Schedule:

Round 4 from December 19th 2021 to January 9th 2022

If you need support / scholarship to participate please email at prayas@introspective.in

Writing always ought to be reflective. It ought to be a reflection of the writer and it ought to be a reflection of the reader. But it is also often a reflection of the times we live in. And a reflection of the concerns of the collective consciousness that floats around — the zeitgeist.

Before writing comes thought and before thought comes observation, How do you look at the world in a way that is truly your own?

Reflection and individuation are processes that occur together. But individuation and individualism do not go hand in hand. In fact the closer we are to ourselves, the more we can see ourselves in others and others in ourselves. Reflective writing is a way of understanding and unravelling the world around us. Creating literary value (whatever that is) and seeding genuine insight are not the same thing, Eventually one is the pursuit of refinement in aesthetics and the other is the pursuit of personal truth.

So is reflective writing a purely philosophical pursuit? Not really. It is also enquiry and it is also a creative act in some way. By creative, I mean creating new ways of looking at the world or creating new connections between existing perspectival points to create new sources of joy.

Every sliver of personal truth ends up feeling like the ultimate truth. But in reflective practice nothing is ultimate. Everything is an alternative.

Reflective writing cannot be placed in the marketplace of worldly value. It has value for the individual who practices it and that should be the only pursuit. To reflect means to look at the world through the prism of the internal image that forms with. The internal image is what we call imagination. To reflect means to interpret our imagination.

In this context, ‘Writing Your World’ is an effort to invite others to know your inside world by writing about it. You will write about your world in an expansive and inviting way, creating enough density and volume of text to not let anyone feel like a stranger anymore.

Contemplation is a deeper and more intense form of reflection. To contemplate is to consider the enmeshed set of inter-connections between everything. No action is necessary after contemplation. Contemplation is a recursive phenomenon. It only leads to more of itself.

Past participant feedback:

“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. It worked for me because it got me back into writing; broke my writer’s block. I also greatly benefitted from writing with others, which was a new and enjoyable activity. The format of the course allows for lot of room for writing freely without being judgemental. It helps build confidence in oneself and trust one’s personal style of writing. It provides courage to write with abandon. Prayas as a mentor knows exactly how to gently guide without being judgemental or assertive. I highly recommend the course to both aspiring as well as published writers as it has something for everyone.”

— Anitha Kainthla – Writer
participant in ‘Writing Your World (Round 1)’

“A comprehensive and enjoyable Writing course which includes all kinds of of different experiences in writing, and doing exercises. We all really enjoyed the interactive atmosphere between the tutor and taught, the impromptu writing sprung upon us and the no deadline to finish the incomplete assignments. The most important part was being able to express our writing freely.”

— Arundhati Khopkar – Writer
participant in ‘Writing Your World (Round 1)’

“Thank you for the course. I appreciate your passion and commitment. Some things helped me a lot, such as free writing, writing together in the session. Some of the assignments were helpful too, like reading and writing. Your feedback on the assignments I completed was apt.”

— Vidya Kulkarni – Writer
participant in ‘Writing Your World (Round 1)’

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Facilitated by Prayas Abhinav

Bio
Prayas Abhinav is a writer, teacher and entrepreneur. He has worked in the last few years on numerous pieces of speculative fiction, software, games, interactive installations, public interventions and curatorial projects.
He has written extensively on poetic thought as a form of lingual communication. He contributed to research and projects at northeastwestsouth (n.e.w.s) (Amsterdam, NL). He has conducted workshops at CEPT University (Ahmedabad), Dutch Art Institute (Arnhem, NL), MICA (Ahmedabad) and National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad & Bangalore). In the past he led the Centre for Experimental Media Arts (CEMA) at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. Across the last year and a half he drove the development of a volunteerism project at Ahmedabad University.

He has developed his research and practice with the support of fellowships by Sarai, Openspace, CEMA and TED. He has been in residencies at Khoj (India), Coded Cultures (Austria) and dis-locate (Japan). He has shared his work at festivals including Transmediale, 48c, Futuresonic, ISEA and Wintercamp.

Prayas Abhinav’s reflective writing pieces can be read here, here and here.

Address:
B2 Shree Krishna Apartments,
Behind LAD Society,
Nr Judges Bungalows,
Bodakdev,
Ahmedabad – 380054
GUJARAT
M: 9825406131