Hitesh Kandarpa’s face lit up with animated expressions as the 12-year-old narrated the story of a man’s sudden encounter with God and the conversations that followed. Next was Dahamna who recited the tale of a ‘living forest where the trees speak to the houses’. In the imaginary world of the little ‘writers’, anything is possible. You could ride the time machine and go back in time or become a ninja and embark on a daredevil journey for rescuing the master.
Aged from 11 to 14 years, the budding writers came out with engaging narratives at the creative writing workshop conducted by Ashvattha in association with The Stepping Stone at Daspalla Hills. The 15-day summer workshop was an enlightening session for the young enthusiastic group of kids, who learnt the art of expressing themselves through descriptive narrations and creative ideas.
Held by Shyla Kurma and Kakoli Chatterjee, the workshop introduced the children to new words and ways of expression. On the first day, they were shown a short video clip of the film Jungle Book without the sound and were asked to describe the scene in their own words. This was followed by sessions on how to avoid repetitive adjectives like ‘nice’ and instead use more descriptive words. “I have used many new words in my story. It has also boosted my confidence level and ability to imagine and put it into writing,” said a Class 9 student.
“It is wonderful to see how the children otherwise lost in the world of academics, when given a chance gather their dormant creative instincts. Their enthusiasm proves that creativity only needs an opportunity,” Ms Kurma said. Even though there is a growing demand for young adult fiction in the country, there are a few young writers and fewer publishing houses that support their dreams. “We will short-list a couple of stories and plan to explore ways to give the budding writers a platform to reach out to people,” she said. To hone the creative skills of students, Ashvattha will be organising a theatre workshop introducing the children to Shakespeare. Theworkshop will be held from April 27 to May 15. Later this year, a public performance will be presented with a team of 15 children.