front of you

This Sutra is delivered to us so that we may understand what is Shiva. Shiva is in fact the innermost space in our being. This is about reclaiming your inner space. What exactly is inner space and why do we have to reclaim it ?

Swami says that inner space is Shiva consciousness. It is our ability to be completely open to anyone we encounter. Loving the whole.

What is the reason that we cant fall in love with whole? only with parts?
Samaschita. being connected to the whole. feeling everything is the same.

When you fall in tune with the whole, even mater becomes alive. When you are in love, you feel that whatever happens is auspicious.

If you are attached to a particular person or a particular object, it is not devotion. Devotion is always to the whole.

Why we are not capable of loving the whole? Why are we emotionally attached only to a few forms? it is because of our chitta.

All of us have the energy, the capacity, to be caring, and loving to the whole, to everyone we meet. Love is energy. In this moment, we have enough energy to love the whole. But, there are a lot of memories attached to the energy. All our past memories. And, that energy is used for the emotional attachment to past memories.

Your inner space is limited, like it has a certain capacity, same like a computer hardware. You have too many high resolution pictures in your hard-drive. You relate with people only with a certain expectation. If he is a doctor, very quickly you think, he might be useful sometime, so I should make friends with him.

Try to relate with people without asking about their professions, or knowing about their past.

Why cant we love somebody, just because, he is in front of you?

Why do you need to know his track record to open up yourself to him? Because, all your mind is occupied with high resolution pictures. Too much Chitta. You cannot relate with people just because they are there. You need to know their past, or their career, or what you can achieve through this relationship.

A person who cant love, is filled with chitta, his whole inner space is occupied. Who should be loved, who should not be loved, the high resolution pictures are there. In the inner space, in high speed, these logical calculations happen.

Because your chitta is filled with too many ideas, high resolution pictures, related to past, your whole space is not available to the present moment. You can love or feel connected to people and objects which falls in tune with your past memories, or which you loved. Based on the track record, only you can open your being. And thats why you cannot see everything as auspicious.

Shiva says, if you can come out of the high resolution pictures, suddenly a lot of space will be open to you, and you will open up, to anyone who is in front of you, without asking for their track record. You will be able to feel connected to the whole, just by being present to the moment.

You don't have to be a Hindu to feel connected to this structure, You don't have to be a Muslim, to feel connected to a mosque. Meaning, you dont always need a track record. But a person who is without chitta, will feel connected anywhere.

Similarly, if you are too busy with negative news, you will not be able to connect to positive news. The people who work in the tv channel, for example. We asked them to cover a ceremony at the ashram, they said they are too busy with covering the bad news.

It is up to you to decide if you are going to be full of positivity or negativity. You have the freedom to decide. But it is also a responsibility , a big responsibility for you to decide how you will look at the world.

I can tell you, if you decide that whatever happens is auspicious, you may or may not have outer wealth, but you will walk and live like a God on planet earth. You will live like a flower on planet earth. You will add so much auspiciousness to everything around you.

( Swami Nithyananda continues this talk in the video below. It is a Shiva sutra he is delivering, titled, Reclaim your inner space.)

the second time, this year

The title of this post is making me laugh.

Actually, a minute ago, I was in a state of tears. Not for the mobile phone I lost. But for the way it said goodbye.

First, I cant accept the cheque I am supposed to take home, because of some clerks stupidity in spelling my name incorrectly.

Then I have a tiff on the phone with a friend I am supposed to meet for lunch. She is giving me directions to get to her house and she tells me names of every single shop, every bump (there is one gentle speed breaker, then one giant one) on the way. If I go from this direction, I have to turn left, if not, then from right. At this point, I stop scribbling furiously, and say,

'Look darling, all this info is mind blowing. I will just call you if I cant find it.'

'No, please don't call me. I am making kulfis for us.'

'Kulfi? But how will it freeze so soon?'

'Its a special recipe. It will freeze.'

I cannot believe this. She continues with the million directions. In response, I bang the phone on her. ( I switch it off with a vehemence.) And that is the last I time I use my phone.

All I remember is an auto ride where I am resolving not to eat her kulfi.

It is not just men who have problems with women.

Unfortunately, I did not need to call her, her directions had stuck in my mind. Needless to add, I forgot the cell in the auto.

I know not if there is a moral to this story, but I do feel like saying sorry to my phone. I took it for granted and it left me high and dry.

Thank you, phone. You are so beautiful and blue. May you find a better owner.

Is this why I love you?

A fellow disciple of Ramakrishna asked Vivekananda why the latter thought of Ramakrishna as God. ‘After all, he is human, just like you and I. I agree that he knows a lot more than us, but how can he be God?’, this man asked.

Vivekananda countered, ‘What do you think God is like?’

The other disciple said, ‘Well. God is omnipresent, omnipresent and omniscient.’

Vivekananda said, ‘Stop. If God is omnipresent you should be able to see him. Have you? Tell me honestly.’

‘No, but..’ stuttered the other man.

‘You fool’, Vivekananda said compassionately, ‘God to you is a mere concept. You have a few words that you have learnt to describe him. To Ramakrishna, God is a realized experience. He radiates that God. He is the closest you will ever get to experiencing God. Make use of this opportunity.’

To those who try to experience the divine as the formless without realizing it in form, God is a mere concept. He is another intellectual tool to influence, control and terrorize others. He is not the friend, the brother, the mother, or the intimate lover that Kabir, Ramakrishna and Theresa visualize. Without a form first, these relationships cannot be born and nurtured. Once experienced, the umbilical cord of the form gets severed on its own, and the formless experience stays.

---Copied and pasted from a book I am reading, cant tell you more, or I will get caught.----