Shabd Manch - A Festival of Letters - Author Natasha Badhwar
Natasha Badhwar's session with Class VIII was an enriching experience filled with reflection and
self-discovery.
Her approach, combining excerpts from her books ‘Immortal for a Moment’ and ‘My Daughters'
Mum’ with activities around themes of love, relationships and self-criticism, allowed the
students to creatively introspect.
She read from ‘Immortal for a Moment', where she reflects on the "unnecessary happiness"
(फालतू की ख़ुशी) of seeing her daughter after her first day of school. This piece resonated deeply
with students, bringing out feelings of love and attachment in their own lives.
The students were then led into an activity of working around a comic strip with four-panel
comic drawing, where they were asked to depict a personal activity they loved, then explored
how negative voices can hinder joy and self-esteem, followed by a positive influence in their
lives, ending with a more collaborative and fulfilling version of what they loved doing. Natasha
Badhwar shared that in her experience with this activity, the first panel will usually show an
activity enjoyed individually that changes to a collaborative activity in the fourth panel.
The activity essentially emerged from the author's belief that personal journeys of growth often
move from the solitary to the collaborative and are a profound reflection on how positive
influences change our relationship with what we love.
After reading an excerpt from the book ‘My Daughters’ Mum’, students were encouraged to
reflect on love (love felt in any relationship) by writing a story based on the prompt: "I am
walking through the school gate...”
They were also asked to visualise their childhood by drawing versions of their younger selves,
exploring what that child loved and how they might interact with their current selves. This
exercise likely fostered a sense of connection between their past and present, making space for
self-compassion and understanding.
Through quick writing exercises and personal reflection, students and facilitators were invited to
share their ‘friendly voice’ communicating with their ‘critical self.’ This taught the value of
balancing internal dialogue, showing kindness to oneself and rediscovering calm in a fast-paced
world.
The session was empowering and encouraging for the students, giving them an opportunity to
look inward and acknowledge their own emotional journeys. They explored themes of love —
love for self, love from others and the transformation that supportive voices can bring.
By the end of the session, the students left with a stronger sense of confidence in their own
emotions, understanding that personal growth and self-awareness are a universal human
experience.