Soulbath Peace Foundation Workshop
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
The Soul Call
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Soulbath Peace Foundation organized a platform to bring together women from all walks of life with one objective – To invoke their Inner parts and live life through it.
Under the inspiration of our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik, the evening’s theme was ‘The Soul Call’. The participants comprising of HIV+ women, Healing Consultants, journalists and film makers, all came under one roof for a journey in discovering their life through the artistic expression of Odissi dance.
Under the inspiration of our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik, the evening’s theme was ‘The Soul Call’. The participants comprising of HIV+ women, Healing Consultants, journalists and film makers, all came under one roof for a journey in discovering their life through the artistic expression of Odissi dance.
Ms. Sharmila Mukherjee rendered three compositions revolving around the aspect of the Divine Mother who is compassionate and nurturing inside each one of us. These compositions focused on the story that each woman has to share, a story that she experiences every day filled with emotions of anger, love, disgust, compassion, peace and beauty.
The visual impact was enhanced through a journey of inner reflection of oneself and emotions that one could choose from in one’s responses in every occasion of life. It was a journey of new birth through the destruction of the evil. (Both being parts of the self.)
In all our lives – whether living with HIV, corporate home maker, a daughter- all women experience a range of emotions. But culturally engraved through evolution is Her need to feel vulnerable and provided for. However with the demands of life and the choices that we make, in those vulnerable moments we let ourselves lose focus and over a period of time, the story of anger, shame, disgust, hatred overpowers beauty and compassion.
Aspects of the Divine Mother depicting beauty, perfection, warrior and compassion focused on the fact that each need to be used constructively for the new birth of a consciousness that creates good will in the whole world, family or inside ourselves.
Through Soulbath Peace Foundation’s work with HIV+ women, we have realized that their world is completely in a cocoon and their Existence overpowered by HIV. As a result, it is a label that gets imprinted in their lives in the smallest actions that they do.
Corporate homemakers are often so busy performing tasks that they find quick fixes or stop gap arrangements to fulfill that part of themselves that needs nurturing. ‘The Soul Call’ is a life solution offering from Soulbath Peace Foundation whose objective was to remove the stereotype subtly but strongly that exists in all our lives and to discover that expression of inner freedom and love.
Through movements and sound that was therapeutic, and culture as an expression of harmony and unity that goes beyond language, this evening saw an Existence of women free from basic stereotypes, finding that nurturing space within themselves.
The visual impact was enhanced through a journey of inner reflection of oneself and emotions that one could choose from in one’s responses in every occasion of life. It was a journey of new birth through the destruction of the evil. (Both being parts of the self.)
In all our lives – whether living with HIV, corporate home maker, a daughter- all women experience a range of emotions. But culturally engraved through evolution is Her need to feel vulnerable and provided for. However with the demands of life and the choices that we make, in those vulnerable moments we let ourselves lose focus and over a period of time, the story of anger, shame, disgust, hatred overpowers beauty and compassion.
Aspects of the Divine Mother depicting beauty, perfection, warrior and compassion focused on the fact that each need to be used constructively for the new birth of a consciousness that creates good will in the whole world, family or inside ourselves.
Through Soulbath Peace Foundation’s work with HIV+ women, we have realized that their world is completely in a cocoon and their Existence overpowered by HIV. As a result, it is a label that gets imprinted in their lives in the smallest actions that they do.
Corporate homemakers are often so busy performing tasks that they find quick fixes or stop gap arrangements to fulfill that part of themselves that needs nurturing. ‘The Soul Call’ is a life solution offering from Soulbath Peace Foundation whose objective was to remove the stereotype subtly but strongly that exists in all our lives and to discover that expression of inner freedom and love.
Through movements and sound that was therapeutic, and culture as an expression of harmony and unity that goes beyond language, this evening saw an Existence of women free from basic stereotypes, finding that nurturing space within themselves.
Some of the women had to say...
“I recognized myself in all the anger that the Durga danced through”
“I realized that this is Me dancing through my everyday life – it is the dance of life”
“I saw how anger can be used constructively and selectively”
“It is very important to express and I discovered the power of expression back”
“I realized I can love myself and accept myself more and more every day”
Performance artist Sharmila Mukherjee had to say that “I have never performed for such a close audience. I thank Soulbath Peace Foundation for giving me an opportunity to perform in this intimate gathering because the energies in this place were so good that I could give my 100% to it and much more. The essence of the story that I was portraying was received beautifully by each and everyone.”
Here is a small paragraph that was very inspiring from the UNDP’s report and young women’s susceptibility to the HIV infection.
“Because we live in sharply gender-divided worlds, the impact of women's deaths is different from that of men. Most, if not all, cultures raise girls differently from boys and treat women differently from men. As a result, women bring to daily life different qualities from men. Women tend to be the guardians of compassion rather than ambition, of connectedness rather than control, of healing rather than harming, of closeness rather than conquest, of mercy rather than judgement. They make possible the circle of the dance as an alternative to the ladder.
Women are the creators of new life, the caretakers of daily life and the custodians and transmitters of community norms and social values. However, in some parts of the world, one third or one half or more of all women are infected. How will the loss be borne?”
(*Source: UNDP - HIV & Development Program, Issues paper No 12, YOUNG WOMEN: SILENCE, SUSCEPTIBILITY AND THE HIV EPIDEMIC)
Personally as a woman, we are all moving on our journey with bundles of compassion that is our inner being. But this compassion sometimes is seeking or searching for something outside and as a result it begins limiting itself to what it has to offer.
There is a poem from Sri Raj Bhowmik’s collection that is relevant to the stereotype that women carry across the world through centuries and the role She plays in the sustaining of the human life.
“I realized that this is Me dancing through my everyday life – it is the dance of life”
“I saw how anger can be used constructively and selectively”
“It is very important to express and I discovered the power of expression back”
“I realized I can love myself and accept myself more and more every day”
Performance artist Sharmila Mukherjee had to say that “I have never performed for such a close audience. I thank Soulbath Peace Foundation for giving me an opportunity to perform in this intimate gathering because the energies in this place were so good that I could give my 100% to it and much more. The essence of the story that I was portraying was received beautifully by each and everyone.”
Here is a small paragraph that was very inspiring from the UNDP’s report and young women’s susceptibility to the HIV infection.
“Because we live in sharply gender-divided worlds, the impact of women's deaths is different from that of men. Most, if not all, cultures raise girls differently from boys and treat women differently from men. As a result, women bring to daily life different qualities from men. Women tend to be the guardians of compassion rather than ambition, of connectedness rather than control, of healing rather than harming, of closeness rather than conquest, of mercy rather than judgement. They make possible the circle of the dance as an alternative to the ladder.
Women are the creators of new life, the caretakers of daily life and the custodians and transmitters of community norms and social values. However, in some parts of the world, one third or one half or more of all women are infected. How will the loss be borne?”
(*Source: UNDP - HIV & Development Program, Issues paper No 12, YOUNG WOMEN: SILENCE, SUSCEPTIBILITY AND THE HIV EPIDEMIC)
Personally as a woman, we are all moving on our journey with bundles of compassion that is our inner being. But this compassion sometimes is seeking or searching for something outside and as a result it begins limiting itself to what it has to offer.
There is a poem from Sri Raj Bhowmik’s collection that is relevant to the stereotype that women carry across the world through centuries and the role She plays in the sustaining of the human life.
Gratitude
How do I express gratitude?
You, in flesh smaller!
And in strength much weaker!
But when I fall from that majestic height!
You, so without fail, catch,
And cushion my fall every time!
With that flesh, that looks so smaller!
With that strength, that seems so weaker!
My being to yours,
Is shamefully no match!
I know for sure,
The day you let go, when I fall,
I will be battered and tattered in my flesh and soul.
How do I express gratitude?
How do I express gratitude?
You, in flesh smaller!
And in strength much weaker!
But when I fall from that majestic height!
You, so without fail, catch,
And cushion my fall every time!
With that flesh, that looks so smaller!
With that strength, that seems so weaker!
My being to yours,
Is shamefully no match!
I know for sure,
The day you let go, when I fall,
I will be battered and tattered in my flesh and soul.
How do I express gratitude?
- By Sri Raj Bhowmik
I humbly offer my gratitude to Sri Raj and Soulbath Peace Foundation to be the guiding light to help me experience this and discover it for myself through several work opportunities at the ‘Raj Bhowmik-Back To Society Dream’ (RB-BTS DREAM) initiatives. As a woman these opportunities has got me closer with this beautiful energy around the world, – the woman, who is the energy of co- creation for the circle of life to sustain itself.
- (Event Compiled by SPF Volunteer LEAD, Dr. Shantu) -
- (Event Compiled by SPF Volunteer LEAD, Dr. Shantu) -