Hello, I’m Vidya Jaishankar, and this is my first TISA SHG meeting. It’s a pleasure to recount this memorable event, which marks the revival of the Chennai SHG. The evening was warm in Chennai, with a rare forecast of slight rains, and the streets
were bustling with people frequenting cafes and juice bars.
‘Chai Galli’, an eatery in Nungambakkam served as the venue for our kickoff meeting to revive the Chennai SHG. The meeting started around 6:15 PM. The attendees were Manoj Yadav and myself, and the meeting was led by Mr. Vikas
Ranga, TISA Core Team member / Head of the Program Coordination Team.
We had elaborate introductions, each of us talking about our careers and hobbies, along with our childhood and professional experiences as people who stammer. Vikas infused humour into his introduction while subtly addressing several important issues. He initiated voluntary stammering by ordering food from the menu to the waiter. We then did extempore presentations, where each of us spoke on a randomly picked topic for the allotted 3 minutes. Vikas gave pointers on how to make any topic humorous and engaging.
We then left the restaurant to find locations for practicing voluntary stammering with strangers. With Vikas’s encouragement, we initially engaged in voluntary stammering with an optician and later with a receptionist at a quiet dialysis centre. We also attempted the same in a juice bar, although the bartender was too busy to entertain our conversation.
Towards the end of the meeting, we discussed what we could implement further in upcoming SHG meetings, with the next meeting scheduled to be held in Semmozhi Poonga on 15th June.
Attending this TISA SHG meeting has been incredibly valuable, and as a newcomer, I felt welcomed into a wonderful community. I look forward to continuing this journey with the Chennai TISA SHG.
Learnings:
• Ways to commit and practice voluntary stammering
• How to make any topic humorous
• Core values of TISA
Report by Vidya Lalgudi Jaishankar
