One Year With TISA

I attended my first stammering workshop which held in Herburtpur from May
2 to May 6 2011. So one year has been passed but it doesn’t seems like
that it is only one year. It is like that I have all those TISA friends
with me more than a decade. Yesterday, one of my friend, Rakesh reminds
me by calling on phone, said “Umesh bhai aaj 2 may hai. aaj hume Tisa se
jude pura ek saal ho gaye hai”. I was astonished to think that if it
was really one year passed. Remembering my old memories, I found myself
that I get so many and good friends in this one year. I found myself so
much changed from outside as well as from inside. But all this was
happen only because of one big initiative, one encouraging step. If I
did not attend that workshop by excusing myself, no change can ever be
possible. I still remembered, I went alone by booking my reservation to
Dehradun by train, perhaps I was quite nervous to think, what would be
going to happen to me there because I had never taken a speech therapy,
not even had a quite discussion about my stammering with anyone. I was
thinking in whole journey that either it would be big step to live a
life that I always dream of or it would be just a waste of time. I was
lucky that I got to find two other people after reaching Dehradun
railway station. But the funny thing which I was feeling after joining
them that everyone was quite nervous to talk with each other. Mr.
Rajender sharma and Ram Rajput were my two other pal. I remember my
first day of workshop when I entered in the seminar hall of hospital.
Perhaps we all were nervous to think what would be going to happen with
us. Rakesh jaiswal, Anubhav beri and Reekrit were other guys whom I met
there.  One more funny thing, we all wanted to show each other that I
can speak better than the rest (now all it seems like craziness). Anyway
It was awesome experience during whole workshop. First time I used to
speak in front of group of people, first time I received round of
applauds from others after speaking, no matter with dis fluency. We did
lots of other fun and fear-melting activities like, we took stuttering
interview of each others and then of strangers, we wear T-shirts with
slogans written on them “Haklao Magar Pyar Se”, we made call to our
friends and family members to tell them that we are here in stammering
workshop because we stammer. Last day we went to Samagra where we got a
chance to meet with some foreigns students, we gave presentation there.
We talked with them with our English (which always feared us more).
Their support and friendly nature make us overwhelmed.