SOWMYA SRINIVASAN More than a professional Storyteller!

 During my recent visits to my younger daughter Sowmya`s home in Coimbatore, I found her busy doing crochet work whenever she has free time- which she has in plenty as both her daughter Uthara and son Keshav left home to pursue their higher education- Uthara doing her PhD in theoretical evolution in Germany and Keshav doing an integrated PhD in Ecology and Evolution at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Hyderabad. And her husband, Srinivasan (Retd. Group Captain, IAF), is busy visiting Chennai often on his consultancy assignments.

“I learnt to Crochet from my Athai (father's sister) when I was in my teens, spending a boring summer holiday in Mumbai with them! The bug bit me again during the 2020 pandemic, also for the same reasons of boredom! I renewed my craziness and obsession! Through my initial trials and tribulations, I made only circular crochet patterns, as I loved the designs. These patterns were done over the years 2021 - 24! Now I am trying different patterns!”(The attached photos indicate a few designs she has done in crocheting.)

I was impressed with how Sowmya keeps herself occupied. Apart from  maintaining a home, Crochet work, Sowmya also keeps herself busy with activities related to her role as a Professional Storyteller.

Right from her school days in Chennai, she showed an inclination to be a performing artist, while my elder daughter Kavitha is a Visual artist. She used to take part in school plays and also learnt Bharatanatyam along with her sister. We had the Arangetram of the duo in 1987. Though neither pursued their interest in dancing, the knowledge and experience gained came in handy in the careers they chose to pursue later.

 

 After acquiring a BSc degree from Madras University and MPhil in Psychology (HR) from Annamalai University, Sowmya did a Diploma course in  Special Education from the Spastic Society of India. She was  employed there until her marriage in 1998, when she moved to Bangalore, where her husband was stationed.

 

Sowmya says, “ It was while working in the Spastic Society of India, I realised the importance of storytelling in  communicating with the differently  abled Children”

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She decided to undergo training in Storytelling therapy from the World Storytelling Institute (Chennai) run by Eric Miller. This led to her taking up Professional storytelling as a vocation. By then, her two children had arrived, and she had given up teaching differently abled children.

 

Sowmya has been actively involved with  Professional Storytelling for over 15 years. She uses storytelling and creative techniques to develop imagination through a venture called SoulSpace Storytell.

 

Professional storytelling involves telling stories not only to children but also to adults. While many Professional storytellers have used their talent to monetise their talent, Sowmya, a compassionate girl that she is, decided to use her knowledge to help society. Being a student of  psychology, she has been able to use the knowledge to devise interesting programmes aimed at different target audiences

 

The healing storytelling called Soul Story Mandala is one such effort to engage adults deeply with stories for self-development and wellbeing. She is an associate at Muktha Foundation, Bangalore, an organisation working in the space of mental health and abuse prevention. Recently, she has come together with 3 storytellers from across India to form the Story Circle of Love that has a vision to spread stories for renewal and hope in the Community.

 

 She is one of the founder-members of Bangalore Storytelling Society, a not-for-profit community that promotes, nurtures and spreads awareness about the Art of Oral Storytelling. Interestingly, she was one of the five  members of the society to participate in a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his monthly `Manki Bath ` programmes.

 

Sowmya feels that there are no limits to gaining new knowledge. She has been regularly attending online courses on subjects related to her vocation.  She is a certified Mindfulness practitioner and Happiness coach.

 

She has facilitated training programmes and workshops for many educational institutes and designed the curriculum on Storytelling for some.

In December 2024, she was a Special invitee Storyteller at the Bursa Storytelling Festival, Turkey. In June 2025, her workshop on Storytelling & Wellbeing, called Story Mandala, was selected for the Sydney Storytelling Conference and received heartwarming reviews.

 

Among the several recognitions she has received are the Yuva Shakti award (2021) from Rotary Club Kria Shakthi (District 3232) and the Vocational Service award from Rotary Club Bangalore West and RC Spandana (2022).

 

She is a published author with two books to her credit. First is a children’s picture book on Pratham Storyweaver (When Crocodile Craved Chocolate and Chips), and the second is an anthology of poems called “Dragon of Hope and Other Poems from my life”.

 

In Coimbatore, in addition to pursuing varied interests as a professional storyteller, her current field of work includes curriculum development and learner-centric pedagogy for adults, and many other initiatives. She is also associated with the Coimbatore Book Club and the amateur stage in Coimbatore. Her performance in a short play staged by Coimbatore Arts and Theatre Society recently was well received by the audience.

 

I am proud of Sowmya and her achievements and how she has learnt to balance her family commitments with her other interests. She is fortunate to have a husband who has given her full freedom to do what she likes to do. I am also lucky that she is based in Coimbatore, one of the many reasons why I moved to Coimbatore to stay in Nana Nani.

 

Pray to God to bestow good health and lots of energy on Sowmya so that she continues to serve society in her own ways.

R.T.Chari- A philanthropist with a vision

 

R.TChari ( 86 ) is considered a crusader in the music and heritage circle of Chennai. He built TAG center, an auditorium on TTK Road in the heart of Chennai. not to make money. but to primarily conduct programmes of his choice and to derive great joy in throwing it open to friends and well-wishers as well? Always preceded by a sumptuous South Indian tiffin.

 

Chari is a hands-on philanthropist, who never believed in cheque book charity. He  has been sharing his wealth with the society, long before Corporate Social Responsibility became a buzz word in the corporate world!

 

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Chari was born in a middle class family of nine children at Mundakanni Amman Koil Street in the heart of Mylapore, His father, could only assure his children three square meals a day and decent education. Chari was mildly dyslexic as a student making his brothers tease him about it. This made him an angry young man who was determined to prove to the world what he was capable of

 

The family`s move to Tambaram where he joined a School run by Christian missionaries, became the first turning point in Chari`s life.. The headmaster of the school discovered that not only was Chari a good student but the tall young man was also good in sports.

 

“My success in sports and the recognition I got because of it changed the attitude of my family towards me.They stopped teasing me” Chari recounts.

 

* * * * *

 

Chari`s second  break in life came when he got the admission to the prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy, because of  a timely help provided by a distant relative who was the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu at that time,.After successfully completing his degree in Engineering,Chari joined Seshasayee Group as an Apprentice Engineer in 1961.

 

Chari’s reputation as an engineer who was also a super salesman brought him quick recognition in the company. By1972 he had become the  Chief Technical Commercial Manager.

 

Chari was married to Rangi, a multitalented girl from Bangalore, chosen by his parents, in 1971.Within two weeks of his starting his married life, fate again intervened to change the course of his life.

                                                        

Chari was selected by his company to attend a ‘Foundry Exhibition’ in West Germany and also explore a possible collaboration in Europe.During his trip Chari managed to strike a deal with an Italian company, leading maker of the particular product his  company wanted to produce. However, on his return to India, he found to his dismay that the Management, had decided to drop  their expansion plans.

 

Not one to accept defeat, when Chari requested the management to allow him to try his luck with the new project, they agreed. They allowed him to continue as a Commercial Manager with the company until he proved himself in his business. Chari could have his cake and eat it too! This turned out to be the ultimate break in his life

 

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Along with his brother Gopal who had also come out successfully as an Engineer from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chari launched TAG Corporation with its factory located in Chrompet.

 

TAG Corporation had developed an import substitute item for 4R Dampers, with half the weight and price, which were in great demand by all the Electricity Boards in the country. Chari became the uncrowned king in the manufacture of 4R Dampers, By now he had also cut his umbilical cord with Seshasayee group.

 

Chari started seeing big money and instead of just hoarding the money, he decided,  at the  young age of 40, to share his prosperity with  society. From being a successful businessman, Chari was on the road to becoming a generous philanthropist.

 

For Chari, ‘charity began at home”. He decided to persuade, cajole and  if necessary help every one of his siblings to acquire a house of their own.

 

At this stage Chari also realized the immense joy he was getting by the act of giving and sharing. He  started supporting  deserving health related projects in Chennai.

 

While Chari was continuing with his generosity, an incident in his personal life completely changed the direction of his philanthropic activities.

 

Sharing wealth with music

In his college days Chari was fond of hearing only Tamil, Hindi and English film songs .He would get peeved when he was not allowed to listen to his favourite `Binaca Geethmala` programme, as his brothers used to listen to Carnatic music on the only radio available in the house. This resulted in his developing an aversion towards  Carnatic music.

 

One evening when he was hosting a dinner for some of his family members, he found that the entire conversation was revolving around Carnatic music. He felt terribly left out. Looking at his displeasure his brothers-in-law  challenged  him to listen to 500 hours of Carnatic music to realise its magic. Chari accepted the challenge.

 

He started listening to the tapes of famous Vidwans for a couple of hours every night. His brothers-in-law was proved right. Chari was hooked to Carnatic music in a big way. Soon he became a donor member of Music Academy, attending concerts regularly. Chari realized that Carnatic music was not only giving him great joy but also helped him to become a calmer and a focused person.

 

Just as he had decided to share his wealth with the deserving in the society, he also decided to share the joy of listening to Carnatic music with his close friends and relatives.

 

His first initiative in this direction was to hold Chamber music at his remodeled flat in Poes Garden. For 10 years, Chari organized nearly 50 chamber concerts lasting for about 150 minutes each, always followed by a sumptuous dinner for all the invitees.

 

 

* * * * *

This abiding interest in Carnatic music led Chari to collect more than 6000 hours of carnatic music. Chari realized the need for chronicling and preserving the treasure trove of music he had collected for posterity.

 

The idea for a Digital Listening Library was born. Chari persuaded the Music Academy in which he was already an executive committee member to house the proposed TAG Music Academy Digital Listening Archives which was launched at the Music Academy on 13^th December 2008.

 

Chari says, “The user can in 10 seconds listen to a song of his choice, categorized under a raga,  name of the song, singer or composer”

 

Chari  sponsored  similar archives in Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Pallakad, apart from the one in Madras University`s Music Department besides Singapore and  Sri Lanka.

 

Chari decided to also  extend his help in archiving Indian classical dance. The TAG Viewing Gallery was launched at the Music Academy adding one more dimension to the Academy`s efforts in promoting classical music and dance.

 

His passion for music and how it should be received by the audience extended beyond TAG Centre, which he owns. TAG Corporation has already sponsored state-of-the-art auditoriums in many schools and colleges in Chennai. He constructed the Super Tech 400 seater auditorium at the Guindy Engineering College, his alma mater, which he considers as one of his best contribution

The next big project that Chari launched in February 2002 was the TAG South India Heritage Programme. Held on the last Sunday of every month, these lectures focused on specific aspects of South Indian Heritage, by eminent speakers 

 

Under the auspices of South India Heritage programme, in the last 25 years  he has arranged over 650  lectures, lec-dems, music concerts, plays, religious  discourses, Tamil book reviews  and many more.. Both Tag Centre and the South India Heritage Programme have become synonymous with cultural excellence. The South India Heritage Programme also recognized exceptional music talent with the Ramabadhran Centenary Music Award, instituted in 2004, named after his father and  outstanding performances in Heritage promotion by young achievers were recognized through the Vedavalli Memorial Heritage Award, named after his mother.

 

Chari  has also published a 600 page book titled `South India heritage-an Introduction` which has contributions from 40 eminent scholars. This book is given free to any one going abroad for further studies.

 

Among the recognitions he has got is the S Rajam Award of Excellence for his exemplary work in preserving and promoting fine arts, performing arts and cultural heritage of South India by Sunanda Trust,. On the professional front Chari has been a recipient of the Udyog Patra Award from Government of India. The other recognitions include the Best Alumni Award from Guindy Engineering College.

 

Chari credits his  wife for playing  a big role in bringing up his  children with right values, while he  was very busy with his  business and other activities. He  also would like to recognize the role of his  brother Gopal who was a pillar of strength to him in his business.

 

Chari`s sons have now taken over the day to day running of his highly successful business  Age and health issues have slowed down Chari’s saga of service to society in the area of health, education, music and heritage and other social causes. But he continues to have a monthly get together of chosen friends, all in the age group of 70 plus, on the last Sunday of every month at Tag Centre, where he arranges a programme which entertains  and educates them. Always preceded by a sumptuous breakfast  of South Indian delicacies! A visionary with an indomitable spirit, indeed!

 

 

 

 

Some tips for writing your memoirs & getting it Self Published

 It was my autobiography, `Courage My Companion`, published in 2009 when I was 67, that launched my new avatar as a writer/author. After I wrote a few chapters,  I had an opportunity to listen to  Mr S.Muthiah, a well known journalist, give a talk at a Madras Book Club meeting on the topic `Biography as History`- He talked about Biography as a social history- providing insights into life, happenings, values and mores of a city or a community or a profession at a certain point of time`. His talk gave my writing focus. It was Mr.Muthiah who discovered a writer in me after reading my autobiography and encouraged me to write articles on various topics. He also helped me in getting them published in the magazines that he was associated with as Editor. With his guidance, I evolved as an engaging writer who could win the hearts of his readers. I have published 13 books in 15 years, covering eight genres of writing. I thought I would share some tips about writing your memoirs or autobiography post-retirement or even earlier.

 

 I can hear you saying ` Oh, I am no good at writing`, ` My English is no good`, ` I have not maintained any diary or notes`.`I am not a famous person.` etc

 

Here I would like to share a quote from the autobiography of Sanjay Manjrekar, the cricket commentator and erstwhile member of the Indian Cricket team. In the Preface to his autobiography titled` Imperfect`, he says, “I feel we have an obligation to the next generation to chronicle our lives. Every individual lives a uniquely different life. He does not need to be famous to share his life experiences- Life stories are always interesting”.

 

As long as you have memories of your past, you can easily share your experiences by penning them on paper or typing them on your PC or laptop. Going down memory lane is always a fascinating experience.  What do we do when we meet old friends from school or college days? Don't we have great fun talking about old times? The same thing happens when you are writing your memoirs. Even if you have not maintained any diary or notes , don`t worry.

 

I started writing my autobiography the day after I retired as the CMD of my own advertising agency at the age of 65- without any diary, notes or records - purely depending on my memory. Though I generally suffer from poor memory I found that every time I sat down to write, the events and characters would float in front of me like a film. Going down memory lane was not only fun but it was also a stress buster and therapeutic for me.

 

Here are some  approaches to writing your memoirs

 

1.The most popular is a linear narrative of your life- starting from your birth to the current in a sequential manner combining both personal and your professional lives.  While recording personal life go into your family history- go back by a couple of generations if you have the information.

 

2. Record only your personal life or professional life.

         

 3.The third approach is to  record interesting anecdotes from different periods of your life. You can always sequence them later. Anecdotes  make  a memoir interesting. Recall as many interesting anecdotes you can remember.

4.Write your memoirs in the language you are comfortable with. English or Tamil or any language you feel proficient

5.     Write regularly- Devote sometime every day or every week  for writing. Don`t worry about being perfect in  English or in the chosen language.  Just record your thoughts as they are flowing in your mind. You can always get your writings corrected by a friend or an expert in the language that you are writing.

6.     While you are writing, you can share drafts with some  near and dear ones for their comments, which can help in improving the content.

7.     If you are writing In English you can download an app called ~Grammarly` and run through your drafts using the app to correct the mistakes you have made. It not only helps in correcting grammatical and other mistakes but also helps by providing alternative ideas for expressing your thoughts.

                                

                                                Self Publishing

Having  got  the manuscript of your memoirs ready , the next stage is to get it published. Getting your  book published through a publisher is a  very difficult proposition. No publisher is interested in the story of a common man.

 

If you have the resources go for self publishing Thanks to self-publishing and print-on-demand facilities today every other writer is able to become a published author. Nowadays, Self publishing  is an accepted norm in the world of writers/authors. It is also an ideal solution for those who want to see their writings in book form.

 

Today Digital printing offers you the facility of print on demand which allows you to print limited copies at a time. You can print anywhere from 5 copies to 200 copies or more.  If  you don't  want to sell the copies, decide on the number of people you want to give the book for free and decide on the quantity. 

 

Approximate costing – 100  pages- 100 copies  can roughly cost you about Rs12,000 to Rs 15,000 depending on the size of the book  which will have the cover page printed in colour and the rest of the inside pages in black and white. There are printers who specialize in this form of printing. I normally use the services of Compuprint based in Chennai.

If you are more ambitious  and feel  you can sell your books it is important to get  your book reviewed by  some celebrity friends  or a  couple of publications. Use the positive responses you get from readers to promote the book online. Promote the book shamelessly because while the Publishers help you initially, after sometime they lose interest  in your book.

Today social media ( email, facebook, twitter, Linked in etc) offers you wonderful opportunities to reach your message to a large audience virtually at no cost.

 

If you are selling the book, Ensure that your books are available through online- Amazon.in, flipkart etc.

 

There is one more alternative. With the increasing tendency of youngsters to read books online, Instead of printing the book you can share the book in its final form as a PDF file. You save a considerable amount incurred in printing books in physical format. However, there is a great joy in holding the first copy of your books in print form- almost akin to holding a new born baby. I would recommend printing at least 50 copies of the book, in physical form.

 

Remember age is no barrier for writing a memoir, novel, collection of poems, short stories or essays. Above all, once you are determined to be a writer/author pursue the dream relentlessly.  You will succeed.

With the experience of publishing 13 books in 15 years covering eight genres of writing I have motivated 20 friends to self publish their books.  I will be happy to offer my services, pro bono, to anyone needing advice on self publishing their books. My email id: rvrajan42@gmail.com

 

 

Useful tips for choosing a Senior Citizen Home

 Based on my talks with residents of many senior citizen homes and also my own experience of staying in one of them for the last 20 months, I would like to make the following observations for the benefit of those who are planning to move into Senior Citizen Homes (SCHs).

 Judging by  the good times that many of the residents  are having, I would say it is an option worth considering by people who have reached the end of their useful lives and who are financially independent, to spend their twilight years in peace and contentment

 It is no more a stigma on the children if their parents voluntarily choose to stay in senior citizen homes which provide them the necessary security, independence, comfort and the company of new friends with similar backgrounds. With the joint family system vanishing, replaced by nuclear families with space and other constraints, children also can look at well run SCHs to  keep their parents happy. SCHs are a big boon for children who are settled abroad and constantly worry about the safety and security of their  parents living alone in  cities.

 Once they have decided to move to a Senior Citizen Home (SCH) they should visit  a few SCHs and try to stay in their guest houses for a few days  or even rent out a flat for a short period,to get a feel of the place. They also must talk to some residents to find out what they think of the facilities on offer and their satisfaction level before they make up their mind. It might be a good idea to retain one`s own home for some time and sell it only when one is fully satisfied with the SCH.

 Many new SCHs offer five-star facilities and are expensive. It is important to choose a facility which satisfies one`s basic needs and is available at a reasonable cost. One`s choice of food & the city where one wants to settle down can also be determining factors in selecting the Home.

Most of the homes keep increasing their maintenance charges and meal charges from time to time because of escalating costs. Residents must be prepared to face this contingency. For those with fixed incomes, such Homes are not recommended.

 Food is  a major issue in the SCHs. One has to be mentally prepared to adjust one`s tastes to the menu on offer. Coimbatore, the most popular city for SCHs, where most of them offer only vegetarian meals and that too the South Indian variety. Though North Indian dishes may be offered on some days, do not expect them to be of the same quality that one is used to.

Availability of in-house medical facilities is also important. Though every Home promises such a facility check out if they if they are capable of providing immediate response from staff  on  duty offering First Aid and in case of an emergency, transport the affected residents to the nearby hospital in their own Ambulances.

 Better to go for Homes offered by well-known groups. They have the resources and commitment to run the facilities efficiently because their reputation is at stake. Homes started by individuals or private parties are generally not reliable.

 If you have children living in other cities, go for a two-bedroom facility so that there is a place for them to stay whenever they visit you. For those who can afford they can consider spacious Villas which many Homes offer

Many  Senior Citizen Homes help get full-time or part-time attenders for those who have mobility problems or those who are bedridden recuperating from a surgery, at an extra cost. There are Hospices like `Atulya Senior Care` , with  branchess in many cities, that take complete care of bedridden residents needing constant medical and other attention. Atulya is expensive. However, it is an ideal solution which can be considered by working couples who have old and infirm parents who need constant help and attention.

 If one wants to enjoy one`s stay in SCHs, it is important to be friendly with other residents. Remember that more than one`s own children it is the friends who make one`s life interesting in old age. Besides, if one is friendly with the able-bodied residents in the facility, they become one`s support group and caregivers in case of emergencies until the family members come and take over.

  I would like to conclude this article by quoting the words of a resident of a SCH,

”The two essential needs of every individual apart from roti, kapda and makhan are freedom and friendship. Both these crucial requirements for healthy and happy living are assured in the life of  elders in Senior Citizen Homes”