As the country battles the aftermath of the second wave, help has continued to pour in from several corners. Having recognised the need to contribute towards ongoing relief efforts across the country, Mumbai-based theatre director and writer Sheena Khalid has joined hands with Studio Ekko, an event platform, to host a storytelling workshop where all proceeds will be donated to relief activities. “This workshop will primarily focus on short stories, which are around four to five minutes. I urge people to follow a process and some exercises; a way to find a trigger from their life to be able to tell their story. I insist that the story should be personal and something they’ve experienced, since they can talk about it with genuine emotion. Everybody is a storyteller; the only question is finding that spark and performing it,” says Khalid.

While the session is virtual, Khalid is determined to keep it interactive throughout. In the end, all proceeds collected will be donated to Nazariya Foundation, an NGO that works towards helping queer communities, and Project Sunshine, an organisation that assists underprivileged children. “Both these organisations have been doing great work throughout the pandemic. Nazariya Foundation has been providing therapy and rations to LGBTQiA+ communities and they needed funds. I felt like I could raise money through such workshops. Project Sunshine has been working to provide education facilities to children during the lockdown. We’re trying to make such workshops a continuous activity to pitch in at such times,” says Vidhisha Goel, co-founder of Studio Ekko.