Self Expression Is An Art
Posted on: March 8, 2010
I attended an Interfaith Story Circle event on Sunday called “Sowing Seeds of Peace and Hope”. The story circle is an inter-generational sharing of stories, music and dance from various religious traditions. Children are mentored and learn to share their beautiful stories, their selves.
It was so moving to see and hear children so confidently share stories of faith, rich in tradition, to a diverse audience of adults. These kids were so poised, at peace,so happy to share their stories with others. People telling stories of peace and hope is an art.
Expressing one’s self – whether it be through the centuries old tradition of story telling, writing, music or dance – is an artistic expression.
It made me so proud to see these kids, and adults, speak without fear. It reminded me of the Friends kids and the Our Time kids. Every one of us has different strengths and abilities. Just because we are blind, or deaf, or stutter, or maybe have physical challenges, we are no less capable of sharing the fabric of our lives, our stories with each other. Kids who stutter take a little longer to tell their stories and may choose the arts of dance,music or song to say it. As long as we say it, that’s all that counts.
This made me wistful for the stories always inside my head and heart, that I felt could never come out. I always felt no one would have the patience to hear me out. Thats why I took to writing, which is artistic expression for me. I feel like I wasted many years, with my stores bottled up inside. Now I am letting them out, both in writing and from time to time, through the spoken word. And they are gushing out, these stories of me.
Yes, this Story Telling Sunday was a special day. There was no iPhone, no cell phones, no computers. It was just a big diverse group of people from different faiths listening to each other, smiling, laughing and sharing peace and hope. Hope for today and a better tomorrow. How wonderful that different people can come together and celebrate how it is our differences that really bonds us together. How lucky for me I was there.
Make Room For The Stuttering 
March 11, 2010 at 9:39 PM
hello
This is in reference to the Interfaith story telling session you reported in your blog. We received the link to your blog from the mother of one of the dancers ‘Maya’, who was the younger one. The second dancer was our grand daughter ‘Veda’. I read parts of your blog with sensitive thoughts and found that the focus is on stuttering problem. I have something to share in this area.
Please visit my web page http://countingbreaths.com/annecdotes.html#Stuttering
from my web site cited above. In this page the first annecdote is the most unforgettable one which took place in the year 2002 in India. The practice of ‘counting breaths’ that lead to the remarkable change in the stuttering that prevailed for 40 years was at that time in its infancy. The current version is in this brochure http://countingbreaths.com/brochure.pdf.
I do introductory seminars and follow up classes on this relaxation technique at my daughter’s office (Dr. Padma Sripada M.D who is my daughter and in whose office I work as a manager. It is located at 4 Springhurst Dr Ste #110 in East Greenbush 12061 off 9&20). These sessions are done on voluntary donation basis. My e-mail is csrao1003@gmail.com and office # is 391-2889. I will be happy to respond to any of your questions by e-mail or over phone.
Thank you for publishing photos of the dancers and other children in your blog.
C S (my short name)