Stories that demand to be told | #50
50 weeks of the finest personal essays from writers from the Ochre Sky Workshops! Come celebrate this collective golden anniversary with us ⭐💫✨
This is the 50th edition of Stories that demand to be told, a curated spread of the most evocative, resonant, real stories.
This week we depart from the weekly format to share more about the experience of the Ochre Sky Workshops - #Memoir, #Urdu se Dosti, #Rhythm of our Stories, Ochre Sky Circles and Dates.
1. The essence of memoir, creative pathways to storytelling, and the importance of community in the writing process
~ a podcast with Rituparna Ghosh
An excerpt from this podcast episode: “By choosing to be in a learning environment, a space where we are willing to be vulnerable, we acknowledge that we don't know it all, but that we have the tools within us that can help us put it together. And there are ways in which those tools can be recognized, those tools can be practiced.
"As facilitators, we are not going to assume that you don't know what it is that you want to do or that you don't know how to do it. We are going to create an environment, like Raju said, in which you will summon your inner courage. Banish socialised fears and anxieties that come in the way of being authentic. And all of that is coming in the way of us living our fuller lives. And writing will help us achieve this… ”
Also available on Apple Podcast, Audible and Amazon Music
2. Sometimes the most profound love comes from the most unexpected places.
~ by Kanchan Balani
3. A space where your words are so cherished, I have no fear of eye-rolling or embarrassment
~ by Indu Anand
4. Letting the heart lead for now, and seeing what emerges!
~ by Koyel Lahiri
5. The Ochre Sky Writing Circle of 2023 and forever
~ by Anusha Khan
Talking of sparks, a year back I met a bunch of large hearted people squeezed into tiny windows of a computer screen. I witnessed the birth of a family.
I poured out tears stuck inside of me on paper. They took the form of words, at times.
They write, I write, we all write, breathing in, breathing out. We hear each other, we read each other, we hold each other. I throw my words at the world, knowing that someone out there will hold it ever so gently. For me, that’s my gang. My safety net. Do you guys know you rescue me?
6. Urdu: The nazla that keeps finding me
~ by Roshni
I found a delightful, warm, and hilarious threesome leading a bunch of nervous geese into some fun with Urdu! Most of us came with ifs and buts and disclaimers. We took those hesitations crafted poems that sparkled with earnesty, softness and hope. We talked about dosti, pyar, badhazmi, Pakistani serials, home, poetry, and mixed all of this with English and Hindi and made spirited avial out of it!
Post workshop, I heard a ghazal or two, wondered about how to find more accessible women shayars. I heard a bit of Basheer Badr and Jaun Elia. I added a note to look up Rekhta recordings to find those women poets and my Khwaab Tanha post cards.
Thank you Vimal, Raju Tai and an extra special one to Natasha for the gentle gifts and nudges!
7. Our love-hate relationship with writing ~ by
We all carry stories within us. Some shape us. Others silently hold us back.
In this transformative 5-week programme with Natasha Badhwar and Raju Tai, you’ll learn to write from the body, reflect with courage, and re-author your life’s narrative with truth and tenderness.
No lofty goals. No perfect grammar.
Just a safe space to express, heal, and grow. Honing your craft and writing for wider audiences will inevitably follow. Watch Natasha share about how writing unlocks the teacher, the seeker, and the leader within us.
Apply now for 'Leadership & Selfhood through Creative Writing' by AshokaX: Application details here
6. A Tale of Two Writing Workshops ~ by
In a workshop subtitled ‘the transformative power of personal writing,’ you don’t compete with other participants. You can’t wish to have their talent or their story, for you will also have to take their pain.
You sit, soaked in compassion, swelling in love for these gorgeous strangers. You sigh - suffering is the most common thing in these diverse lives, but so is the urge to heal the wounds with meaning and witness.
You wonder if you lucked out to find such extraordinary humans, or if Natasha is a witch, creating an enchanting place with ordinary people and their ink bottles.
Upcoming Workshops:
Leadership and Selfhood through Creative Writing.
Facilitated by Natasha Badhwar and Raju Tai | AshokaX
New dates for The Rhythm of our Stories
Observe like a poet, write like a storyteller. Be audacious, join us!4 Online Sessions across 2 Weekends:
Cohort 1: 19, 20, 26, 27 July 2025
Cohort 2: 9, 10, 16, 17 August 2025
Cohort 3: 23, 24, 30, 31 August 2025Time: 10:30 am - 1:30 pm India time
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Beautiful, khoobsurat, pyaara celebration of writing in community 💘
Mubarak to everyone who is the energy and soul of Ochre Sky writing community