By Gunjan Sethi
Dehradun, 7 Mar: A three-day ‘Acting for Life’ – Inside Out Workshop was held at The Doon School, where 40 students aged 12 to 18 participated to explore themselves through the medium of performing arts. The workshop was designed and conducted by Alok Ulfat and his team. It was coordinated by Ruth Anna Steger and observed by teachers Manu Malhotra, Divendu Kumar, and Satya Kumar. Perceptive teachers actively encouraged the students. The Doon School, known for providing holistic opportunities to its students, found this workshop aligned perfectly with its educational vision. Below are excerpts from a conversation with Alok Ulfat.
What were your main objectives while designing the Doon School workshop and how did you adapt your approach for a mixed age group?
The aim of the workshop is to help individuals deeply explore themselves through the medium of performing arts and to support them in growing beyond their limitations. It was highly productive to mix different age groups, as this brought a rich variety of characters and their perspectives. The process keeps me sensitive to each individual’s physical, psychological, and emotional development. Once a school approaches us, we first find out the age groups of the children and gather relevant information about the school’s values and vision. We tailor make to the specific needs of the respective organisation.
What qualities or surprises stood out to you while working with the students at the Doon School?
Each child is a miracle for us. Whatever they bring to the workshop is new and makes us curious about what is coming next. Doon School students come with a strong desire to excel, they are confident and eager. However, every child has certain social conditioning that can hamper or enhance learning. Activities in the workshop act like a mirror, allowing the students to observe their personalities and learn from one another. The process is non-competitive. The focus is on enabling them to complete their tasks without any competitive pressure. The results are outstanding. Creativity leads to self-discovery.
How does acting contribute to a young person’s development?
Through my workshop we are able to bring inner alignment – the opening of new perspectives. By inner alignment I mean a sense of inner integrity, where one’s feelings, beliefs, and expressions are not in conflict, but flow together in harmony. When we work together with open minds and open hearts, we unlock extraordinary potential. Our process creates a safe and inspiring space to discover hidden talents, strengthen authentic expression, and cultivate the courage to dive into the unknown. Students leave not only better prepared for artistic work, but more open and ready for the future itself.
Theatre is the greatest guru. It teaches presence, empathy, resilience, and truth. It opens countless doors, not only to the stage and screen, but to deeply integrated life.
How have you arrived at creating ‘Life in Learning’ approach to education?
This question has manifold answers. At the Doon School we worked with voice and speech, improvisation, imagination, inspiration, and intuition and many presentations over the three days. I have been working in the performing arts for almost three decades and the process I have developed is an authentic educational approach which I call ‘Life in Learning’, completely emerging out of my observations, experiences and intuitive understanding of human needs over the past three decades, after having done extensive work in schools and many further learning centres in India and abroad. My experiences at the Theatre in Education Company – National School of Drama, Film and Television Institute of India and many initiatives overseas have contributed immensely to my work.
Mention initiatives you have been working on?
The ‘Inside Out’ workshops and performances have reached over tens of thousands of students across a wide range of initiatives, including less-privileged schools, centres in the slums, YMCA Mumbai, rural and forest (tribal) communities, children from Tibetan monasteries, correction centres, children and youth from economically deprived backgrounds, individuals with special needs and hearing impairments, The Doon School, Welham Girls’ School, Ecole Globale School, the British School, The American School, Navodaya School, Sports College and many others. I have had the opportunities of working with various educational initiatives in various parts of Europe, Canada and South-East Asia.
Presently we are engaged in expanding our activities and will be coming up with many workshops for all ages. We are looking for volunteers and aspiring actors to join our initiative.
You have started to concentrate your work toward Uttarakhand. What do you expect from this region?
We work with students, teachers, actors, social workers, professionals and corporate groups. Our company, Avikal – ‘Initiative for Life and Active Learning’, was founded in 1990 and works in three main areas: i) Acting for Life Workshops – exploring the self through performing arts; ii) Inside Out – power of self manifestation; iii) Drama Clubs – creatively engaging children, adults (18+), and senior citizens (40 and above). We currently collaborate with 17 initiatives in India and abroad and work closely with the Nanhi Dunya Movement (est. 1946) and Nanhi Dunya Rangshala (est. 1987). Our primary bases are Avikal Studio at Inder Road, Dehradun, Mumbai, and Delhi.
Our overseas work is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers from Thailand and England. We hope to engage with more schools and colleges in this region offer our services.
What are your upcoming projects?
We are preparing two new plays to be staged in March and April. We are actively looking for actors, singers, and directors of all ages for plays and short films to join us. Our activities are held at Avikal Studio, the oldest intimate theatre in Dehradun. We are open daily from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Those interested can contact us at 98214 17495.
(Gunjan Sethi is an Art Director, artist, columnist, and cultural worker.)
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