TESTIMONIALS

2016 Alumni

Sidharth Singh

Dum Pukht allowed me to go further than reading between the lines, and start reading behind them. I left the workshop with a richer understanding of fiction’s mechanics. It is an all-access pass behind the great stage of writing; the sights are most surely worth seeing.

Sameen Borkar

Dum Pukht has altered the way I read a novel, write and rewrite a story, and play with words, form, and structure. Anil, Pervin, and Akshat have been very influential and supportive in their unique ways and continue to do so. The best 14 days I’ve ever spent cooking up stories.

Prithvi Yadama

Dum Pukht is one of the most comprehensive writing workshops there is in India. The workshop helped me immensely with the technical aspects of writing fiction. We were exposed to so many different perspectives on the art of fiction and literature. I left the workshop understanding what my writing did, and what it needs to do to get to the next level. The mentors are incredibly patient and continue to guide us in our journey.

Pooja Ruparel

The workshop turned my half-baked abilities and aspirations into skills and a way of thinking, to create sustainably with. The teachers at Dum Pukth are true Gurus and taught me to trust and value my style and to appreciate others through the round of critiques that inculcated self evaluation and reliance.

Lavina Galani

Dum Pukht was a turning point in my writing skills in more ways than one. Firstly, the environment, the mentors, and the fellow writers provided for the much needed inspiration. Critical reviews from all of them provided over 20 different perspectives on one particular piece. Since this was a part of the daily activity it altered my point of view in a positive way, helping me realize my strengths and weaknesses. The workshop allows one to interact with so many different minds and build sustainable relationships that support each other even after the workshop is over.

Harvinder Kaur

The Dumpukht workshop in Auroville in 2016 was a turning point for me. From being a casual, amateur, mood-driven writer of poems and non-fiction with only a handful of short stories in my basket, I became seriously interested in writing fiction and have been diligently at it! Anil is an amazing teacher with masala-humour that makes his sessions deliciously insightful, while Pervin gave us wonderful ideas and opened windows that would have otherwise remained shut. I connected to some great, creative participants! This is an intensive workshop with very sincere mentors who become your friends and hand-hold you long after the workshop. If you get a chance don’t miss it!

Debosmita Nandy

I can, without a doubt, say that the two weeks of DumPukht workshop has completely transformed the way I approach writing. Be it assimilating new ideas, learning through critiquing stories, forging life-long bond amongst ourselves, having a debate at the dinner table or a music session on the terrace – each and every moment at this workshop has immensely enriched my life.

Charumathi Supraja

Being a writer is not a condition. It is an act. Writing is not about mists of inspiration entering your brain through your ears and then oozing from your fingers as stories, poems and novels. Writing is about setting down words, removing words, reading again, writing again. This is what I learnt at Dum Pukht.

Aekta Khubchandani

For the longest time, I haven’t had words to express what the workshop did to me. It’s been almost two years and I know now, how it all made sense. I explored the process of unlearning without acknowledging that that was what was happening to and with me. You know how they say that we won’t know the skin of good books without reading the bad ones. I had been writing since days of school but it only got better after the workshop. I always felt like a sponge absorbing rain, at my own pace. All the mentors bought a different set of tools and perspectives to writing and fiction. We unlayered gravitas, context and subtext in undeniable ways. I remember rasam rice days, Auroville’s freshly baked cake, crying after Arundhathi Subramaniam’s session and not knowing why. All of this is a memory that won’t fade. I believe that Adishakti as a space also spun its own magic and it felt like every word of a story mattered, enough to be written and read. All the chosen writers were at drastically different levels in their writing journey and that only made reading, critique and rewriting, super interesting. I feel blessed to have met and connected with some amazing people and writers. I’ve had a wonder-full time being a part of the workshop. I only wish I could relive the exact same for one more day.

2018 Alumni

Abhilasha Pawar

Dumpukht was a really creatively fulfilling experience where you get to hang out with other writers like yourself in a natural setting. With really great mentors who give you new outlooks on writing and even yourself, it was a great couple of weeks from which I came up raring to go and write more.

Stephen Preetham

I attended the Dum Pukht workshop a year into my foray into writing, and it was the best thing I have done. Pervin and Anil have helped me understand techniques and ways to tell stories, form characters, plot plots (not a typo, that) and manage to tell stories in a way that is uniquely mine. I also realized how much work writing actually is, and how critiquing helps the whole process even though sometimes you wholeheartedly want to punch said critics in the face. Package it with two weeks in enchanting Adishakti, separated from screens, surrounded by trees and a bunch of splendiferous people who would share your interests? You won't regret it, folks.

Nandhitha Hariharan

I walked into the workshop skeptical of what just 2 weeks can do to my writing – I walked out feeling like it was the best experience of my life. It was the first time in my life that I got to spend 2 weeks, focusing just on my writing with peers who were truly inspiring and mentors who went the extra mile. This has inspired me to take at least 2 weeks a year just to write! Not only this, I can say that all my skill sets as a writer (discipline being the most important one!) has become much better after the workshop. A big thank you to Anil and Pervin for not only curating something as wonderful as this but also for hand holding and guiding us through the 2 weeks!

Sarah Farheen

I was in terrible need for a break from all the shor-sharaba that they call the norm of life these days. ‘Lose the phone, Lose the boys!’ I kept telling myself, but to no avail. And then, Dum Pukht happened. It was like my prayers were answered when I found myself at Adishakti. Believe me when I say that the quaint ambience, the trees and the adorable pups of Adishakti are not just good for your writing but also for your health. Coming to the writing, I considered myself an under confident writer before the workshop. But at the workshop I learnt that the first thing I had to lose was my pessimism. The exercises conducted were so liberating and such good practice that I could feel the creative juices trickling through the sulci of my brain. The critiques were as brutal as critiques should be, but never discouraging. And this helped me get a hold on the annoying voice/editor in my head that was almost strangling my writing to death. I’m really grateful to Dum Pukht for all the above reasons. But mostly, because in those two weeks I realized how much I love writing and how I was letting ‘life’ get in its way. Now I make a conscious effort not to do that. Thank you Dum Pukht!

Kaushiki Saraswat

I am an introvert from another world and the idea of living with 15 other people on a strange land seemed to be an idea beyond me. But I did it any way. And I am so glad that I ended up at Adishakti with DumPukht group. It’s a place where you are allowed to ‘fail spectacularly’ and what else does an artist want from the world: sheer acceptance of their art with open arms and warm suggestions. Anil sir with his wit and charm, Pervin ma’am with her love and her effort to make time for every idea one might have and Akshat with all the fun, energy and a different point of view from all others; this is the best group of mentors one could find to be guided by. I came back with a suitcase full of stories and memories of late night sessions of analyzing stories and random chit chat. Do yourself a favour, go for DumPukht, you deserve the stories you’ll end up with.

Aarti Wani

At Dum Pukht, I looked to recalibrate my relation to words, language and expression from pedagogic/literary-critical to creative. At the end of two intense weeks in the quaintly verdurous Adhishakti, even as it dawned on me that one must write to write, the experience of unlearning and learning was deliciously piquant, thanks to the mentors- the gently persuasive Pervin, the insightful Anil and the fun Akshat. Likewise, the design of the workshop, which includes serious peer- critique sessions every day, not only produced an interesting inter-personal dynamic that I found enabling in terms of writing, it also made us a community of writer-critics who have continued the conversation about short-fiction that started at Dum Pukht.

Bree Alexander

My experience with Dum Pukht was wonderful at both a personal and a writerly level. It was two weeks of crucial learning that sensitized me and awakened me to a number of aspects of short fiction writing and writing more broadly that I had otherwise not considered. I also felt encouraged to try new things in my writing. The unique workshop structure that gave a lot of time to learning through both being critiqued and critiquing was a great challenge and opportunity to engage with a diverse range of writers and their perspectives. Pervin, Anil and Akshat, bringing their varied writerly backgrounds and facilitation styles, formed a generous team and helped create a friendly dynamic. Adishakti also provided an ideal setting to connect socially with the other participants as well as space and serenity to delve into our creative worlds.

Nalin Pasricha

Dumpukht seemed unique even before the program began. For some weeks prior to the program we were sent one short story a day to read and comment upon. The stories were very diverse and eased us into the frame of mind and quality required for the program.

The philosophy of the workshop seemed to be more about creating the conditions where we would learn from each other and from our experiences rather than explicit instruction. For instance, a large portion of the program was spent discussing each other’s writing – the instructors participated in the discussions but hardly ever prescribed a way of writing, instead they focused on helping us explore possibilities. We also had exercises and games involving collaboration, being more aware of sensory perceptions, thought associations etc. Although most of the program seemed to consist of exercises and discussions there were traditional style talks as well on topics such as structure, character, dialogue, point of view.

Then there was pressure – mainly in the form of tight writing deadlines, matching up to the high standards of other participants and facing our own vulnerabilities. Did the program work for me? I compared a story I wrote a few days before the program with another that I wrote towards its end. In my mind the latter story was far superior to the first one. So, I’d say the program helped quite a bit. Also, I met some incredible people and had a fun time. So, thank you Dum Pukht!

Prashant Gokule

Dum Pukht was a great experience. Very real and very fulfilling. Imagine you are an actor on a stage. You disconnect from reality and get into the character. You undergo a range of emotions; you feel them, live them and slowly imbibe them. That is what Dum Pukht does to you. It disconnects you from the mundane and bridges you with your true love, which is writing I am assuming. The reviews/critiques you receive from the mix of people you are working and
living with for those two weeks, really helps you understand your own work in a lot of ways. Anil, Pervin and Akshat are very professional, honest and on the money with their critique. Not only do they steer you in right direction, but also lend a helping hand along the way with their workshop exercises and carefully chosen reading excerpts. Moreover, you generate connections with your peers and mentors who are not only with you during the Dum Pukth phase but also afterwards. All in all, it is a life-changing experience and highly recommended.

Jabili Sirineni

Dum Pukht – like most important things in life- happened as an unexpected adventure. Away from urban chaos, Dum Pukht was a catharsis where reading, writing and talking about words seemed to become a liberating process. It laid routes to get to a most wonderful place in my own mind. Having a diverse audience and constructive criticism helped me break all inhibitions I earlier had about writing. By the end of it, we had all travelled so far and been so awed by the fascinating beauty of words that returning from it seemed impossible. Dum Pukht was like a little lifetime in a longer life that keeps exuding tender waves of nostalgia into the future. Here is a poem I wrote about the experience of the workshop:

Catharsis
Uncertain, anxious mind.
More like wind than water
Thoughts untranslated
Stories butchered
before beginning
This is how I went
To a world of words
On my return to chaos
I found the tremors
Of terrible tasks awaiting
But I brought back
souvenirs and memories
I feel like the ocean
More like water than wind
And it is time again to write

Uday Kanungo

I am indebted to the Dumpukht Workshop, first of all, for the sense of camaraderie and deep friendship it instilled in me for fellow writers and the instructors, with whom it was possible to share anything about writing and literature. To this day, I remember with strong nostalgia the conversations and the sessions which we participated in together, and the individual sessions with the instructors which gave a sense of security and encouragement in the face of the formidable and solitary pursuit of writing, and the intensity of reviewing each other's work and probing for improvement in our peers. Furthermore, the space that the Adishakti theatre offers is an ideal one for lapsing into the mood to create a world of your own, and I hope that every subsequent participant of the workshop enjoys it as deeply as I and leaves it as satisfied as I did.

Kalyan Kankanala

My experience at Dumpuhkt was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Adishakti, and assimilated some elements of writing at the workshop. Dumpuhkt  also gave me the opportunity to meet passionate writers and discuss their creative work. Anil, Pervin and Akshat go out of the way to educate, advise and support participants, and I would strongly recommend Dum Pukth to every aspiring writer.