WORKSHOP CONDUCTED BY JAY YES FOUNDATION - Dr. Aparna Salvi Nagda

27-04-2025 - Characterization in a short story by Dr. Aparna Salvi Nagda WORKSHOP CONDUCTED BY JAY YES FOUNDATION prior to JAY YES SHORT STORY CONTESTS - 2025 for students 18-25 of age. Dr. Aparna Salvi Nagda is a consulting homeopath and child counselor by profession and a writer by passion. Her debut novel The Labyrinth of Silence was published by Vishwakarma Publications in 2024 which was longlisted for The Wise Owl awards. Prior to that she has self-published a novella called Not So Grave on Kindle Unlimited. Apart from writing books, she finds meaning in blogging on social and current issues. She wishes to write and read forever. ‘The Labyrinth of Silence’ follows the life journeys of a family that has skeletons in its cupboard.Girish Kulkarni, victim of child abuse lives in his mansion in Belgaum along with his autocratic mother, Kusum. Muki, born mute, the daughter of a maid employed by the Kulkarnis silently loves Girish. Kusum arranges the marriage of Girish with Narmada, who is soon depressed due to Girish’s nature and refusal to consummate the marriage. Kusum forces her to secretly have a child with another man to keep up the pretences. Soon after the child Kashi is born, guilt and pressure of life in the mansion drives Narmada to suicide.Narmada pens two letters before her death. Urging Muki to get married to Girish, and requesting Kusum, to get Girish married to Muki, as the only way to deal with his trauma.As Kashi grows up, troubled by glimpses from her past, sets off on her own journey of self-discovery and truth. FEEDBACK from students First things first, yesterday's session was a banger, featuring three renowned authors. It was both inspiring and insightful at the same time. Each author brought a unique perspective to the art of storytelling. All the pointers were very useful for anybody beginning their journey as a budding writer. What stood out was the most interactive nature of the session. Can't wait to attend the next Sunday's session. Also, I'm eagerly waiting to submit my entries to the contest. - THIVYAA SREE S, M.O.P. VAISHNAV COLLEGE FOR WOMEN It was a truly valuable learning experience for me. With a strong passion for writing, I find the initiative you are taking extremely helpful for students like me. I am genuinely waiting to send in my entries and grow further in my writing career. - Rohit.N, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences I enjoyed the webinar yesterday. The concepts were explained clearly and done in an engaging manner. I also enjoyed the presenters' activities as they helped illustrate the points they were making, and for concepts like creating suspense and creating good dialogue, the activities were good practice to try something new. Look forward to the next session and the competition. - Jessie Elizabeth Daniel, Women’s Christian College Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to hear from the rich experiences of the panelists. The exercises and examples were easy yet helpful. I was absolutely thrilled to realize that I can apply these exercises to each and every story to improve my writing skills. Thank you so much Ma'am. Sincerely, - Mahiba Olby, Christ University BGR Campus I recently attended the workshop on story writing, and I wanted to express my sincere thanks for conducting such an insightful program. Each of the sessions — Characterization in Short Story, World Building in Short Story, and Stages and Importance of Editing — were extremely informative and well-structured. The session on characterization helped me understand how to build deeper, more relatable characters. The world-building segment was equally enriching, giving me tools to create more immersive settings. Finally, the editing session was very practical, emphasizing the crucial role of revising and refining a story to its best form. Overall, the workshop was highly valuable, and it has significantly boosted my confidence and skills as an aspiring writer. Thank you once again for organizing such a well-thought-out program. I look forward to participating in the upcoming contest. - Thivyaa Sree S. NOTE: Videos of only four out of the six topics were possible two weren’t recorded due to zoom/technical issues.