pakaan... ™
"Pakaan" ™ is a Kashmiri word which literally means: "I am walking..." Metaphorically and as a local slang, it's used as an expression to communicate that "life is going on/ I am walking on the journey of life...!"
Hence, 'Pakaan...' at ICPP is a storytelling initiative holding space for our psychological struggles, narratives, shared experiences, empathy and connection. We are glad to see that you are interested in sharing your story with us. This initiative provides a space for you to share your story of survival, hope, and continuation - how you chose to go on despite chaos, conflict, and uncertainty. You may submit write-ups, poems, or other forms of work such as drawings, paintings, photographs, or videos. Your story matters and our aim is to share it so that it may inspire others or at the very least, express solidarity and empathy. In your submission, we encourage you to emphasize the things that help you or give you hope. This can be in the context of any conflict, crisis or challenge. For instance, you may be stuck in a dangerous/unhealthy home environment, struggling with your identity in any way, living in a conflict-zone, or affected by bigger policies. No experience is too big or too small to share. Your story can include experiences of metaphors, sayings, anecdotes; from your context, culture and tradition, that inspires hope and continuation.
Submission Form link: https://forms.gle/BHxDfPh5FEdc6m5v9
THE WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2022 WORKSHOP
Form link to register for the workshop: https://forms.gle/k44gYSDxxXfDhzKb8
In Rahul's words:
Writing liberates us in ways more than we anticipate it to. To write is to let free thousands of birds chained inside us. For a lot of us, writing is an act of courage. Join us and an intentional community of writers for 2 hours to practice this act of courage.
What will we do?
Connect with our personal stories of emergence, chaos, hope, and realizations. Learn to honour & express our stories through ‘writing’ as a medium
Tie the threads of realizations and discoveries with our personal story
Learn a few tools and techniques to hold space for ourselves through writing
For whom?
For anyone above 16 years of age
For anyone who wishes to practice writing as a medium of expressing one's life narratives.
For anyone who needs a safe & held space to write and share.
For anyone who needs encouragement to write, write and write.
For anyone who wishes to give their realizations some tangible form
Note: The medium of instruction will be mostly in English. However, you can write in any language. Sharing of our writings will remain optional.
About the host:
Rahul Hasija is a story-weaver, intergenerational facilitator, and game designer. He has worked with several schools, inter-generational groups, and organizations on alternative learning methodologies, expressions and communication, and fostering nature interconnections. He currently runs his game-design studio called Swacardz (www.swacardz.com) with the intention to create games and interfaces for meaningful conversations. He is a trained Flow game host.
He is the preliminary editor of the book ‘Narmada – River of Joy’ and ‘The Original Forest’. He has worked as a Sub-editor at ‘Eternal Bhoomi’ in Bangalore. His articles have been published in Free Press Journal, Eartha-Mag, Eternal Bhoomi, Eco-Folk, and The Common Indian. He believes music, dance and stories hold the potential to bring harmony into our world of chaos and he often writes his realizations on https://thefreedomwalker.wordpress.com