BE A SHERPA ON THIS JOURNEY OF EXCHANGE- LADAKH ,Aug 2010

[Shashank Goyal]

                                                                      BE A SHERPA ON THIS JOURNEY OF EXCHANGE

 

                                                                          T-SHIRT MOVEMENT IN LADAKH - August 2010

 

Hello all! :)

 

I’d like to introduce you to an exciting new initiative that I am working on - a series of T-shirt painting workshops in the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh between August 1st & 18th, 2010. I am doing these with 130 participants in three remote villages and two NGOs (PAGIR and SECMOL) in Ladakh.

 

These workshops are part of a larger initiative, T-Shirt Movement: Resilience through Art, that I’ve been working on for some time now. This initiative is an attempt to get children and young people to explore values like creativity, self-expression, beauty, humanity, peace, nature, and interconnectedness and then express these creatively through the medium of t-shirt painting. It helps children ask important questions about the critical issues that they see around them, while at the same time helping them learn to express themselves through art. And the best part is, these beautiful self-expressions in the form of their hand-painted T-shirts remain close to the children as they are worn by them! :)

 

The Ladakh workshops will enable these children to think differently, find creative value in themselves and will gift them an excellent opportunity to learn about new visual ways for seeing, thinking, feeling and sharing their deepest feelings.

 

This dream was born out my visit to Ladakh last year and from a desire to help children explore the relationship between heart, mind and art. Another motivation is to work with members of PAGIR (Peoples’ Action Group for Inclusion and Rights). PAGIR is an NGO for the differently abled where they make and sell useful products created out of waste material. These workshops could help them learn to conceptualize, create and sell meaningful hand-painted T-shirts which could also help supplement their income.

 

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU-

 

 

It’s a big idea and can happen only with your support and encouragement. For this, I have estimated that I will need to raise Rs.45000/- approximately to cover the following costs.

 

- cost of 130 T-shirts

- cost of paints, brushes and other art material

- cost of my transportation to and from Ladakh, within Ladakh for the workshops, and boarding and lodging for me during the period of the project (18 days).

 

At first glance, this might seem like a fairly large amount, but look at it this way - if 450 of you offer just Rs.100 each, this money can be raised very quickly.

For the price of a cup of coffee at Barista or a day at the movies, you can help a Ladakhi child have a wonderful learning experience… one they are not likely to receive very easily, given the remoteness of Ladakh.  

 

Rs.100 is just a recommended figure. For those seriously interested, please feel free to contribute any larger amount that you feel may be appropriate. Larger contributions from fewer individuals would simplify the logistics of raising money for this dream project. And for those unable to make contributions at this time, please know that your support and encouragement are of equal value to me.

 

VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

 

If any of you wishes to visit Ladakh and do it with a purpose, it could be an exciting opportunity for you. Since it is a not for profit project, you will have to bear your own travel and accommodation expenses for the duration of the project.

 

HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

 

You can either hand me the money in person or you can deposit it in my bank account. For the former option, I am available at People Tree near Regal Building, Connaught Place, Delhi between 11am - 7pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This is until the 20th of July. For those who would prefer the online mode, please contact me at tshirtm...@gmail.com or call me on +91 96507 87435 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +91 96507 87435      end_of_the_skype_highlighting and I would be happy to send details of my bank account across to you.

I will also be documenting the entire project on my Facebook page (please click here), starting with tracking contributions that come in.  

A BIT ABOUT ME

 

After completing my masters in Environmental Studies in 2007, I have worked in the research based field projects of ecology and conservation with NGOs like WWF and have done EIAs of large hydro-power projects in the Himalayas with a private consultancy.

Since early 2009, I have helped organize and conduct several T-shirt painting workshops with students from different schools, universities and institutions in association with Delhi based Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) and recently with People Tree, an organization that runs an alternative bookstore and sells unique and quirky design products.

 

As a return gift, I promise I will save some love, joy, letters, laughter, doodles and poetry by the kids and bring them for you to savor when I am back.

 

 

Let’s connect together like tiny dots reaching out to those kids in Ladakh.  :)

 

 

Peace and trees,

 

Pankhuri :)

 

 

 

 

 

--

Best,

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . .

- Shel Silverstein

--
Regards
Shashank Goyal