My Secret friend
A very interesting game that is turning out to be a huge rage is the ‘secret friend’. Each participant has a secret friend they don’t know of and they in turn are secret friends to somebody else. Notes & small gifts have been exchanged. It has made some of them blush in embarrassment; some of them are obviously delighted. Some of them are waiting endlessly for their secret friend to wake up and deliver. All in all, when the gifts are announced, that’s the moment everything pauses for a while.
Dancing feat
Latecomers have to be ready to dance or sing a song to the whole group. This novel idea is keeping chronic late-comers on their toes. For the others it is great additional entertainment.
This is my song
This is my song
And this is the song of my people
When the sun sets
And the moon rises
I know I am home.
Trainer Madhu Smriti Shukla took a wonderful session on ‘Personality & Understanding’. Participants were asked to draw a symbol in relation to themselves. Then, on paper using sketch pens participants found their own place and to the accompaniment of soothing strains of instrumental music prepared to create their works of art.
There were interesting designs that were created. Some of them were abstract, while others were realistic. Nearly all of them spoke of home and a longing for the motherland. The artwork was simple and the sharing was very honest. There was tranquillity in the group as they listened to each person’s idea behind the creation. What was very visible was the bonding and respect and interest shared by all. It was truly touching.
Missing home
And the smell of flowers
I dream of my land
And the thousand flowers I will plant
There were pictures of strength and intense understanding, a coconut tree in all its splendour. Giving support, useful to the community. ‘I give you my leaves, my bark and fruit. I give you myself.’ It seemed to say. It said a lot of the participant. Another art emerged of squiggly lines, seemingly emerging from a point. ‘Iam confused but I emerge from this point’ and that was important.
When the world is a cricket field
And I have a ball and a bat
Then, I can go to sleep at last
A simple response emerged - I live near a cricket ground where I visit everyday. Now I miss it. Another spoke of a lens eye and that being the central theme of her life. Yet another became a kite that soared high. Another had a path leading from his home. As one participant shared, ‘he knows his way home.’ There was another person who described life like a burning candle. Another spoke of her intense love for her homeland.
Bangla…O Bangla
The land of golden paddy fields
The land, this my very own
From music for peace to soccer to ‘just do it’ to positive thinking to a little bit of mathematics. This was a session where the participants got together and shared their deepest feelings and thoughts. There are some things that change the character of a group forever. You can’t go through an experience like this and not feel connected. These were certainly moments like that.
Big 5 Personality traits
1. Extraversion
2. Agree/ableness
3. Conscientiousness
4. Neuroticism
5. Openness to experiences
Dear Mom
There was a very good documentary that was screened. It was made by Daniel from Africa. The documentary featured Daniel’s stay in Norway. It gave the participants a first-hand feel of the country and it’s people. The participants also got a glimpse of the possible follow-up activity they could do after their stint in the foreign country.
Positive Action
In the event of finding yourself among two colleagues who don’t like each other –
a) Reduce the tension
b) Don’t pick any sides
c) Be friends with everyone
d) Play an energiser
e) Don’t expect a 100% change. Be prepared to accept the challenge.
In the event that your boss is not interested in becoming friendly with you and has not assigned you your role –
a) Identify key people who are close to your boss and communicate with them.
b) Adjust to the office culture.
c) Observe office situation first & learn how people work.
d) Bond with people who are not hostile.
e) We are going there to learn as well as teach. Don’t assume something is wrong.
f) Find solutions through team building.
g) Initiate your own ideas and put down your proposal in writing and show it to him.
In the event of people not being able to speak English –
a) Use common words and common language.
b) You can start learning their language and if you are interested teach them English.
c) Learn to greet them using their way of greeting.
d) Buy a lot of small cheap gifts and that will help you make friends.
Spotlight
Anita Gurung is from Nepal. She is a first year Masters student in Sociology. She says, ‘I am a migrant worker returnee.’ She finds the training here very interesting. She says she feels very empowered. She likes the fact that the trainers are very friendly and not strict. Her biggest dream is to open a High school. If it is successful she wants to take it a step further. She wants to establish a university. She also dreams of opening an old age home. Her interests include learning classical music, volleyball, painting, cooking Chinese food and making handicrafts. She hates people who gossip behind her and also those who are selfish.
Kaushik Sengupta is from Kolkata, India. A photographer by profession, Kaushik loves meeting different kinds of people. He has taken a lot of good pictures at this training meet, so therefore he loves it all the more. As far as the sessions go, Kaushik is quite candid when he shares that he has felt bored sometimes but he quickly adds, ‘there are good things also’. His biggest dream is to become a filmmaker. His interests include literature, travelling, listening to classical music. His biggest bugbear is anybody criticising his work.
Ragni Kidvai is from Karachi Pakistan. She is a filmmaker. She finds the entire training a ‘good experience and useful for all participants’. She also adds that, ‘I think it can be a lot more fun & sometimes it takes too long to get to the point.’ She observes that interesting people come with different language capabilities and she loves the variety. To list her dreams, she has too many of them. One of them is to have more conversations around gender.
Her interests include painting, printmaking, drawing, political theory. She is also a confirmed bookworm and loves being a facilitator. She hates the army in any form.
H.M Senevirathna Banda is from Kegalle, Sri Lanka. He sums up the training here in two words – ‘great experience’. ‘I got a lot of things here. I liked the volunteers who are very helpful. I also got an opportunity to meet Dr. Abdul Kalam which was great.’ This man is brimming with energy and positivity as he speaks. He shares that he poverty as a child and now his energies are fully utilized towards helping helpless people. His hobbies are reading and again this is towards social welfare. There is nothing that he hates, because as he reasons there is always somebody who will love what other people hate.
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