Your Words,

Your Story

A Writing Workshop by Neela Vaswani

11 - 15 October 2008

[Registration for this workshop is now closed]

Good writing touches the mind, heart, and soul of a reader. How do we wield words to get closer to personal truths? How do we find and cultivate our own unique voice and style? The writer must convincingly portray not just the complex inner human experience, but also the forces—of environment, politics, and culture—that affect and shape our daily lives. In the course of this workshop, we'll be breaking our eyes open and thinking in new ways with all five senses blazing.

Each day will begin with an examination of published writing from multi-genre sources (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) as well as a second art form (film, photography, music, painting) to explore a particular aspect of writing and craft (character, dialogue, sense of place, plot, genre, style). The workshop will then participate, as a group, in guided writing exercises designed to put craft into practice. We'll also consider the role of writing in society—from social activism to pure joy—and what it means to be a storyteller.

This approach to the craft of writing will be useful and enjoyable for the beginner, the seasoned writer, and everyone in between.

Neela Vaswani, PhD is the author of Where the Long Grass Bends, a collection of short stories. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Shenandoah, Prairie Schooner, Epoch, and the Cimarron Review, among other publications, and have been widely anthologized, including in the Norton edition of multiracial literature. She is the recipient of a 2006 O.Henry Prize, a 1999 Italo Calvino Prize, and has been a Visiting-Writer-in-Residence at the Jimenez-Porter House, the Whitney Museum in New York City, Knox College, and other institutions. Her research on bicultural identity has been highlighted at academic venues and received a scholarly CHASA Prize. She teaches fiction and literature at Spalding University, Adult Literacy and ESL at the Center for Reading and Writing in New York City, and works with a number of activist organizations in India and the United States.

E-mail: gapyearcollege@gmail.com

Venue: SIDH campus, Kempty, (15 kms ahead of Mussoorie)

The workshop fee (including boarding and lodging, workshop materials, and scheduled riverside wilderness outing) for this five-day workshop will be Rs 4000 per participant. For registration please contact Vinish/Karuna with your name, email, phone, address at gapyearcollege@gmail.com and 0135-6455203 , 09927784102. There are limited seats for the workshop, so please register as early as possible. A few need-based scholarships / partial waivers may be available.

[Registration for this workshop is now closed]

Gap Year College

Workshop Registration Form

Your Words, Your Story, 11 – 15 October, 2008 (5 days)

Full Name of Participant:

Registration Fee: Rs.500

Mode of Payment: Cheque / Demand Draft/Electronic Remittance*:

(The Cheque/Draft must be payable at Dehradun/Mussoorie to “Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas”)

Details of Cheque / Demand Draft/ Electronic Remittance:

(Name and Branch of the Bank, & Cheque or Demand Draft Number)

Phone:

Full Postal Address:

Email ID:

College/Institution/Organisation/Company:

Please mention any food/dietary restrictions:

How did you find out about this workshop (please be specific):

Signature: Date:

NOTE: Please fill in this registration form and send to the following postal address, along with the cheque/draft of Rs.500 payable to “Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas” by registered/speed post. This registration amount is a non-refundable advance. It will be deducted from the total fee of the workshop.

Gap Year College

SIDH

Hazelwood Cottage

Landour Cantt.

Mussoorie 248179

Uttarakhand, India

* The fee may be remitted electronically to the ICICI bank account of “Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas”, Account Number: 016401015817, ICICI Bank, Dehradun Branch, NCR Plaza, 24, New Cantt. Road, Dehradun-248001. Please email us details of the remittance immediately at gapyearcollege@gmail.com

Information Sheet for Workshop Participants

for the Your Words, Your Story workshop, 11th to 15th October, 2008.

Essentials to Carry:

1. Toiletries and towel

2. Lip Balm (it can get dry here, so it is advisable to bring some Vaseline/lip balm along)

3. Own regular medication (if any)

4. Torch

5. Clothing – it is cold here towards the end of October, and more so if there is a sudden spell of rain. So please carry warm clothing: a sweater or two, a jacket / shawl, warm socks, and a cap. (Quilts and blankets will be provided here with the bedding of course…).

6. Umbrella / Raincoat – Rain is pretty unpredictable here so it is best to be well prepared for it.

7. One pair of slippers

8. Water bottle (you might require it while traveling)

9. Notebook and pen/pencil (would be required for the workshop).

10. A small bag/handbag to avoid bringing plastic bags on campus when making purchases

etc.

11. A rucksack/bagpack is ideal (suitcases, even ones with wheels, are sometimes unwieldy in mountainous terrain). Best to travel as light as possible.

12. Mosquito repellant cream (optional)

Some Information

1. SIDH/Coordinators will have a First Aid Kit, although it is advisable to get your personal medicinal requirements.

2. SIDH campus serves only vegetarian food.

3. The campus is a no-smoking zone.

4. We are trying to make the campus a plastic-free zone. Please help us by not bringing

inessential plastic carry bags, wrapped material etc.

5. No Internet access is available on campus for workshop participants.

7. The workshop will commence on the morning of the 11^th October(Saturday) at about 11 a.m. and will close after lunch on the 15^th October (Wednesday); the last day is likely to be an organised riverside wilderness trip/picnic. So it is best to arrive by the evening of the 10^th or early morning of 11^th , and plan to leave after lunch on the 15^th October or later.

In case of any emergency, please call: (while dialing from within India)

SIDH: 0135-6455021,

Karuna: 0 – 9837937723

Vinish: 0 – 9927784102, 0135-6455203

Please note that on SIDH campus, there is very low mobile signal for some cellular networks.

There is relatively good coverage for IDEA, BSNL and Tata network.

Contact details:

SIDH campus

Bodhigram

Kempty Village

Jaunpur District, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand

Email: gapyearcollege@gmail.com

Website: sidhsri.com and gapyearcollege.org

Map of how to reach SIDH from Dehradun:

http://gapyearcollege.org/pix/mussoorie_map.gif

INFORMATION ON HOW TO REACH SIDH

Delhi to Dehradun

Train information from Delhi to Dehradun:
Dehradun is the last station where trains arrive before one starts climbing up into the mountains.

There are four trains from Delhi to reach Dehradun, which are recommended:

1. MUSSOORIE EXPRESS (Train No: 4041): Leaving Old Delhi Railway Station at around 9.30 PM (please confirm this again, as the schedule keeps changing) and reaching Dehradun at about 8 the next morning. This train has (non AC) sleeper coaches as well as all classes (III tier, II tier and 1st Class) of AC coaches. The same train is also good for going back. Leaves Dehradun at 9.15 PM to reach Old Delhi Railway Station at about 7.30 in the morning the next day.

2. SHATABDI EXPRESS(Train No: 2017): Leaves New Delhi Railway Station (Ajmeri Gate side of the station) at 6.55 in the morning (please confirm current schedule) and reaches Dehradun Railway Station at 12.45 p.m. The same train leaves Dehradun at 5.00 in the evening to reach New Delhi at 10.45 PM. It has ordinary AC and Executive class coaches. Both are chair cars and both are AC.

3. JAN SHATABDI (Train No: 2055): This train leaves New Delhi Station at 3.25 in the afternoon to reach Dehradun at 9.10 at night. On return journey it leaves Dehradun at 5 in the morning to reach New Delhi at 11 AM. It is not advisable to take this train while coming to Kempty or returning to Delhi from Kempty, as travelling at night to Kempty or leaving early morning from Kempty is difficult with minimal transport available.

4. NIZAMMUDIN DEHRADUN SPECIAL (Train No: 2017A): From Hazrat Nizammudin leaving Nizamuddin at 11.30 at night reaching Dehradun early morning at 5.45 am. This train has only AC compartments ranging from 3-tier to first AC. If you take this train, on reaching Dehradun Railway Station you can rush to the Mussoorie Bus Stand (located right next to Dehradun Railway Station) to catch a direct bus to Kempty (leaves at 6 or 6.30 am depending on the number of passengers. Ask someone at bus stand to direct you to the right bus).

Bus information from Delhi to Dehradun:
There are other good options to come to Dehradun from Delhi. There are buses every half an hour or so from ISBT (Kashmere Gate). Deluxe buses leave from 6 am or so till 11.30 pm from ISBT. Though there are very few deluxe buses running the afternoon. State transport buses leave every half hour, practically all day long. The night buses take about 6 hours to reach Dehradun. The buses that leave during the day usually take a little longer. Volvo buses are fewer and leave either early morning or at night.
Bus prices range from 170 to 350 Rs depending on the kind of bus you take.
Delhi ISBT number for Uttaranchal buses: 011-23868951

For return journey from Dehradun to Delhi you can catch a bus from the Old ISBT Stand (within Dehradun) or from the
New ISBT Stand (in Majra, outskirts of Dehradun). There are buses running all day but buses are more frequent in the
early morning and night hours.

Dehradun to Kempty

Travel options from Dehradun to Mussoorie or Kempty:
If you arrive by bus, the bus will drop you off at the New ISBT Bus Stand of Dehradun. This is located in Majra (outskirts of Dehradun). From here, you can either get a bus for Mussoorie or you can take an auto rickshaw (Rs 60-70 approximately) or a blue-coloured three-wheeled ‘vikram’ (shared auto, Rs 5 per passenger approximately) till the Mussoorie Bus Stand in Dehradun (next to the Railway Station). You can also check with the bus driver when you arrive in Dehradun, if the bus can drop you near the Railway Station.

If you arrive by train then: Right next to the Dehradun Railway Station is the Mussoorie Bus Stand and Taxi Stand. From there one can take a bus or taxi (individual or shared) or jeep (shared) to Mussoorie. Some taxi drivers might be willing to take you directly till SIDH campus (Kempty) as well. The usual taxi fare for a full taxi from Dehradun Railway station to SIDH campus is Rs.800-900.

Ensure that you take the transport to the Library Side (also called Gandhi Chowk) of Mussoorie and NOT the ‘Picture Palace’ side. Once you reach the Library side of Mussoorie, take a bus or individual taxi or shared jeep to Kempty village (2 km. before Kempty Falls). If you are taking the bus, get off at Kempty village [You can ask the conductor to let you know as and when the stop for Kempty village comes] and ask anyone where SIDH school campus¹ (Bodhshala/Bodhigram Malla) is and walk till there. It’s a short walk (10-15 minutes).
In case you need to go to the new campus/Learning Resource Centre (LRC) then, from the Bodhshala campus, one of the SIDH members will direct you to the Learning Resource Center (Bodhigram Talla – 1 km down hill walk). That would be the easiest and fastest way to get till the new campus if you are on foot.

If you are taking a taxi till SIDH campus, they will be able to drop you till the school itself or the LRC. Just ensure that when you reach Kempty village, you look out for boards to guide you to the SIDH LRC/Bodhshala. If you are going to the Bodhshala campus, take that road up which is a slightly narrow road, hence only taxis or mini buses can go up that road. If you are going to the LRC campus, go straight on the main road and follow the road signs for LRC (which is at least 2 kms from the Kempty market and takes approximately 10-15 minutes to reach from the market). There is a toll barrier that you will cross at Kempty, just let the person know that you are coming to SIDH and you don’t need to pay the toll.

Alternatively, there is also a direct bus to Kempty from Dehradun. The bus leaves from Mussoorie Bus Stand located next to the Dehradun train station. There are very few direct buses. One bus leaves at 5.30 am from the Bus Stand. There might be one or two more after that around 7-7:30 am most probably.

Important:
If you reach Dehradun at night after 8 pm it is unlikely that you’ll find a bus. In that case you will have to take a taxi or stay the night in Dehradun. Please consult with SIDH coordinators before planning your trip especially if you will be arriving late at night in Dehradun.

Distance and Traveling Time:
Mussoorie is 33 kms from Dehradun, and it takes between 1-1.5 hours to reach from Dehradun to Mussoorie. Kempty is 12 kms from Mussoorie, and it takes around half an hour to cover that distance.

Cost of Travel from Dehradun to Kempty:
The cost of a bus from Dehradun to Mussoorie is Rs 30 approximately. The cost of a bus from Dehradun to Kempty is Rs 50 approximately. The cost of a shared jeep from Dehradun to Mussoorie is Rs 60/person and the cost of a shared jeep from Mussoorie to Kempty is Rs 25/person approximately. The cost of a taxi from Dehradun to Mussoorie is between Rs 400-500 approximately. The cost of a taxi from Mussoorie to Kempty is between Rs 300-400. The cost of a taxi from Dehradun to Kempty is anywhere between Rs 800-Rs 1000. Bargain for a good price with the taxi driver.

Mobile Connectivity:
On SIDH’s campus, there is low signal for Airtel/Hutch/IDEA/Reliance. There is relatively good coverage for BSNL network. Hence, it is best to call on the office landline first and then try one of our mobile numbers.

Contact details:
SIDH
Bodhigram Talla
Kempty Village
Jaunpur District
Phone: 01376-213060 (Office), 0135-6455203 (Vinish's wireless), 0-9411144021(Vinish’s mobile), 0-9756931811 (Mridu’s mobile)

SIDH
Bodhshala
Bodhigram Malla
Kempty Village
Jaunpur District, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand
Phone: 01376-224203 (Office), 01376-224404 (Jitendra’s Residence), 0-9412915002 (Jagmohan’s mobile)

Email: gapyearcollege@gmail.com

Map of how to reach SIDH from Dehradun: http://gapyearcollege.org/pix/mussoorie_map.gif

¹ SIDH has two campuses. Bodhigram Malla (upper campus), where we have the school and Bodhigram Talla (lower campus) where we have the workshops and our main office. Both the campuses are only a kilometer apart. The upper campus is closer to the Kempty village market, so please reach the upper campus.