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”
.
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.
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