Reminiscing Independence with Chhotu

Name of the book: Chhotu

Name of the Event: Reminiscing Independence with Chhotu

Workshop Date: 14th June

Time: 11 AM to 1 PM IST

Location: Online

Age Group: 15+ years

Very few books detail out the impact that the partition in 1947 had on children and teenagers. How does it feel to grow up and engage in self-discovery while dealing with the pain and violence surrounding one at the same time? Joy of Anubhava and Champaca will be facilitating a two-hour workshop on ‘Chhotu’, a graphic novel by Varud Gupta and Ayushi Rastogi through various art forms including writing, music, theatre, storytelling, photos, drawing, and debates. Join us as we explore the larger themes associated with the book such as freedom, justice, identity, ethical dilemmas, and empathy. Let us spend a Sunday morning immersing ourselves in a different time, engaging in self-reflection, meeting a community of book lovers, and listening to different perspectives through a fun 2-hour workshop!

- A personalized digital scrapbook of all the work done during the workshop

- Become part of a global community of book lovers and form authentic social connections

- Enhance your critical thinking, creativity, and ability to empathize

- Zoom- We will use zoom for this workshop, and we request you to install this plugin

- A laptop/iPad /phone/tablet

- Basic stationery

- Access to the book (hardcopy/ebook)  

“I signed up for the 'Animal Farm' workshop on a whim, and it was an engaging and energizing way to spend my Sunday morning. Anand and Poorvaja have really put in work to make the workshop open and welcoming to those both familiar or new to the literary novel. I am drawn to their mission to understand stories and texts using art as a medium. The activities were challenging and helped me apply my understanding of the book to the world around me. There was an element of surprise with each activity.”

“This was my first experience of exploring a book with fun activities and I totally loved it. The activities were extremely creative and well planned to keep the whole group engaged throughout the session. Even though it was a zoom call, I never felt the barrier of distance hindering any activity. The whole session was such an energetic experience that I now feel like reading more books and read them with different perspectives. Thank you team of Joy of Anubhava for this wonderful experience, you guys hosted and coordinated the whole session amazingly.”

Joy of Anubhava implements programs and workshops where we deep dive into books through art forms such as drawing, photos, music, theatre, storytelling, and creative writing. These workshops are designed for participants to gain 21st Century and Social & Emotional Learning skills.

Champaca is an independently-owned women-run bookstore and cafe, and a diverse community of people. We work together in selecting and sourcing the books we stock, and managing the very integral day-to-day activities of running our store.

Anand Srinivasan has been a Mridangam player since he was 10 years old. Music has played an extensive role in his life. He is also a painter. Apart from this, Anand has worked in the field of data science and technology for the past 10 years. He is one of the co-founders of Joy of Anubhava and is the brain behind all of the artwork that the participants engage with!

Poorvaja Prakash has been working in education and development for the last 8 years, particularly in curriculum design, facilitating participatory research activities with children, and adults, designing programs for school transformation, training, and capacity building in India and other developing countries. She has been an active participant in debates, Model UNs, and public speaking throughout her childhood!