Introducing: My Yoga Teacher

Not only does he come to my house every morning, not only does he not charge me a dime, not only does he have faith that I can learn the art of yoga and meditation, BUT he also wants to make our classes longer to ensure that he has ample time to teach me all of his wisdom.

On Monday, I began my yoga training.  My auntie from next door joins us for stretching and then my guru (pictured above) guides me through poses and meditation in gujarati-english (not one or the other but a wonderful mix of both).

i love india.

An A'bad Resident

On this blog, I have described the open air theatre that houses most of the arts in A'bad (and also where we have our film festivals) and now i encourage you to watch the TedTalk featuring the incredible woman that owns the space. Malika has a powerful presence on screen and in this city and after viewing this talk you will know why





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D.I.Y

How to write a screenplay- a class given by Aparna Malladi at the "I AM THE CHANGE" conference held this week at IIM-Ahmedabad.

·      For every finished minute there should be one written page (120 minutes is a standard film, thus 120 pages to a screenplay)

o   1^st Act- The Set Up – 30 minutes

o   2^nd Act – Adventure – 60 minutes

o   3^rd Act- Resolution – 30 minutes

These can be shortened but the ration should always remain 1:2:1

·      

to To create a great screenplay these ingredients must be thrown together

o   a protagonist

§   your hero

o   antagonist

§  battle/challenge/contrast the protagonist

o   a dynamic supporting character

§  supports the protagonist

§  can be a group of friends or a single actor

o   2^nd act adventure

§  what is the action of the film

§  what does the protagonist do to get the McGaffin

§  McGaffin

·      A physical, tangible object that the protagonist is after

·      A term coined by Alfred Hitchcock

o   Genre

§  Describes the entertainment impact of the film

§  You should pick your genre before you start writing your screenplay

§  Ex: action, thriller, horror, romance, mystery, suspense, crime, comedy, drama, fantasy, etc

o   Premise Line (Log Line)

§  A one liner about your movie

§  When ___ then___ until ____

§  The beginning and end are still ambiguous but the idea is conveyed

·      Once the screenplay is written- divide your 120 pages into 10 parts and find 10 friends to read 12 pages each.  From this reading each friend should be able to identify what ingredients were used.

·      3+6+3 = the perfect formula

1.     First Act- the viewer is introduced to the protagonist

a.     Show the major flaw or misbehavior of the protagonist (10 pages)

b.     Introduce the powerful, mighty antagonist (10 pages)

c.      Start the film with a trigger that is very obvious- the protagonist takes a stand on an issue (10 pages)

d.     A and B are the source of the “AH! HA!” Feeling (the entertainment factor)

2.     Second Act- the adventure begins

a.     1^st failure

                                                                 i.     the antagonist sets up a failure for the protagonist

b.     2^nd failure

                                                                 i.     the protagonist doubles efforts, yet fails again

c.      mid point

                                                                 i.     the movie rotates on its axis

                                                                ii.     this is when the wonderful Indian intermission occurs

d.     strategizing

                                                                 i.     the climax

                                                                ii.     the protagonist puts life on the line

                                                              iii.     the viewer understands how many resources everyone (friends of the protagonist pitch in to help) in the film has- everything is revealed and pooled together

                                                              iv.     this could be the shot in an action flick where all the guns and weapons are pooled together

                                                                v.     this is the most expensive shot and a director can base the budget around this scene

e.     3^rd failure

                                                                 i.     even after pooling everything together the protagonist is still not victorious

f.      low point

                                                                 i.     this can be one shot or 10 pages long

                                                                ii.     the protagonist is seen alone- vulnerable

3.     Third Act- the resolution unravels

a.     Zen Moment

                                                                 i.     The protagonist is all alone and comes to the solution (Ah! HA! Moment)

                                                                ii.     The old tricks have failed and now the protagonist understands that the simple solution will work

b.     Battle Scene

                                                                 i.     The protagonist attempts to kill the villain

                                                                ii.     Bravery, triumph

c.      Wedding Scene/ Funeral Scnee/ Walking into the Sunset

                                                                 i.     The first step towards a new beginning

4.     The End!

·      65 – 70 scenes = 1 screenplay

·      when the location shifts your scene changes

·      write simply, but each scene should:

o   Fade in

o   Slug line introduces each line

§  Location

§  Time of day

o   Action that is basic and describes what is happening

§  Ex: girl and boy bump into one another

o   Dialogue

o   The subtext is given- emotion is outlined

§  Boy glances back at the girl but girl does not notice

§  We know that he boy likes the girl but the girl in the film has no idea

o   Fade out

the best screenplays are the ones that:

a.     tell the story of you before an AH HA moment, how you came to it, and the wonderful life you lead because of it

b.     help you work through the things you need to change in your own life.  Decide something you want to work through in yourself and begin to write.  By the time you come to the 3^rd act you should be rid of the antagonist within you.

now you have the recipe and all the tips you need- so, you know, just do it.

Back to the U.S.A

 Its 2 am and I cant pretend to sleep any longer.  The sound of dogs roaming the streets pours into my room and hijacks any hope of sound sleep.  Lately, the thought of me standing at JFK airport on January 27^th with no jacket, flip flops, and the 20 cent hat I gleefully purchased on the street a few days back has been parading through my mind each night.  I am just warming up to the oddities of India and now I have to fly back to the cold of America. 

Late November, early December word of mouth start scattering news of Visa regulation changes.  While having dinner, a Peruvian girl I befriended shared that her three American roommates heard from a friend in Delhi that anyone on 5 or 10 year Tourist Visas will have to leave the country for a year after being here for six months.  The American girls got around it by crossing the border by foot via Nepal, but the sheer thought of that makes me cringe.  The Peruvian girl abandoned India all together and is now living in Pakistan.  My American friend in Delhi had to fly back to fix her visa and was awarded a six-month tourist visa as a conciliation prize.  Now, at the end of this month its my turn to play the game.  There is one more stipulation which was added some time in December 09- if you are on a 5 or 10 year Tourist Visa then after 3 months you have to wait 2 months to re-enter.  

So, I am coming back state side the day before my 3-month anniversary in hopes of avoiding such complications and with the intent of acquiring the coveted Entry Visa.  (The visa I initially applied for through the Chicago consulate and was denied.  The visa that all other World Partner Fellows have tucked away in their passports.  The visa that most tourists/volunteers/expats don’t know about but also happens to be the most flexible.) 

No one knows what will happen (1. I get my visa changed to Entry and fly back 2. They reject my application and I go back for another 3 months and try again 3. They say I cant re-enter for 2 months 4. I am sure some official will create yet another option by the time I make it into the embassy) because it ultimately depends on the kindness of the person stamping my passport in the airport and the individual reviewing my application in New York.

The news has covered the visa changes a little bit but Tiger Woods still wins this fight.  His many mistresses and infidelity is apparently more shocking than the sudden fluctuations in visa regulations.  But in all seriousness this change is a result of India’s commitment to fighting terrorism.  Since one of the culprits of the Mumbai attacks was flying back and forth on a 5-year tourist visa issued by the wonderful folks in Chicago- all of us that share his visa have to go.  An Indian official twittered his reaction to this change shortly after the decision was announced: “ “

News channels are now airing his twit as breaking news and hinting at resignation.  What I understand from the sparse Times of India coverage and the one English news channel is that the general feeling is that to critique the government one cannot be a civil servant.  After watching this petty war of words play out, the conundrum of how to reform government has begun to unravel- not from within, but maybe through twitter?

3 days in NY. 5 days in Omaha.  3 days in Chicago. And many hours spent in the air.  I don’t think I can recycle enough in one lifetime to make up for the environmental damage this journey is going to cause. 

I have no doubt that I will be happy to return, but I am thrilled I get to spend a few days in familiar surroundings.  I am glad I can Google things to do in each of the three cities, I am glad I can machine wash my clothes, I am happy to not have to soak my vegetables in 2 baths (one is water + lemon then the veggies are transfered into a bath of water + salt) to cleanse them of pesticides, and I am so excited to drink a glass of wine, a cup of coffee, and a mug of hot cocoa.  I am looking forward to sharing stories of my life here with people that have shared years of my life there.  Ultimately, this is the perfect time to go.  I have just started understanding the importance of my NGO and what I can do to further their mission.  Taking time away to discuss this work and answer everyone’s’ questions will help me clarify my own questions, or shape new ones, that will help structure some of my work here. 

Today we have a big meeting to rewrite our mission/vision/about us, on Tuesday we are going to an all day conference looking at media as a source of social change, on Wednesday we finalize our new website, on Thursday is the international kite fest and the rest of the week is given to enjoying the mayhem of the city when it is flooded with international teams of professional kite flyers (stay tuned to hear more about this one).  Then we have to launch our new site that will serve as a “youtube” of community media, write a book about the lives of all the people we work with and for, write a book about the impact this work has had on the communities we work with, hold a training of video and radio trainers, create a new brochure, figure out sustainable funding, launch a radio station, create more partnerships with more NGOs, etc, etc, etc…get the point? There is no shortage of work so I will be back.  I am committed to learning from this process and from the incredible people I have the privilege of working with.  

watch this- please

1 plug cookin

quick update:  i made pancakes!

I mixed some filtered water, an egg, wheat flour, a dash of baking powder, and some oats together.  Then, because i am a super cook, I threw in a banana as well as a little honey.  I wiped down my sandwich maker with some oil and grilled my breakfast to perfection.  My auntie made me some homemade curd and I decorated the whole feast with pomegranate seeds.

who said you need a stove or fridge for a kitchen!

Koba Village- Work Conference

I have been away for a week. When I finally made my return to…well…home the suitcases of my temporary roommates’ clothing and knickknacks were packed up and the silence of solitude engulfed my nearly vacant apartment. So I once again have a space that is exclusively mine. This past week I shared a home with 80 others from all over India. A mix of both young(er) and old(er) with different backgrounds, languages, challenges, and outlooks- some called the slums of Mumbai home, others were sex workers, some belonged to tribal communities, while others had spent years in jail. These are all parts of their lives I am familiar with because their nametags list the NGOs they work with, but would otherwise never be able to decipher who is who. The smiles and laughter that rang through Kuba village this week will stay with me, even as I sit alone in a quite Ahmadabad apartment.

This was a yearly meeting of all the NGO participants, trained by Drishti, involved in creating community media- video and radio programming which addresses local needs and concerns. The purpose of this meeting was to give them a space to explore their creativity and to find a sense of identity through art and movement. Therefore the first two days were devoted to molding clay into shapes and structures- and then painting them. The last two days consisted of intensive theater exercise to challenge the use of our bodies and expressions. For many of the participants, they had never been given the opportunity and environment to explore art. I am sure some of them come from villages that produce crafts- but that too becomes a source of income- a chore. We gave them a space to express themselves -to explore what they can create. The objective of the 4-day conference was to challenge them to think far far outside the box upon their return by introducing them to different mediums of art.

Now. My limited Hindi and me. In a village. With 550 local villagers and 80 participants. From a pool of approx. 630 people about 20 could understand me (I think I am being VERY generous…).

I had some of the best moments and some of the hardest this week. It is difficult to come into another culture and language, but it is even more difficult to begin a new job. I want to feel like an equal, I want to contribute my ideas and skills- but I am limited by language. The meetings are all conducted in Hindi and I eagerly observe attempting, desperately, to pick up on body language and facial expressions- occasionally catching a Hindi word I am familiar with or an English word that gets inserted between thoughts. I have always hated reading poetry in translation and now I hate living my life in translation. But, no use in dwelling, so I move along flipping the pages of my “teach yourself Hindi in one month” book hoping that by the time I make it to chapter three my trip to the fruit store will become less painful.

Language aside, my ability to contribute is limited by something I might throw into the ambiguous abyss of cultural differences. When I think of a work conference I don’t envision 10 men crammed together in a room smaller than my bedroom sleeping on thin mattresses with stained bed sheets. I didn’t assume that 40 women would share 3 bathrooms and split into 2 bedrooms hardly big enough for 10. But they did- gladly. The only thing that anyone complained about was the food. The participants are so used to eating the same thing three times a day that a change to their daily diet was not welcome. I helped coordinate a 2-hour morning trek that departed at 6 am and culminated in a sunrise near the river atop a mountain. Girls wore heeled shoes with socks. The boys created a human chain and pulled each trekker (36 total) up a steep section of the mountain rather than encourage them to walk a few feet to an accessible trail. (I made my way up the trail and sat for nearly an hour anticipating the end of the human chain).

Dare I use that last line as a metaphor for my time here? I do things differently. I look for the fastest way to get things accomplished. I am willing to trek a little further into unknown terrains. Further more, I value my personal space a bit too much, I want to eat unknown foods, and I would never pack a heel as my only shoe.