Vijayiakshmi Nagaraj

READING …… A SOOTHING  BALM

VIJAYLAKSHMI NAGARAJ,
EDUCATIONIST, AUTHOR STORYTELLER

NAMASKAR  ….GREETINGS TO ALL OF YOU.

MANY YEARS AGO  A LITTLE  GIRL HAD A SEVERE ATTACK OF JAUNDICE AND SHE HAD TO BE IN BED FOR SIX MONTHS.  IMAGINE  HER  CRISIS?

WHAT GAVE HER IMMENSE JOY  WAS  STORIES.  STORIES READ TO HER BY HER FATHER’S FRIENDS. EVERYDAY THEY WOULD TAKE TURNS TO COME FROM THEIR OFFICE  AND  SPEND THEIR LUNCH  BREAK  READING STORIES TO A LITTLE GIRL LYING SICK IN BED.

THE HEALING PROCESS HAD BEGUN EMOTIONALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND  JOYFULLY  THAT LITTLE GIRL  IS HERE IN FRONT  OF YOU TODAY……YOURS TRULY.

YES , THAT IS WHEN I BELIEVED THAT  READING TO CHILDREN  CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE  REMEDY TO EASE THE PAIN, CHEER THEM UP AND TRANSPORT THEM TO A MAGICAL  WORLD  OF  BEAUTIFUL STORIES.

IN MY PRESENTATION “ READING -- A SOOTHING BALM”  

I INTEND SHARING WITH YOU  MY HANDS ON EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH CRISIS  DUE TO ILLNESS,  NATURAL CALAMITY AND   CONFLICT SITUATION.

CHILDREN IN CRISIS SITUATIONS UNDERGO TRAUMA.  WE ARE AWARE THAT TRAUMA LEADS TO AN EMOTIONAL SHOCK WHICH CAN HAVE A LASTING EFFECT..

HOSPITALIZATION….NOW ABOUT CRISIS DUE TO HOSPITALIZATION……

SEISTA TIME OVER AND THE CHILDREN HAVE HAD THEIR MILK.  ITS FOUR PM AS I ENTER  THE PLAYROOM IN THE PAEDIATRIC WARD OF THE ARMY RESEARCH AND REFERAL HOSPITAL, NEW DELHI.

MY HANDS  ARE FULL AS I CARRY JOJO, GAURI, BANDER,JEENU , CHANCHAL, MOTI…..YES, ALL MY HANDCRAFTED PUPPETS AND THE BOOKS . …. ANYTIME STORIES, SUN MAGIC, THE CURLY TAIL, JHILMIL THE BUTTERFLY ETC.
THE CHILDREN SMILE  AS I ENTER .

SOME OF THESE CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING FROM LEUKAEMIA, SOME FROM HEART PROBLEMS, RENAL PROBLEMS  OR HAVE UNDERGONE SURGERY.  THEY ARE ALL IN SOME DEGREE OF PAIN.

I START READING TO THEM AS THEY PLAY WITH MY PUPPETS .

KULJEET A NINE YEAR OLD  INTERRUPTS. (HE HAS COME FROM AMRITSAR IN PUNJAB, FOR HIS CHEMOTHERAPY.)  "I LOVE TO READ  'SUN MAGIC'”  I PROMISE HIM THE BOOK . HE SMILES AT ME.

SHEETAL  HAS HAD A SURGERY AND SHE IS ENGROSSED IN THE STORY  THAT I READ TO HER . THE MOTHERS TOO LISTEN KEENLY, HOLDING THEIR AILING CHILDREN IN THEIR ARMS.

THE AGE GROUP  VARIES FROM BABES IN ARMS TO ELEVEN AND TWELVE YEAR OLDS.

FOR THOSE FEW HOURS  I HAVE TAKEN THEM  AWAY FROM ACUTE PAIN AND TRAUMA TO A FUNFILLED SESSION OF READING .  I ENACT  THE STORY TOO…..BECOMING A CLOWN NOW, AN ELEPHANT OR A MONKEY.  THEY LAUGH, THEIR MOTHERS SMILE………….DIDI  AAPNE HAMARE BACHON KO KHUSH KAR DIYA.  ( YOU HAVE MADE OUR CHILDREN SO HAPPY.)

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD LAKHBIR , WAS TERMINALLY ILL.  DURING HIS LAST DAYS HE  ASKED FOR ME TO  READ TO HIM. I TOLD HIM MANY STORIES. I GAVE HIM A BOOK TO COLOUR. HE KEPT IT UNDER HIS PILLOW.  THE NEXT DAY HIS BED WAS EMPTY, HE HAD PASSED AWAY THAT NIGHT.  I HAD A LUMP IN MY THROAT , TEARS GLISTENED IN MY EYES……

THE OTHER CHILDREN TUGGED AT MY  SARI WAITING FOR THOSE MAGICAL WORDS “ ONCE UPON A TIME…….  TAKE US AWAY TO STORYLAND….  THE DOCTORS LOOKED   AT ME  AND SAID “ YOUR STORIES ARE LIKE A BALM, WE DO OUR BEST WITH TREATMENT  BUT YOU GIVE THEM JOY AND MAKE THEM SMILE, EVEN IF FOR A FEW  DAYS.”
 

I LEAVE FOR THE  NEXT HOSPITAL WHERE THERE ARE  DIFFERENTLY –ABLED CHILDREN…… SITTING ON THEIR MOTHERS  LAPS.  PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED,  AUTISTIC AND SPASTIC CHILDREN.  READING TO THEM SLOWLY WITH GESTURES  WOULD  MAKE THEM SMILE AND  SOMETIMES CLAP. EYES WHICH WOULD JUST GAZE  LISTLESSLY  WOULD LIGHT UP.

THE OLDER OF THE BOYS    (SITTING ON HIS MOTHERS LAP) SPOKE FOR THE FIRST TIME INCOHERENTLY,  HE WAS TRYING TO REPEAT THE WORDS…….HAAATHI (ELEPHANT)   BIILI( CAT)    HIS MOTHER WAS OVERJOYED…….’ OH MEMSAAB,  MERA BETA BOL RAHA HAI, KUCH BOL RAHA HAI, WO KHUSH  HAI  KAHANI SUN KE.”  (MY SON HE IS TRYING TO SAY SOME THING , HE IS HAPPY LISTENING TO YOUR STORIES.)

SLOWLY BUT SURELY I WOULD WATCH FOR REACTIONS  WHILE READING BOOKS . SOMETIMES THERE WERE MANY, SOMETIMES NONE.    BUT I DID NOT STOP ……. I READ  ON……MIMI AND THE BUFFALO, GRASSHOPPER, THE GREEDY MOUSE AND SO ON ….

I SET UP THE READING ROOM FOR THESE CHILDREN .  I TRAINED VOLUNTEERS  TO READ TO THEM .   THEY WERE HAPPY TO SPEND AN HOUR OR TWO EACH DAY READING TO THEM.

IT WAS AN EMOTIONALLY REWARDING MOMENT  FOR THE VOLUNTEERS AND THE  SPECIAL CHILDREN.

THE NEXT SEGMENT IS ON CRISIS DUE TO NATURAL CALAMITY.  “ I AM SO HAPPY YOU CAME AND STAYED WITH  ME , YOU PLAYED WITH ME , YOU READ TO  ME  . WHEN WILL YOU COME AGAIN  AND STAY WITH ME.”      THESE WERE WORDS  THE WORDS OF SELVI  AS I WAS LEAVING NAGAPATTINAM . SHE HAD LOST BOTH HER PARENTS AND BROTHER TO THE  TSUNAMI IN DEC 2004.

NAGAPATTINAM IS A FISHING TOWN  ON  THE EAST COAST OF  TAMIL NADU, INDIA.  HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN WERE ORPHANED. 

PHYSICAL NEEDS  ……SHELTER, FOOD AND CLOTHES   WERE TAKEN CARE OF.  WHAT ABOUT THEIR EMOTIONAL , MENTAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS?

THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED IN THE RELIEF AND REHABILITATION  PROGRAMME   AGREED THAT EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALING WAS  VERY IMPORTANT AND  PROMISED ALL ASSISTANCE .

I VOLUNTEERED TO  GO AND  STAY WITH THE  CHILDREN  AND  HELP THEM . I WAS THEN  STAYING IN  JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN.

I WENT IN MAY 2005 TO NAGAPATTINAM.  THEY WATCHED IN SILENCE   WHILE I DISPLAYED  LOTS OF  COLOURFUL BOOKS. …… ANYTIME STORIES, CHITKU, JHILMIL THE BUTTERFLY, GRANNY’S SARI, AND MANY MORE IN TAMIL AND ENGLISH.

THEY WOULD NOT SPEAK ABOUT THAT HORRIBLE DARK MORNING, THEY SOMETIMES CRIED IN THEIR SLEEP. THE TRAUMA WAS INTENSE. I JUST STAYED WITH THEM.

I SANG AND READ  TO THEM ,  DANCED AND PLAYED WITH THEM..
THEY SAW , TOUCHED AND SLOWLY TURNED THE PAGES OF THE BOOKS ON DISPLAY. THE ILLUSTRATIONS ATTRACTED THEM AND SOON IT WAS ….TELL US MORE STORIES  ,  SOME  MORE STORIES.

THEY EMERGED FROM THEIR SILENT COCOONS   AND SAT AROUND ME.  LITTLE STEPHAN STOPPED SUCKING HIS THUMB AND JOINED IN THE CLAPPING,  HARINI STOPPED CRYING,  SHANTI  WOULD POINT TO A BOOK SHE WANTED , RAMESH  WOULD ASK FOR A PARTICULAR STORY TO BE READ AND SO ON…….

THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS EMOTIONAL HEALING HAD TAKEN WINGS. THEY WANTED TO FLY LIKE “JHILMIL THE BUTTERFLY.”

THE HUMOROUS STORIES MADE THEM LAUGH, THE MYSTERY  STORIES EXCITED THEM, THE BOOK ON MAGIC FASCINATED THEM.  

I GAVE THEM VALUE ADDED EMOTIONAL SUPPORT  BY READING TO THEM.
IT WAS VERY VISIBLE AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT  WHEN THERE IS A NATURAL CALAMITY, BE IT EARTHQUAKES, FLOODS, OR THE TSUNAMI,
READING IS LIKE A BALM THAT SOOTHES THE MIND  AND SOUL.

INCIDENTALLY, THIS READING TO RECOVERY PROGRAMME WAS INITIATED BY AWIC INDIAN BBY.

FINALLY, IN CRISIS DUE TO CONFLICT SITUATIONS
I TOUCH   UPON  MILITANCY AND TERRORIST AFFECTED AREAS   THE BOMB BLASTS, GUNSHOTS, BLOOD AND DEATH…….
FAMILIES  LOSE LOVED ONES, CHILDREN BECOME HOME LESS ,
THERE IS INTENSE DANGER AT ALL TIMES.

CHILDREN ARE THE WORST AFFECTED   THEIR  MINDS  NEED TO BE DISTRACTED  FROM THE VIOLENCE AROUND THEM…..THEY NEED EMOTIONAL STABILITY   A PEACEFUL LIFE.

IN   SCHOOLS RUN IN MILITANCY HIT  AREAS, I LAND UP WITH MY BAG OF BOOKS. THE CHILDREN SIT IN A CIRCLE AND LOOK AT THE PICTURES  OF  ICE CREAM AND MOUNTAINS, BIRDS AND FLOWERS, THE ELEPHANT AND  TIGERS, PEACOCKS  AND  CLOUDS….THE KINGS AND QUEENS,  PRINCE  , PRINCESSES AND FAIRIES.

THE MAGIC HAS BEGUN……….THE STORIES TRANSPORT THEM TO HAPPY TIMES AND PRETTY LANDS  .  THE SOUND S OF GUNS AND VIOLENCE  IS ECLIPSED  BY  THE BEAUTY OF LIFE.    

 
CHILDREN ARE  INNOCENT AND THEY FORGET  EASILY,
THE PAIN, TRAUMA  AND CRISIS …….FOR READING PROVIDES  THE HEALING  TOUCH..

 

IN CONCLUSION ,  I AM CONVINCED THAT  READING CAN BE USED AS  A THERAPY BEYOND THE CONVENTIONAL.

THE RESPONSE FROM A LARGE SEGMENT OF  THE MEDICAL CIRCLE  IN INDIA HAS INDEED BEEN POSITIVE.

I CREATE AWARENESS  AND HELP TRAIN VOLUNTEERS AND CARE GIVERS  TO UNDERSTAND   BIBLIOTHERAPY ……THE THERAPY WHERE  READING  PLAYS  AN IMPORTANT ROLE  IN THE  EMOTIONAL AND PSYCOLOGICAL HEALING  OF CHILDREN IN CRISES.  TRULY A SOOTHING BALM.
 
THANK YOU.