Friday, August 28, 2015

The journey thus far - Karnika speaks

Karnika Bahuguna






A journalist by profession and chef at heart, I’m a restless soul going through the late twenties crisis! Seriously, I’ve been perplexed for long pondering over the purpose of my existence. Although still looking for the answer, I’ve realized that reinventing oneself every now and then surely helps!


Karnika is among the 20 fellows selected for the Pratiti journey in Delhi.
Read what she has to say about her experiences so far:


“Are you sure you want to do this?”
A friend asked me when I told him that I was going for the Pratiti fellowship. Although, I was fairly confident when I told him that I was sure but there was still some doubt in mind. I had never been a part of an initiative like PfP, did not know the issue thoroughly and was going through a low phase in life.

With that shaky belief, I reached UFO house, the venue for the first day-long workshop, on a lazy Saturday.
As I reached and opened the door to the activity area slowly, I remember making eye contact with Aditya and Asha. Both welcomed me with infectious smiles. I could feel the skepticism fading slowly.

The workshop was one-of-a-kind experience. It wiped off the dust that had accumulated on my emotional self over the years. I never realized that suppressing or ignoring my feelings could dry up my ability to get in touch with oneself. The workshop not only opened up my emotional barriers but also made me a better listener.
I particularly liked the idea of logically accessing situations through various tools and processes like compass of reaction, check-in, and comfort, stretch and panic zones among others.

Then came the two-day residential workshop which was one heck of a stretching exercise, not physically but emotionally. But I must say, no matter how stretched I felt during the workshop, I loved the person I was by the end of it.


The journey at Pratiti has just begun and I’ve realized that it is making me a more sensitive and less judgmental person. Various activities at our weekend community meetings are inculcating a sense of harmony in me. I believe I am learning to contribute more in my relationship with parents, siblings, friends and colleagues.

We have just started with the brainstorming for our action projects and I hope to achieve a lot from the same.Having said that, I am not very keenly eyeing the final outcome of the fellowship or the project as more than the destination, I’m falling in love with the journey.

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Follow the Pratiti blog for more beautiful updates from the fellows as they narrate their journeys of growth and transformation into gender leaders over the next 2 months...

Monday, August 24, 2015

Manak Matiyani visits!

The wonderful Mr. Manak Matiyani, Executive Director of the YP Foundation, joined the Pratiti participants at their second community meet-up on 23rd August, graciously sharing with them his own life experiences, and instilling in them fresh energy and impetus on what it takes to become a change leader!
The Pratiti journey will see many such prominent youth leaders interacting with the fellows over the course of the next few months. Stay tuned!

Pratiti in Delhi - The Beginning

The Pratiti journey in Delhi has been launched on 25th July, with the first cohort of 20 young and diverse individuals engaging with each other and the Pratiti space and values through intensive workshops and community meetings. 

 Pratiti Delhi Fellows

The next three months will see the Pratiti fellows work together on action projects close to their heart, while experiencing intensely personal and powerful transformations in the process. 


To witness these remarkable stories of personal growth & social change and to follow the blossoming of these beautiful people into empathetic gender leaders of the future, stay tuned to this blog...


Because rainbows are beautiful! :)