Ojasi Mehta Sharing her experience of comics workshop in Banswara

Ojasi Mehta ,a volunteer of PJI had a comics workshop in Banswara. This is her experience of this workshop in her own words.....

Who can tell what is truth and what futility ?

Who can tell which dream will turn into reality?

When I was attending the Capacity Building Workshop conducted by Pravah Jaipur Initiative in collaboration with other organizations in Jaipur , far in my mind, a dream was shaping that I will conduct a workshop in my hometown too. I learnt comics though I wanted to learn film-making first but I chose comics because I knew I can spread this art easily than film-making. And I am glad that I could do it. And I could do it only when first I thought – I can do it.

I had to face many challenges but as always I am so lucky and things turned into my favor. The workshop was organized by Bharat Vikas Parishad , Pravah Jaipur Initiative & World Comics India. I got so much help from Bharat Vikas Parishad and I represented other two organizations as a volunteer. My only biggest challenge was that I was alone as an instructor or trainer and I knew making Comics is a no joke. We elders could only do it in two days with the help of two elder trainers and I had so many small kids , all were below 8^th class but as they say , “jahaan chaah hai wahaan raah hai” I did my best. My one friend came ahead to help me . Nishita is pursuing BVA(visual arts) from ICG college, Jaipur. Fortunately , she had also attended a one day Workshop on Comics in her college so she was equally supporting me.

Other challenge was collecting kids and managing them . I wanted to conduct this workshop for the students above 8^th class but as usual at my end children are very shy & egoistic . They think they know everything and need not to learn anything new. Well , on the contrary , the small kids were so enthusiastic and eager to learn that I couldn’t hold the boundaries which I made any longer. First day , I had hardly five kids but last day I had almost 20-22 kids . The reason , simply was that children were enjoying themselves and through mouth publicity they grew into a good numbers. They were learning something new which they liked. They were busy , doing something productive and creative. And above all , their parents were encouraging them a lot , after all now children were not watching tv , wasting their time and irritating their parents.

Last day had become very memorable for me as I got many wishes as well as many amazing feedbacks , which I had hardly expected. A small kid , Parv Vyas who is in 3^rd std , though couldn’t complete his comics but he made comics in his drawing book which was on “water conservation”. He gave message that – “we should not bath in shower and waste water”. That amazing kid himself used to bath in shower but when he made that comics , he told his mother that – “I wont bath in shower and in bath tub because I myself made comics on that, we should not waste water”. His mother told me on last day that I was trying to teach him this from last two months but he wouldn’t listen to me , now your comics workshop has done what I couldn’t. This was a Big Compliment for me. I got success. I told her that if such small child can understand what I wanted to convey then I think I have done my job.

The response was beyond expectations. I knew Banswara is not a developed city , but it is an intellectual city. People are ahead in taking initiatives and they engage themselves in many social activities. Many people came to meet me during workshop , to understand the concept and wish me luck. My principle , Saroj Nagawat ma’am asked me to organize a workshop in my school , which is a thing to proud on. Parv’s mother , who is also a teacher asked me to add Theatre also next time , as she says , many people are interested in learning new things.

Earlier I had planned to take registration fees but then I discarded that thought and took no fees from anyone and so couldn’t provide much things and gifts to kids. But the response and enthusiasm of visitors and well wishers was so amazing that Last Day , Saroj ma’am gifted drawing books to children and Kothari aunty gave them pencils and other stuff . My parents financed the whole workshop. Whole in whole , the workshop was beyond expectations… & my experience…. Ah! I am short of words now .....