fourth month- (excerpts) · dance class: “energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can...

Fourth Month- (Excerpts)

I have celebrated most Indian festivals with the Indian community back home in America, but I have never had the chance to see the big processions in which the entire city is involved. For the first time, on every occasion I get to observe the festival being celebrated fully fledged- where the streets are filled with people instead of cars, and the music and commotion never end. I am lucky that my relatives live on the higher floors of the apartment building; otherwise I would constantly hear the firecrackers bursting and people shouting right near my window!

This month the festival was Navratri, the celebration of Goddess Durga and her avatars- the manifestation of the Deity in the form of Shakti (Energy or Power). Since it is supposed to last for 9 nights, the festival is known as ‘Nav- Ratri’ (literally translating to ‘9- nights’). It becomes a ten day festival due to the addition of the last day, Vijayadashami, its’ culmination. In some locations, the idol of the goddess sits at home for nine days and then is taken out for a procession on the tenth day and immersed in rivers and oceans (similar to Ganesh Chaturti). For farmers, Navratri symbolizes the start of the new harvest season- reactivating the fertility of the soil. This is done through religious performances and rituals- invoking cosmic forces which rejuvenate the earth. All the Navratri nights consist of dancing Dandiya-Raas to live music: (Dandiya) dancing in groups with a pair of sticks and (Garba) masses repeating movements around in big circles.)

Even though I was under the weather during Navratri, I was determined to go out to dance for a few nights. Since I had not missed any Navratri celebrations in America, how could I miss the one in India? Even though I didn’t know any of the people at the dance gathering, I began joining various Garba circles. It seemed that the point was to just get lost in the movement- which is exactly what I wanted to do. As I repeated the steps in the circle and created new steps, I noticed how dancing together built a sense of a community and togetherness among unknown people. Even though I was joining random circles, I was collaborating with others to create new steps spontaneously, while exchanging smiles as we passed by one another, interacting through the language of dance. I felt a sense of unity and energy from the people I was dancing with. This is a unique energy which rises from within, a sudden boost that allows one to keep moving throughout the night- as if in some sort of trance.

Author Shri Gyan Rajhans states- “It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation, and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything. Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.”As my mentor Amara Tabor Smith always reminds her students in dance class: “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be transferred”. Through dance, one is able to display that transfer of energy. When I move, I can feel myself transferring the energy; the power arises from my soul and flows through my entire body and then spreads out to the community. Through this celebration, entire communities give out their energies to one another through dance, which I feel leads to a communal liberation among society.

Here I am wearing a simple skirt and top to go dance in; generally women wear adorned outfits with big skirts so their skirt blooms out as they circle around dancing. I love long out flowing skirts; therefore in the adjoining picture I spread the length of my skirt and swish it like a Flamenco dancer!

Mayuri Bhandari Judith Lee Stronach Baccalaureate Prize Letter Home October 2012 1

*** *NAB (National Association for the Blind)-

Archana Tai, one of the Managers at NAB, has an additional center in Sion- Matalaxmi School for the disabled. This program is a nursery for young children with various disabilities; they are visually impaired, audibly impaired, and mentally challenged. Archana Tai requested me to come to the center to teach the faculty. I held a small workshop with the teachers and staff members, and introduced basic stretch exercises and dance steps of their liking. Within the process of teaching movement to children, I realized it is necessary to have separate exercise sessions for teachers in order to develop their own dance involvement. Through this workshop came the idea to instruct the all the faculty from various centers of NAB together. Also, I wanted future trainees of the program to experience these dance/movement sessions I was teaching this years’ batch. By giving sessions to the permanent faculty of the organization, future incoming trainees in the years to come will be provided with basic movement technique to teach disabled children.

Therefore, I had a meeting with the Director of NAB- Mr. Raman Shankar and we decided to hold a workshop for the entire faculty of NAB (from all centers of Mumbai) at the main center in Worli. Here I would conduct sessions and provide them with basic movement training to help with their own personal expression and guide their teaching of dance. Mr. Shankar explained that the only time all the instructors would be able to get together would be sometime after vacations in January.

*Innovaid (Mewsic)-

(Upper Left)-‐ Kids dancing Dandiya (playing with partners in rows using Dandiya sticks) and below (Lower Left) dancing Garba (groups repeating movements in a circle) (Upper Right)-‐ My little cousin Vardaan playing Fugdi (holding a partners’ hands tightly and swirling in circles as fast as possible without letting go) and below (Lower Right) my cousin and his friend fall to the floor!

Having a workshop session and teaching the teachers at the Sion Nursery-‐ including Archana Tai! They will practice the exercises and stretches I give them on their blind children. Since it is far, I cannot go to the nursery often. When we meet next, we are to discuss which exercises worked for their children, which didn’t, and which other exercises they should try.


I have been working on the guidebook and tackling one theme at a time. I am also adding

a ‘Values’ section to the guidebook; this segment will provide essential phrases to be repeated to the children daily to help boost their self esteem and confidence. (This was an issue I felt needed to be tackled- it was mentioned in the previous letter.)

I am currently discussing with Bhushan and Emily about creating a small Video/ DVD that would demonstrate the exercises/stretches to go along with the manual guidebook. This way it would keep the guidebook concise and easy to understand. I also intend to incorporate basic information about Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) in a brief manner. I learned about the 4 categories (Body, Shape, Time, and Flow) and how to use them in Professor Peggy Hackney’s class at UC Berkeley.

Along with that, I have been on the hunt to select six specific schools for Mewsic and MOKSHA’s dance program. I am personally visiting each school/organization on my narrowed down list and meeting with the main heads of each respective location. In a way, I am conducting my own survey and using it to compare one school/organization to the other while selecting the ones that have the most number of students and the least resources available. The list below contains the schools that are most likely to be selected into the program:

THANE SCHOOLS: *Kamlini Deaf and Dumb School (NGO) Kopam, Thane. (90 students) Principal: Maya Kulkarni- Ph. #9769390401; School Ph. #022-25320530 *Javeri Thanewala School (Deaf school) Kesar Wadi, Behind Kutir Udhyog Mandir, Station Road, Thane West, Thane - 400601 (70 students) Principal: Mrs. Velankar- email: [email protected]; School Ph. #022-025334363 *JIDD Special School (Mentally challenged school) Siddhachal Complex, Vasant Vihar Thane (West) - 400606 (nearly 90-100 students) Principal: Ms. Archana Shete; School Ph. #022-21713599 ~(The school has a fantastic Music establishment Mewsics’ Drumbeat Program can work with)

MUMBAI SCHOOLS:

*SMT Kamla Mehta School for the Blind (All girls’ school) Management: Blind Relief Association 160, Dadasaheb Phalke Road, Dadar (E) Opp. Hindmata Cinema, Mumbai – 400014. (165 students) Principal: Mrs. Uma Mumbaikar- email: [email protected] School Ph. #022-24183144 /24114146 *ADAPT School (Various disabilities) Upper Colaba Road, Mumbai - 400 005; Ph. #022- 2215 0555 / 2218 6813


Deputy Director: Mrs. Reshma Tanna- email: [email protected] (80-90 students; including mentally challenged children) *NAB (National Association for the Blind) Centers and Schools Coordinators: Rachna Tai (Ph. #9322731446), Pallavi Tai (Ph. #022- 2493-5365), Mrinalini Tai (Ph. #9833587449) Matalaxmi Nursery in Sion (25-30 children)- schools days Andheri Center (20 students)- only on Saturdays* Dombivali Center (20 students)- only on Saturdays* *CORP (Community Outreach NGO) - (Karen Dorph’s Asha organization is a branch of Corp)* Methodist Centre, 1st Floor, 21 YMCA Road, Mumbai Central, Mumbai 400 008, India Ph. # 022-2308-6789; email: [email protected]

2 Centers: Mumbai Center- Shalom Methodist Welfare Centre, Ambedkar Nagar, Matunga Labour Thane Center- CORP Welfare Centre, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Chowk, Rupa Devi

Pada, Indira Nagar (Total: 198 students) (Extra school if necessary) *Happy Home and School for the Blind (All Boys School) Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400 018 Ph. #022-2492-3198, email: [email protected] (about 150-175 students)

When I went to visit JIDD School for mentally challenged children (highlighted above), I stepped into their music class in the middle of one of their performances. I was so amazed at what I saw that I made them repeat the entire 6-7 minute song all over again. Their music teacher, Sunita Madam, is a professional and classically trained musician. She uses the beats of the tabla she plays to guide her students on which beat, rhythm, and/or instrument to use- directing like a music conductor. Even though Madam said that she had been working on this specific song with the students for a few years now, I remained in awe of the entire class’s synchronization, awareness of music, use of multiple instruments, and overall timing because the piece itself was quite challenging. Within the song, there were a few sections where the students shouted out a specific word or a phrase, which they expressed diligently. As I videotaped their performance, some students smiled away shyly.

These students are definitely talented individually, and when they join together they become a strong unit, a powerful force to be reckoned with. I can honestly say this has been one of the best school music classes I have seen.

In fact, the teacher herself mentioned that this was the perfect outlet for their energy. Whatever emotion the student feels, he or she expresses its’ effect according to how intensely he or she beats a specific instrument. As Madam explained her instructing process to me, I could not


even imagine how many hours of classes, variety of techniques, and repeated explanations she must have used in order to teach these children efficiently. She added that she selected talented students from various grades for this specific advanced class (like a GATE class in elementary school), and as new students join every year, they follow the pattern of the rest of the group.

As these students played their varied instruments, they didn’t seem any different from children who aren’t disabled (‘normal’). If outsiders came to watch this performance, they would probably not even be able to tell that these children have some sort of disability. The arts (music, dance, etc.) fade away this divide that people create for others who are different from them. Art brings all people with diverse abilities together on one platform- it makes everyone equal.

As I watched these children playing, I immediately thought of Drumbeat- a Music Therapy Program of Mewsic (Innovaid). JIDD School would be one of the best places to establish both a dance and music therapy program (from Mewsic).

***

*Parola (PARISHRAM School)-

I contacted my uncle Pravin Mama (who initially introduced me to Parishram School) and Mahajan Sir and discussed my ideas roughly with them over the phone. Once our meeting was set, I left Mumbai. When I arrived, I saw the complete construction of the pipeline system and the well! Jain company pipes were used for the system, and the pipeline connection could not be seen from above because it ran underground.

Students of all ages at JIDD school playing at least 3-‐4 different instruments-‐ changing their pace, rhythm, or instrument according to the variation of tabla beats the teacher plays! Link of the video-‐ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q20J1KJzF4


I informed Mahajan Sir of a few ideas that I wanted to develop at the school, in addition

to benefitting the welfare of the school, working with the entire staff, and collaborating with Parishram School and its’ Trust. From the very beginning, my uncle, Pravin Mama, agreed to help and support my work at Parishram School in every possible way. Mama lives in Jalgaon but has a farmhouse in Parola, (which he visits every couple weeks), and is therefore able stop by the school on a regular basis to help with development, assist with management, and check on progress of projects. I presented Mahajan Sir and his staff with various proposals; not only did they agree to all matters, but also voluntarily took on further tasks of responsibility while giving their own suggestions to help refine the ideas. Here is a outline summary of the proposal discussion between Mahajan Sir and I -

MY PROPOSAL: I proposed to construct an official studio/hall for Parishram School; it would be a

center that would cater not only to the disabled children of the school, but also many other physically and mentally challenged students from various other schools/organizations near and around Parola village (including all types of physically challenged children, underprivileged children, etc.) The studio would be titled MOKSHA… Liberation through Movement and would be its’ own organization in collaboration with Parishram School. The Parishram school children would be divided into small groups and have about 1 hr sessions daily, and in the remaining

The well is located on school grounds on the very bottom of this picture; (it is a big, dark circle with lines running through it.) The pipes run underground 1.5 km from a farm house on the back hills (next to the trees in the upper part of the picture) to the newly constructed well.

Here is the line that shows the invisible pathway of the underground pipeline from Point A (farmhouse pump) to Point B (School well).

These pictures to the left are the Jain Company pipes used for the Pipeline project.


time, other local disabled schools would be invited and brought in to the studio to have dance/movement workshop sessions . When the studio would not be in use, Parishram School could use the studio for extracurricular activities/performances (the building will be under the Parishram School).

o MAHAJAN SIR: Sir has always dreamed of a project like this; he claims that this opportunity allows him to achieve helping many more disabled/underprivileged children outside of his school. He immediately agreed to all the requirements, and added that he would be the main overseer to make sure the studio-‐‘MOKSHA organization’s objectives’-‐ are enforced properly at all times. Mahajan Sir himself insisted he would become an administrator/facilitator of the studio and take care of contacting and inviting other schools/organizations to the studio for movement sessions. He suggested he would use Parishram School’s village surveys (collected by them every 5-‐6 months) in order to be able to invite at least one outside school/organization to the studio every week.

MY PROPOSAL: I would need at least 3-‐4 people (either from the village or their school staff) to become permanent trainers of MOKSHA-‐ they would conduct all the dance/movement sessions (for the children of Parishram school and all other outside schools/organizations); they would basically be running the center and carrying out its’ objectives. I would train them in a variety of dance/movement techniques and guide them to be able teach movement to children of all kinds of disabilities. In addition, I would also provide the trainers with the guidebook I have written for the Dance Program at Mewsic (Innovaid).

o MAHAJAN SIR: Sir recommended one of his own teachers to be the guide of the trainees at MOKSHA. Since last year, Parishram School started its’ official 2 year teacher degree course (D.S.E., M.R.) in teaching mentally disabled children-‐ available for anyone who is approved after the application process (this has opened up job opportunities for many young local villagers, male and female). The young trainees who apply for the course are specially interviewed by Mahajan Sir, and if approved by him, they are then enrolled into the course at Parishram School. Through this screening process, Mahajan Sir wants to make sure that the trainees accepted into the program really care about helping and working with disabled children, and are not just looking for a degree in order to get any job for money.

There are currently a total of 35-‐40 trainees (both year 1 and year 2) enrolled in this courses’ second year. Therefore, the students who were selected for the program last year (currently Year 2 who will be graduating this year) will go straight to a job teaching mentally challenged children at a particular school. Some of these students will end up being part of the faculty at Parishram School as well. Mahajan Sir recommended that I choose at least 2-‐3 graduating trainees to be in my program, and they would be considered part of the Parishram School Staff if needed be.

I was amazed to see that Parishram School had started up a degree course for new teachers while running the school for the children alongside. This was a great sign of them taking their initiative to another level-‐ and doing whatever it takes to keep growing and


acquiring their goals one by one. On one side of the school, mentally challenged children are learning and acquiring skills to succeed, and in the opposite building youth are being trained to teach these children. This develops an ever growing cycle, in which new teachers will always be available to help with this cause.

MY PROPOSAL: I plan on charging a minimum fee from outside schools/organizations who have a dance/movement session in order to have the center be valued, self sustainable, and therefore maintained properly. Generally, if something is free in India it is extremely undervalued and not given much consideration or importance. The point is not to make any profits, but rather to have minimal funds so that the center can run self sufficiently and be maintained on its’ own. I am also thinking of setting up a trust for future funds and/or donations – (which would be handled by Mahajan uncle and Pravin Mama in my absence). I intend on making it an officially registered trust in the Jalgaon district. (Parola lies within Jalgaon district.)

o MAHAJAN SIR: Sir offered to help with registering the trust and mentioned that he would be willing to hold a position if the trust were successfully established.

I was informed by the faculty that the construction would take at least 2 – 2.5 months to complete-‐ and I definitely want the overall construction to be complete by then, because when the studio is complete I can return to inaugurate MOKSHA, begin and follow through its’ process, and most importantly instruct the selected trainees. I made it clear that before leaving Parola in the following few weeks, I wanted to finalize the decision so construction could begin as soon as possible.

o MAHAJAN SIR: Sir and the faculty will gather the local engineers, architects, and construction workers to work on the studio. They are going to provide me with the people and the guidance to follow through the entire process. He mentioned that MOKSHA is a part their school, and therefore we agreed the most important things to focus on are that MOKSHA’S objectives are carried out efficiently and MOKSHA continues to grow despite my absence. It was then that I realized this was the school I had been waiting for. When our vision is

the same in every which way, things fall right into place. I learned how Mahajan Sir does not just think about his own school; he is also concerned with a plethora of other causes: helping other disabled children, underprivileged families, elderly, animals, women’s rights, and so on (just like me). However, due to his humble beginnings, he has only been able to tackle and focus on supporting one cause at a time. The entire work ethic of the school is inspiring- every staff/faculty member distributes and takes turns teaching, feeding, cleaning, and looking after the children every single day without pay. Their motivation truly comes from somewhere deep within. I wondered how they managed to support their families, and learned that the family members suffice with the income of another member- because other members in their family earned to support the rest, their families allowed them to work for a good cause. These members


joined Mahajan Sir one by one, after Sir explained the importance of this cause to their families. For people who are financially comfortable, it is easy to donate money and volunteer once in a while, but for low income farmers/villagers it is extremely difficult. Donating one’s life to the lives of these children is the ultimate sacrifice, and one can see that every staff member of this school truly works from the heart.

After discussing in detail with Mahajan Sir and the rest of the faculty, it was time to meet the D.S.E. student trainees at the Student Training Center (opposite the classrooms). I introduced myself to the trainees, gave a brief background, and explained the purpose of my project and my intention of selecting a few of them into my MOKSHA program. I even gave a brief lecture, and mentioned that I would give them a few introductory sessions to allow them to test out their relationship with movement. I was not going to force any one to do this program, but I thought it was necessary for these trainees, like all others, to experience their own dance/movement workshop. Many of these young adults have never had any dance or movement experience. I heavily stressed the importance of the values I was looking for within them- I wanted to see a fire, a spark of interest from within them that would spread this joy to many others. I stressed the fact that they would not only be teaching the mentally challenged children of this school, but also physically disabled children from other schools as well.

I guided the trainees through basic stretches and exercises, choreographed dance routines, and included partner games and exercises. I had the trainees question themselves as individuals; I wanted to understand how they saw dance in their lives and in what ways it affects them. I gave several workshops every week, and the student trainees really seemed to open up! I was giving them a taste of what teaching would be like, and they really enjoyed it. (Unfortunately I don’t have video footage of these incidents because my IPod was being used to provide music.)* The trainees felt it was natural to teach women and men separately, because generally some women don’t feel they can express themselves openly and comfortably around men. However, I explained how that was exactly an example of one of the major points I was against. I stressed the importance of men and women learning and dancing together, and how this builds a sense of pride and self-confidence, as well as the ability to work comfortably together! Most importantly, this process teaches both genders that they are equal, and they must treat each other with that respect. This is the exact pattern that the children they teach will observe and follow.

At first, some of my female trainees would not participate in the workshop sessions, but eventually almost all of them ended up joining toward the later sessions! I made sure never to force any trainee if he or she did not want to participate in a session, but I definitely made sure that they remained present to observe and still be a part of the process.

I explained to the trainees that I would hold an audition at some point and pay careful attention to each of them individually from there on. Since I wanted to select 3-4 trainees to officially become a part of MOKSHA and Parishram School, I explained to them that I expected full awareness in their mind, presence, and body. They do not necessarily need to have a particular background in dance or movement teaching, but they definitely have to be sincere


about training, dedicated to movement teaching, and open to learning and creating new information. Most importantly, they must feel passionate about working with disabled children and believe in the power of movement!

Due to the establishment of a successful collaboration, a solid foundation has been created. From here, the plans for constructing the studio began. Right next to the school building lied Mahajan Sirs’ final plot of land. Mahajan Sir called in local Parola engineer Gopal Sonar, who has designed and budgeted all of Parishram schools’ previous buildings. Pravin Mama and I explained my rough idea to Mr. Gopal, and a few days later he sent over several designs.

This is the Boys’ residential hall, which the school pays monthly rent for. If possible, I would like to create a smaller residential hall for girls-‐ therefore more girls will be able to attend.

Student trainees posing after a training session in the Student Training Center!

(Left) Male trainees dancing for the picture, (Right) Faculty/Staff members participating in the dance workshops; they all had tremendous energy and were cheered on by all the trainees. Here they pose for a picture! It was great to have the teachers involved! Baroo Patil Sir (center) in particular danced the biggest; even though he was far off from the steps he set a great example of dancing without fear!

Here I take a picture with all my students: my male trainees, my female trainees, as well as my faculty students!


***

CHALLENGES-

• Before I left Mumbai, I caught a terrible virus. It delayed my trip to Parola for several days. Even though I didn’t recover, I had to leave. Unfortunately, I have had to continuously suffer through all my daily teaching and traveling. It seems that my body is still not immune.

• The girl to boy ratio at Parishram School is 2: 65. Due to the fact that there is no residential hall for girls in Parishram School or most disabled schools in many towns, girls cannot attend the school unless they are non-residential students. However, if a small residential hall was built for the girls, they would be able to attend. I explained to Mahajan Sir and his staff how essential it is for boys and girls to grow up together in an educated environment; how they must learn to work together and be comfortable around one another. My teaching process in particular relies on boys and girls dancing and moving together, withholding any prejudice. This way, these children realize from an early age that they are equal, independent, strong individuals who are capable of anything. There are no gender roles, and no one possesses power or has the upper hand over the other. However, if children are not surrounded by such an environment, it leads to boys not having a full experience of working with girls, which leads to discrimination towards women and lowers their confidence, independence, and self-esteem. In other cases, many times disabled girls are not allowed out of the house because parents are afraid that they might be abused or mistreated.

• The debate on whether or not I should establish a Trust: Q: Investigate details of creating a trust- Is it possible or is it just too much responsibility?

Potential plot of where the studio will be built; this is Mahajan Sirs’ land adjacent to the school. Here my uncle Pravin Mama, some of Parishram staff, and local engineer Gopal Sonar are discussing the possible designs and measuring the size of the land. The total area of this plot is about 1750 sq. ft.


Pros- For further help and advice on the matter, I had a meeting with my uncle R.B.

Jain. He recommended that I create a Trust (fund organization). If and once the trust was established, he would be able to talk about it with various businesses he is in partnership with and request them to donate whatever amount they felt appropriate. This way the funds could be used for further development and future projects without being depleted.

Cons- The main issue is that since I will not be residing in India to look after how the

trust foundation will be run, I need to find members who are committed to the cause and will continue to carry on the trust successfully. The trust application states that I need to have at least 7 trustee members (including myself). Clearly I would not be able to do this alone. I would definitely be the President/Founder of the organization, but the powers of running the trust would fall to the Vice President in absence of the President- and I would not be able to run the trust efficiently from the US. The rest of the members of the Trust would need to conduct 4 annual meetings (minimum- and record minutes), be willing to handle the tax papers, and deal with all the paper work.

Q: Where will I find these members? Who can I trust who would be willing to take the major roles of Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer?

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES-

• Parola (Parishram School)-

I will be working on finalizing the official design of the studio and authorizing construction.

I explained to the school that the gender ratio should be one of the major points to focus on. Mahajan Sir and the faculty felt just as I did about the gender gap. He mentioned how the girl ratio had been higher in previous years, but due to lack of funds to build a residential hall, he has not been able to tackle that problem. I then replied that I would help in creating some sort of establishment for the girls. Feminist issues are most dear to me, and this particular one has been fixated in my head. If this school is to grow and prosper, its’ foundation of principles needs to be solid. Therefore, after discussing with the staff, the first thing that needed to be done was to conduct a new survey of the local villages (for mentally challenged girls 4-18yrs). We set the date November 15th (after Diwali celebrations) to go on the survey.


I will try to search for prominent members for my Trust (MOKSHA) and then

make a decision.


fourth month- (excerpts) · dance class: “energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can...

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