Sunday, March 17, 2024

Dutch Painter Van Gogh Immersive Experience at EA, Chennai

Visited the Van Gogh Immersive experience at Express Avenue, Chennai. Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter popular for his colorful paintings. The immersive experience happened in a very big hall. The paintings of Van Gogh with animations were focused on all the four walls and also the floor. It was a beautiful experience. The experience was shown in a slot of 30 minutes.

They also had a cafĂ© themed with Van Gogh’s paintings. The cakes, pastries, plates, and walls had Van Gogh designs on them. There was also an area selling gifts like T-shirts, flasks, diary, magnets, and other souvenirs with Van Gogh’s painting designs on them. Near the entrance there was a room with his paintings that had details of his life story.

Apart from the famous Starry Night, Van Gogh also painted a lot of self-portraits. A painting of his postman friend Joseph Roulin in his uniform also tells his life experiences. Here are videos and photos from the show. 


Here are the 5 videos taken at the immersive experience including Starry Nights.
 



Cafe









Diary






Friday, March 1, 2024

Interview with Peace N Passions Founder Narmadha

 

Narmadha - Founder Peace N Passions

You have a technical background but did your postgraduation in psychology. What motivated you to make the change?

For most 80s kids, parents told children what they have to study and that is how I completed my B.Tech degree. It was not my favourite field of study. But I had logical thinking and programming skills. So, I had a successful career as a software programmer for 3 years. Today I look back and see I could manage to do well in a field which I had no passion for(laughs).

Coming to the question of why psychology…

After my wedding, I could not manage family responsibilities and work at the same time. Few years later, my kid had started to go to school and I joined Inner Wheel, an International Women’s service organisation. I was the President of Inner Wheel Club of Madras Fort during the year 2013-14. This was when I started to contribute to the society. I was working with underprivileged children, by teaching them life Skills, giving them career guidance, helping them to sort out challenges they faced in their own families and many more. Once I found I was able to create a positive impact, I extended my work to include adults too. Then I felt the need for a degree in Psychology. I wanted to have proper theoretical base for the work I do. So, I did my masters in psychology and also got trained in Transactional Analysis.

My motivation to make the career change was to empower people using the experiences from the challenges I faced as a woman in this society and expanding my knowledge about human beings and their behaviours. It was more a realisation of what I am supposed to do in this life!

 

What all psychology-based courses and interventions you offer at Peace N Passions?

Narmadha Conducting Training for Engineers


I do individual counselling, and also group sessions in a classroom environment for the psychological and holistic empowerment of people at Peace N Passions.

Peace N Passions 

Coaches professionals in handling workplace challenges

     Guides youth in facing life challenges about career choices, better relationships, family issues

Educates school students about Life Skills, Experience of Adolescence, Time management, facing exams, Managing one’s roles and responsibilities

Explores and enhances skills and talents of people

Helps to identify one's Life Purpose and much more.  

You are a member of International Transactional Analysis Association. Tell us a little more about your interest in Transactional analysis.

PnP Logo

I started learning Transactional Analysis to have a theoretical and scientific base for my work with people. As soon as I started learning it, I realised that it has answers for most of the problems we face in our lives, both personal and professional. So, I got more interested in it and it is more than seven years I have been into TA.  I am working for my international certification in Transactional Analysis now.

TA is less known in India, especially Tamil Nadu. I am keen in empowering people here and spreading the knowledge I gained through TA, in my country.  

What are the most common psychological problems the youth of these days face? What are your suggestions to overcome those?

Narmadha Interacting with School Kids


Humans were originally neurologically wired to live with nature, but the recent advancements, moves human beings away from nature. The transition from the life in real world to a virtual living, result in most of the psychological problems of youth in my opinion.

Today’s urban youth were raised by parents who lived in a time when children learnt many things only in schools. Teachers were the elders who taught life to children. There was no concept of virtual world. But today, lives of people especially in urban areas are technology driven. Teaching and home works given by teachers can also be completed only with the use of technology, especially after Covid times.

There are mobile apps for communication, shopping, getting your favourite food in minutes, or whatever you need! For people who were born before the 90s, these are recent developments. But for kids born after 2010 this is the life they know.

This is the basic setting in which children, youth and their parents live. For the parents and other elders, this life seems absurd with less or almost no real-life connections. The youth feel their parents and elders are outdated.  

Virtual relationships are unreliable, youth lack experience in life and are easily cheated. But the psychological effects of getting cheated does not change with technology! Youngsters are resentful towards the parents. But they also do not have a go-to person to help them face their challenges.

My suggestion to overcome this is simple: “To become aware”!.

The older generation must become aware of the changes in today’s setting. Hence, they cannot expect the younger generation to lead the life like what they did.

The younger generation must respect the experience of the older generation and the fact that they lived in the “real world,” which was literally “real” and has its own values. The older generation people have deeper connections with whatever they relate with. They sense real world things intuitively and with their experience which the youth must understand and integrate with their lives.

When the old and young synergise, lives will be more peaceful !

As a co-founder of NGO Nanneer, can you tell us a few words about the organisation and its initiatives?

Nanneer NGO Members


Nanneer is a registered public charitable trust operating under The Indian Trust Act 1882. Our foundation is built upon the shared objective of advocating for water sustainability and contributing to climate mitigation strategies. Our diverse team comprises dedicated professionals hailing from various disciplines, including Engineering, Management, Education, Psychology, Community Service, and Rural Development. We are excited to leverage our collective knowledge and experience to drive positive change in both local communities and the global context.

Activities of Nanneer

* Green Infrastructure Development

* Waste Management Solutions

* Public Awareness Campaigns

* Research and Innovation

* Community Workshops and Training

* Carbon Footprint Reduction

* Ecosystem Restoration

* Community Engagement and Participation

 

I was very intrigued about the TownBuzz of Nanneer when you first mentioned it. Can you tell us more about the TownBuzz?

Townbuzz


At the heart of Nanneer's mission is Townbuzz, a revolution on wheels, embodying real structures to promote Rainwater Harvesting, Greywater Recycle, Solar Power integration, and a fully-equipped Water Testing Lab.

Townbuzz also has

·       Audio Visual Display Materials

·       A Stage for Performances

·       Mini Library

·       Water-Saving Fittings

·       Models and Demonstrations

·       Rain Simulation – Sprayer

Townbuzz, moves around Tamilnadu to spread objectives of Nanneer.

Your Nadhiyin Osai Podcast in Tamil is very informative and you share ideas in a friendly manner. Tell us about the different topics you cover and what motivated you to start the podcast?

Nadhiyin Osai Logo


From my rich life experiences, I understood that psychology is important for every individual to lead a harmonious and holistic life. I consider it as a basic requirement like food, water, and shelter. But in our society, it is not even given a minimal importance. I started doing what I can. I started Nadhiyin Osai Podcast.

Nadhiyin Osai speaks about the life skills we need to concentrate on, the important things we ignore in our lives and many more…  in a simple language and in a conversational style, understandable by all people who understand Tamil. The podcast is available in multiple platforms and listeners also communicate to me about what topics they need.

I request the people who read this, to listen to Nadhiyin Osai episodes and give me feedback.(smiles)

 

Can you share your experiences about the International Teacher’s Olympiad?

I became an Educator by choice. Though I have got some certifications in Education, I wanted my skills to get validated. So, I registered for the International Teachers Olympiad in which teachers from about 90 countries participated. The Olympiad questions were based on real-time situations and we were evaluated based on our answers.

I was placed in the top 30 percentile globally, which gave me the satisfaction of being evaluated as a good educator by an organisation, internationally. 

 

You are a singer. How do you sing more and how do you give back to society through singing?

I am happy that you call me a singer.(laughs) I have been listening Tamil film music from childhood. It was after 35 years I realised that I can sing and started practice.

I learn and sing for my own satisfaction and happiness.

But I have sung for destitute elders in old age homes, orphanages and for charity organisations.



Anything more you would like to tell the readers… from your experience?

I would like to share what I practise in my life:

“Be clear about your values and ethics and follow them. Let your inner voice guide you. Do not get carried away by society or others. You know yourself better than anyone else in this world.”

Thank you Anitha for the wonderful questions that made me connect with myself and for giving this opportunity to share the work I do with the world. 

Contact:

peacenpassions@gmail.com

Instagram: nadhiyin_osai

Spotify : Nadhiyin Osai (Tamil)

YouTube: Nadhiyin Osai

Linked In: Narmadha A , Founder Peace N Passions


Sunday, December 24, 2023

Santa Claus is Here - A Christmas Story

Kevin is eagerly waiting for his gift from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. What was the gift Santa gave him? 


 To read the story, Santa Claus is Here, click here. 

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Interview with Creative Art Classes Founder Meenakshi Gupta

Meenakshi Gupta has been teaching different art forms through her Creative Art Classes organization since 2003. Let us learn about her journey with different art forms and her students who come from as far as Alaska. 

Meenakshi Gupta

 

When did your art journey start?

I have been drawing from my childhood. I did my postgraduation in Fine Arts from Stella Maris College and completed my B.Ed also. In 2001, Malaysian art companies such as Global Art and World of Colours came to India. I was trained by original artists from those companies.

 

When did you start Creative Art Classes?  

I started Creative Art Classes in 2003. We have Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Courses in drawing and colouring. A few of our courses are pencil Shading, colour pencil shading, oil pastels, soft pastels, acrylic Painting, and glass painting. We have 3 levels in colour pencils class. Indian folk-art classes are also available. Art forms like Warli art, Kalamkari Art, Gond art, Pitchwai, Madhubani, Bheenti Chitra, and Chitra art from different states are taught.

We have craft classes such as Clay modelling, Papercraft, M-Seal craft, Bottle painting and designing, Macrame, Crochet, Fridge magnets, Quilling, Tie-dye, and more.  

The students are right from 5-year-olds to teenagers and adults. The courses for kids are well structured to enhance their creative development, their drawing, and colouring skills along with observation skills.



What are the different drawing and colouring techniques you focus on?

I focus on drawing and colouring skills, perspective, shapes, standing lines, sleeping lines, and zig-zag lines. The way we draw a perfect circle with our hands shows how confident we are. We discuss colours from the same family, colours from different family, and primary, secondary, or tertiary colours. We teach the kids to combine shapes to create an object.  



Tell us how your creative drawing class sessions develop wholistic skills in the student.

The student first draws and colours a picture. Then they write a story about the picture. Then they make a colour shade card of the different shades of colours used in the painting. Finally, to improve their public speaking skills, I make them narrate the story. So, it is a complete package that includes drawing, story writing, storytelling, and colour shades awareness.

 

What are the different types of students you have?

I teach around 30 kids now. There are 4 kids in a batch. I have students both in India and abroad. Three or 4 students are from Texas. I have a student in Alaska also. Some children learn slowly, some quickly, and there are ADHD students. One student never follows instructions. If I say draw the Sun’s rays from the top, he says it comes sideways. We have to talk about overlapping, composition, and line of horizon.

There may be accents and a bit of vocabulary changes in different parts of the world. But, children are the same all over. I conduct both online and offline classes. I use a laptop and a phone for my online classes. The software used is Google meet or Zoom. Then I use a stand, pen, and paper for drawing.  



Have you conducted any online workshops and real-time exhibitions?

I have conducted online workshops on pencil shading for online groups Coto and TapArtist using Zoom. Have launched many exhibitions with the paintings of students at the Ambassador Pallava Hotel. Have conducted many offline workshops also.

Clay Modelling


What advice would you like to give to women who want to start art classes?

Go ahead and start. The advantage of being an entrepreneur is you decide when and how much to work. The disadvantage is you have to do all the admin work apart from teaching.

Tribal Art from Madhya Pradesh


 Tell us about your family.

My husband has a florist shop and we are involved in wedding decorations and other events. I have a son and a daughter. My daughter is an advocate in Chennai High Court.



 We wish Meenakshi Gupta and her Creative Art Classes astounding success!

Insta handle - @creativeartclass2003

E-mail - meenakshigupta2470@gmail.com

Phone - 9941951515 

 

Thursday, September 21, 2023

ChatGPT Writes a Poem on Environmental Pollution

Was exploring ChatGPT yesterday. As most of you know, ChatGPT is a text-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool. If you ask it a question or supply a prompt, it gives you an answer. It creates new content. Using Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) you can write a code in any language like C, create a marketing campaign, plan your travel itinerary, write a children’s book and more.  

This was the poem ChatGPT wrote about environmental pollution when I gave the prompt as, “Write a poem about environment pollution”. Was really impressed by the poem which covered almost all aspects of environment pollution. 

 

In a world of industry and progress, we stand,

Yet heedless of nature, we scar the land.

A tale of woe, a story of despair,

Of environment pollution, we must be aware.

 

The skies once blue, now tainted gray,

As pollutants rise, they steal our day.

The air we breathe, once fresh and pure,

Now carries toxins we can't endure.

 

In rivers and oceans, our garbage swirls,

As plastic waste in endless spirals.

Marine life suffers, their home besieged,

By our negligence, they're left aggrieved.

 

Forests once lush, now razed to the ground,

As greed and ignorance abound.

With each tree lost, a creature's plea,

For a world in balance, for you and me.

 

The climate changes, it's plain to see,

Extreme weather strikes with no decree.

The warming Earth, a dire call,

To mend our ways, or surely fall.

 

But hope remains in every heart,

To heal the world, to do our part.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle too,

For a cleaner planet, for me and you.

 

Let's cherish the Earth, our precious home,

Before we reap what we have sown.

In unity, let's stand and fight,

To save our world with all our might.

 

For in our hands, the power lies,

To clear the smog and clear the skies.

In this poem's plea, let it be known,

That a pollution-free world can be our own.


The above image was created using MidJourney, a graphic generating AI tool. The prompt given was, A polluted city with hazy dark cloudy skies. Smoke comes out of factory chimneys. Automobiles are on the streets.

Click here to access ChatGPT.

Click here to access MidJourney. 

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

The School of Life by Alain De Botton - A Book Review

The School of Life is a beautiful book written by Alain De Botton with wonderful insights on each page. The book has five sections Self, Others, Relationships, Work, and Culture. Sharing a few of the snippets from the book here.

The School of Life by Alain De Botton


Alain maps many of our life habits and reactions to our childhood upbringing. He says, “Children can’t go anywhere. They have no extended social network. Even when things are going right, childhood is a gentle open prison.” A volatile parent may be the reason for our current meekness. A continually busy, inattentive parent was the catalyst for someone to be an exhausting attention seeker.

The markers of emotional health are self-love, candour, and communication. A few signs of self-love are not pleasing others indiscriminately and being willing to leave an abusive union. Candour is the ability to accept negative feedback about ourselves because valuable lessons come in painful guises. Communication is not to think that others can read our minds and thoughts. One needs to know how to formulate one’s complaints into a convincing, perhaps humorously framed point that has a chance of winning over its target.

Alain beautifully talks about fame and its invariable negative impacts in four pages. He says, “One wants to be famous out of a desire for kindness. But the world isn’t generally kind to the famous for long. This is because the celebrity of a few people will always contrast painfully with the obscurity of the many. So, soon enough the world will comment negatively on their appearance, it will pore over their setbacks, it will judge their relationships, and it will mock their new ventures. The assessments will flood in from people who will express from the safety of the newspaper office or screen.”

As a cure, Alain says that appreciation and understanding are only available through individuals one knows and cares about, not via groups of thousands or millions of strangers. There is no shortcut to friendship – which is what the famous person is in effect seeking. A famous person can market and advocate for their products in public but ignore the good and bad comments of strangers in the wider world.

In a debate between materialism and virtue, he talks about The Fable of the Bees written by Bernard Mandeville. In the book, Bernard mentions that shopping for pleasure and vanities helped the economy to grow. It was the consumption of Mandeville called “fripperies” – hats, bonnets, gloves, butter dishes, soup tureens, shoehorns, and hair clips – that provided the engine for national prosperity and made a genuine difference to the lives of the weak and the poor.

Alain talks about the 12 ingredients of wisdom. In that, he says the following about Regret. In our ambitious age, it is common to begin with dreams of being able to pull off an unblemished life, where one can hope to get the major decisions, in love and work, right. But the wise realize that it is impossible to fashion a spotless life. We will make some extremely large and utterly uncorrectable errors in a number of areas. Perfectionism is a wicked illusion. Regret is unavoidable. The errors in life are not coincidental but structural.

The book has 295 pages. Apart from the book, the YouTube channel by the same name, The School of Life, @theschooloflifetv has wonderful videos. The videos have so many animations and graphics and are well presented. I have been handing out copies of School of Life book to my family and friends and I’m sure you will too once you read the book. Go for it! 

Saturday, June 3, 2023

Interview with Read 'n' Rejoice Library Founder Sasikala

Sasikala started the Read ‘n’ Rejoice library on 19th Feb 2016. Let us hear about her entrepreneurial journey of establishing and running a library and how she overcomes challenges. 



When did you decide that you wanted to start a lending library?

I couldn’t find a suitable job after a career break of 4 years. So, I contemplated the idea of a startup. But I was firm that it should be helpful to society. As books were my passion, I decided to start a library and a Kids’ Activity Club.

What are the different steps you took to start the library?

We did a survey of our apartment residents to check their interest level. I spoke to a couple of other libraries to understand the feasibility. After I decided to start the Read ‘n’ Rejoice library, I found a suitable location in Medavakkam. I got the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) registration done. I procured books from different sources. Then we did website development and hosting, marketing, and more. 

We now have 1400+ members registered with the library and around 430 active members.  We have 9500 books. We cover the books with lamination sheets and our staff are trained to clean and arrange them properly at regular intervals.



What was the first set of books you bought for the library? What are the fast-moving books now in English and Tamil?

The first set of books we bought were Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Secret Seven series followed by Kalki novels. Geronimo Stilton, Percy Jackson, and Wimpy Kid are fast-moving children’s books. In Tamil, Kalki, Balakumaran, and Sandilyan novels are fast-moving.

How did your reading habit help you in making the library flourish?

Many members who join the library have no idea about books. They need suggestions that suits their interest. As I read books from different genres, I am able to guide them. I also send regular book suggestions to members, and conduct books clubs that help them to choose the books.

What are the advantages of being a member of Read ‘n’ Rejoice library?

Read ‘n’ Rejoice members get regular updates on the latest books that are added to the library and book suggestions. Books are delivered to their home if they opt for it. They can participate in the activities and contests conducted by us.  

We conduct phonics, cursive writing, and robotics classes at the library. We also conduct story sessions, science workshops, book clubs, public speaking, storytelling and quiz contests.



What are the hurdles you face from online memberships?

The main hurdle is getting delivery boys, who keep changing. The next challenge is that at least 25% of the overall librarian’s effort is spent on packing the books, preparing the list for delivery, and arranging the returned books. It involves cost and effort.

What inputs do you get from the readers and how do you change your work or purchase based on those?

We get book suggestions from members. We read the Goodreads website reviews for the suggested books. Then we check the availability. If the books are available at a reasonable price, we procure them immediately.



How does your family help in running the library?

My husband helps me in website updates and books procurement. My mother-in-law takes care of the family when I am busy with library activities.



What are other challenges you face in running the library and how do you overcome them?

As there's floating population in Medavakkam, members are moving out quite often. The number of adult readers is less. So, whenever children are busy with academic activities, members don't continue with the library. I keep suggesting books for adults through messages and motivate them to read. This is because family reading is best to create interest for children to read.


What criteria you plan to follow for selecting franchise partners for Read ‘n’ Rejoice?

Location should be within 10 kms from our current library location. He/She should have interest in books. 

Read 'n' Rejoice website: https://readnrejoice.in/

Instagram Handle: ReadnRejoice

Sasikala - Founder of Read 'n' Rejoice Library

We wish Sasikala outstanding success with her library Read 'n' Rejoice and her noble thought of spreading knowledge through books.