The moment we hear the word ‘Gift’, what image does it brings up in our mind? May be it reminds us of the gifts and presents we might have received or given on eventful occasions of our life – birthdays, anniversaries, weddings or festivals. But, Gift is a much more deeper philosophy, a lifestyle practice, sacred to many living traditions and communities across the world.
Inviting the Gift is a 2 day intense and experiential workshop – a coming together of all of us in pursuit of exploring, experiencing and experimenting with the idea of Gift culture. It will dive deeper into the possibilities of having a Gift Culture practicing communities in Indore and will also look at the possibilities of Shifting from consumption to contribution, Transaction to Trust, Isolation to Community, and Scarcity to Abundance.
What does the workshop offer?
· Experiments to shake us off our old beliefs of scarcity, consumption and mis-trust.
· A space to share our stories of kindness, compassion and gifting
· Stories from different world traditions and cultures practicing gift culture
· Participation in interesting Gift circles
· Stories of many initiatives based on the idea of Gift economy and practices
· Connecting with many other practitioners of gift culture in India.
· Lots of music, dance and fun time together.
About the workshop facilitators:
Rahul Hasija: Rahul Hasija currently works as a facilitator at an alternative learning space called Swaraj University (www.swarajuniversity.org). Part of his work is to create safe spaces for the learners to share, shift to self-designed learning, host sessions on Re-thinking development, Nature connect, Team-building, Cooperative games & dances, Reconnecting with the ancestral roots, and decoding beliefs. He has been practicing farming and gift culture in his efforts to live a simple and less consumption-oriented life. He has co-authored stories and plays on interconnected-ness and separation and have acted in them. He has translated and edited a book called ‘The Original Forest’ by Evelyn Sasamoto. He has also worked with Eternal Bhoomi, a quarterly magazine in Bangalore as a Sub-Editor and Layout artist. Read his blog at http://thefreedomwalker.wordpress.com/
Prarthana Sharma : Prarthana is Msc. Counselling Psychologist and is the Co-founder of Aatma Prakash. She has worked in past with Indian Institute of Management, Tata Institute of Social Science and Schools like Sathyasai and Poddar International. She has experience neurosis (Specifically alcohol addiction, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), Depression, Anxiety and Adjustmental Concerns). She is very passionate about research and practice within psychology and has deep interest in travel and spirituality.
Date and Timing: 1st and 2nd July (Saturday 4.00 -7.00 PM & Sunday 11.00- 2.00 PM)
Venue: Aatma Prakash – Mental Health Foundation
105-B, Vikram Urbane,Behind Sayaji, Near Girdhar Mahal, Indore, MP, India
Requested Contribution:
We are striving to imagine and create a space for being the gift – which means slowly cultivating inside us and around us a wholesome state of giving and receiving. As a part of this, we are hosting this workshop in the spirit of gifting. Keeping in mind the efforts of the team and the costs involved, contribute what you feel would help us support for our dream of making such gatherings available to all, even for those who cannot afford to pay. We trust that you hold the intention to care for yourself as well as nourish, to the best of your ability, those who bring this valuable gift to your life and thus to decide what you would like to contribute.
If you think this workshop is for you then please go ahead and register by writing us a mail at aatma.prakash2016@gmail.com or call us at 08239471347 / 09893959939
Remember, we live, breathe and float in a world full of gifts. We invite you to come and witness these gifts, within you and in the world around you, and experience the joy of being the gift. Let us also learn, dance and co-create the possibilities for these gifts to flow abundantly.