Shilpi’s sessions

Shilpi conducted a series of engaging sessions for us during our morning meetings. About 3 sessions have been completed till now.  Each session was highly interactive, and we enjoyed participating in the activities. The expected outcome is primarily on enhancing our English skills, particularly in the area of creative writing. Along with language development, the sessions were also about self-awareness and self-expression. She was creating a supportive and reflective environment where we could explore our emotions when writing our thoughts down.

First session: She began by displaying an image and asked us to write whatever spontaneously came to mind. Next, she encouraged us to view the same image through a humorous or comic lens and compose a funny interpretation. Finally, we were asked to approach the image with a sceptical mindset and develop a mystery story based on it.

Second session: we were told to think of two most important challenges of life. Then we were asked to frame a story in which we were asked to write about a protagonist (the hero, heroine, or main character), the situation they were facing (the central problem), and the outcome (how their challenges were resolved in a dream scenario).

Third session: We formed groups of four and shared our stories with our teammates. Each team member provided feedback to the person presenting. At the end of this session, all of together shared what we learnt while doing the exercise.

Jayabharathy:

My name is Jayabharathy. I stand for care and courage for myself and others. From the exercises with Shilpi, I learnt to look at situations in life with different perspectives than just sticking to one side of the story. I learned how to write a story that is not only interesting but also meaningful, allowing me to share my experiences and insights in a more connected way. It felt like opening my heart out while sharing the real situation of life by means of a story. Through the Chinese whisper activity, I was able to notice how information gets misinterpreted when it was retold by many people. As a whole, all the sessions helped me to deepen my understanding of myself and others.

Pratap:

My name is Pratap and I stand for happiness and sincerity for myself and others. I learned how to express my thoughts and imagination through stories, poems, and descriptive writing. I discovered how to use tools like imagery, dialogue, and character development to make my writing more engaging. This session helped me understand the importance of observing the world around me and using my own voice in creative ways. I also felt more confident to take risks with words and enjoy the process of writing.

Soundhariya:

My name is Soundhariya. I stand for courage for myself and others. Through this session, I learned that doing the same activity in different ways helped me understand how one picture can give many ideas. It made me think in new ways and helped me enjoy writing. I understood that writing a blog is not only about the topic, but also about how I share it. This activity helped me feel more confident and creative.

Poonguzhali:

My name is Poonguzhali. I stand for courage for myself and others. When I created my story using the elements of a short story, I realized that every character’s journey is like real life. We all face problems, make choices, and learn from them. Even small actions can make a big difference. This helped me understand that my stories, just like my life, are full of meaning.

Rajesh:

My name is Rajesh, and I stand for care and integrity—for myself and for others. In the creative writing sessions, I have learned how to look at the same situation from different perspectives and express it in writing. This practice has helped me unlearn old ways of thinking and reshape my understanding. Expressing myself through words has become easier and more natural. One powerful moment was when I made myself the hero of a story. That exercise helped me become more imaginative and creative, while also finding a real solution to a personal challenge I was facing. Putting it on paper gave me clarity. I’ve also learned to express myself in a way that others can understand. I realized that words carry power—they can influence thoughts and feelings. I now see the importance of keeping my storytelling grounded in facts, rather than letting personal interpretations take over. It’s about listening deeply and telling the story as it is, without adding my own assumptions or exaggerations. I’ve grown in how I deliver my thoughts, and I know this learning will reflect in the blogs I write going forward.

Durai:

My name is Durai. I deeply care about dignity, wisdom, and freedom for myself and others. During this story writing session, I felt as if I had returned to my childhood, viewing the story images with a sense of wonder. I began to notice both higher order ideas and fine details within the broader picture. This gave me a new perspective how a single picture can inspire different situations in storytelling. Initially, I found it difficult, but as I continued, I realized that looking at the picture with an open and diverse mindset sparked new ideas. I acknowledge Shilpi for providing such a thoughtful session. I notice the care and kindness, and I will carry that forward in my life.

SandhiyaBala:

My name is SandhiyaBala, and I stand for courage, care, and happiness for myself and others.

During the Shilpi session, I learned how to write a blog or story in a creative way. I also discovered how to observe and write based on an image, exploring one topic from different perspectives—both positive and negative.

I gained many valuable insights that I can now apply to my own blog writing.

Sandhiya:

My name is Sandhiya. I stand for progress, happiness, and love for myself and for others.

It was truly enjoyable to be part of Shilpi’s English session. I had a lot of fun and also learned many new things.

The activities we did were very engaging and interesting. They made me think, explore, and express myself freely. I especially liked the creative exercises, like writing paragraphs and stories using a picture as inspiration.

These are ideas I really want to try out in my own class. I feel they will help my students enjoy learning more and express themselves better. I am grateful for this experience and excited to bring these ideas into my teaching.

Sri Bhavani:

My name is Sri Bhavani. I stand for Love and Equality for myself and others. From this session I am able to notice my visualization capacity. This session helped me to think of a situation positively and helped me to looks things better than what used to. I learned to notice and understand any situation in different perspectives like looking at situations using different lenses. Any problem in the real world can be solved, when I start to look at them from different angles.

Ajay:

My name is Ajay. I stand for self-awareness for myself and others. During the sessions with Shilpi, I noticed myself becoming more of an observer of situations, recognizing that my interpretations often shape the way I perceive things. I realized that these interpretations are like stories I place over the actual picture.

This awareness has helped me in creative writing and thinking. It has also allowed me to view situations from different perspectives, which supports finding sustainable solutions to real-life problems. Initially, I had no idea how to approach the tasks given by her, but as I looked deeper, I started getting ideas on how to build on them and find a natural flow that suited the story.

I acknowledge Shilpi for these sessions. I see the qualities of care and kindness, and I will use it in my life.

Kugan:

My name is Kugan. I stand for equality for myself and other

While engaging in story writing, I discovered how creativity flows when I allow my imagination to take the lead. I learned how to express thoughts clearly, structure ideas meaningfully, and bring characters and emotions to life. The process taught me patience, attention to detail, and the joy of shaping something entirely my own.

Tamil:

My name is Tamil I stand for courage and compassion for myself and others. It was fun and helped me learn many new things.

I liked the creative tasks, especially writing stories and paragraphs using pictures. It helped me express myself better. She showed us a picture and asked us to write three different types of stories—one funny, one romantic, and one adventurous. It was a bit challenging at first because I had to refresh my mind and think in new ways. But it turned out to be a lot of fun, especially when I shared my stories with my friend. We got to know more about each other through our stories. I also discovered that I have a good imagination. It felt nice to explore my own thoughts and creativity