Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, my daughter told me that while I was an excellent writer, I was an even better teacher. Of course this hurt me at the time as I have dreamed of being a writer since I was a kid. It took me a while to realise that she was actually praising both my writing and teaching ability.
Being a teacher was not really my dream, though I always put in my best to ensure that my classes are interesting and leave my students with something they could hold on to forever.
Why I teach creative writing
Teaching for me was rebelling against the educational system which was based on marks and assumed only the same few students had the talent to be chosen for plays and elocution competitions.
My aim as a teacher has always been to help my students find that inner genius which I believe everyone has. And since I was good at writing, teaching creative writing seemed the obvious choice.
Over the decades I have taught over a hundred students, and most of them still keep in touch. Sometimes they will tell me about how something I had said years ago helped them nail a presentation at work, or how my belief in them helped them believe in themselves.
My once upon a time business partner , Anish Vyavahare, once told me, “ Sunita, don’t doubt yourself because your good is better than most people’s best; and you never settle for good, so just go and wow them all.”
This year I decided to move beyond just teaching kids and doing the one off adult workshop. I have decided to conduct a three days retreat.
Why a writer’s retreat in Matheran?
I have wanted to attend a writer’s retreat for quite some time now, but have always found them to be too expensive and too far away. And so I decided to conduct one of my own. I know I am an excellent coach, and perhaps the universe wanted me to do this as well, because I met a wonderful person Maria Vaz who owns and runs Hope Hall in Matheran. This seemed the perfect place to hold the retreat.
Matheran is a hill station near Mumbai. It is lush and is the only hill station where cars are not allowed, though the government is trying to experiment with e rickshaws which the local residents oppose.
Matheran Magic as I am calling my retreat is a no frills, no fancies retreat. There are no five star rooms or swimming pools. What you will get is nature at its best, quiet writing time and excellent coaching sessions.
I am not going to take in too many participants; just 10, so that we can get the best out of the experience. And as I write this blog post, I am glad to say that only 4 more seats remain to be filled.
Book your seat now!
So if you would like to hone your writing skills and interact with other like minded people, what are you waiting for? Fill in the form and secure your seat. Fill up the registration form here