Sounds of Silence

The last four days held many happy moments for the members of Rotary Club Panaji Riveira and others. They had organised a 4-day RYLA – Rotary Youth Leadership Award – a youth empowerment workshop designed and led by yours truly. For four consecutive years, it was organised for the visually challenged. This year it was organised for the hearing impaired from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

In keeping with its title ‘Milaap’ – the workshop became a meeting ground for the learners and diverse resource persons like Angad Singh’s team (hospitality skills), Prasad Joshi (adventure), Somu Rao (scientific temper), D’Satish (magic), Satish Nayak of AFA (astronomy), Vividh Pawaskar (teamworking), Augustine Fernandes (inspiration), Afsar Hussain (mime) and others. The participants did not seem really disadvantaged. However, we seemed handicapped by our glaring deficiencies in communication competencies.

They were assertive, positive and dynamic in their response. They were eager learners and proactive in their participation. They danced, played, worked and involved in all the trainings. They displayed high self esteem and were making the most of the workshop experience. Their awesome attitude was seen in their expressive gestures as well as in their actions aligned with discipline, dedication and togetherness.

We learnt from our participants to be like them: to be better at understanding by ensuring engaged scrutiny.  We learnt to be better at communicating with the sounds of silence. We learnt to be better at empathetic listening and critical observing. After all, it is only in silence that we truly become focussed and effective in our expression. Maybe that’s why silence is said to be golden!

The sounds of silence need empowering

to BE BETTER at simple communicating!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.