Katha Regional Writers' Workshop -2016 held at our School.

The annual Katha Regional Writers' Workshop 2016 was held at our School. The aim of this workshop is to help students use their creativity and come up with engaging stories and encourage them to write.

More than 400 students from approximately 54 national and international schools participated in the two-day event. The students attending the workshop were mentored by eminent personalities from the media, literature and the publishing fields.

The workshop was inaugurated on 7th October 2016 with the traditional lighting of the lamp followed by a dance presentation by our School orchestra. Ms. Gowri Palachandran, Director (Academic Outreach) then addressed the gathering. She spoke about the inception of Katha, its aim and its growing popularity. The mentors were introduced to the audience and finally a breathtaking colourful dance presentation of the Dandia raas was showcased by our students.

The students then moved to the rooms allocated to the mentors and each student was assigned a mentor. 20 student volunteers from class VIII escorted mentors and students to the venues allotted. The volunteers were very busy for two days, ensuring that each mentor and participant was well looked after. When they found the time, they attended sessions with the mentors. The volunteers managed the registrations and other and arrangements. Their willingness to help and sense of responsibility merits commendation for their efforts.

The Katha workshops were indeed inspirational. The mentors help us think out of the box and tell us ways to be more expressive, reported Heera Sen, a student of The Indian School, Muscat, Oman. She aspires to be an author. Ujjwal Gupta, a nine-year- old aspiring poet, who attended the workshop for the first time, said, I hope to gain useful insights from the mentors to publish my own collection of poems. He is a student of SRDAV School, New Delhi. The mentors helping the students were Arunima Mazumdar, Kala Ramesh, Kamal Pruthi, Rashmi Chaudhary, Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, Shrutika Mathur, Vikramjit Singh Rooprai and Vikram Abhishek Mall.

Ms. Moushami Kakoty, Coordinator for Katha sang for the closing ceremony on 8th October and Ms. Geeta Dharmarajan, founder of Katha delivered the closing address. She thanked each one who had contributed to make the event a success. Certificates were then distributed to each group by their respective mentors. New friends, higher goals and determination to write were some reflections expressed. The Katha Utsav provided an opportunity for students from far and wide to meet, work together, bond and create memories to last.

The event was a grand success and it was, indeed, wonderful to see students of private schools, government schools and the diverse states of India come together to work and learn.

Ms. Neena Maini.