Connections

It's amazing how when you set out to do something that moves your spirit, things just start falling into place and you begin meeting and connecting with people who have similar ideas and interests. When we began working on the concept and scope of Candidly, one of the first people Amita and I approached was Prabha Nagaraja, Executive Director of TARSHI (Talk About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues). Prabha was incredibly kind and listened to us with interest and appreciation for what we wanted to do. We had not expected anything more than advice but something about that meeting must have gone right. We received an email soon after the meeting inviting one of us to participate in a panel discussion for parents on Comprehensive Sexuality Education in March 2017. The discussion would include the nuances of discussing sexuality related issues with children of all ages.

It seemed like a challenge at first and as happens with any newcomer in any field, I was a little apprehensive and felt like I wasn't really qualified to discuss such a sensitive topic on a public forum. But once the discussion started, I felt like I belonged on that panel and that I could rely on my experience as a parent and a sexuality educator to get this right. I felt connected to every single person in the room and the experience was humbling and empowering all at the same time. There is nothing more heartening than to have people come up to you after an event and say that you made sense, that you were understood and that you helped in some way. The discussion ranged from hilarious anecdotes about parenting experiences, to practical tips on how to establish listening as a practice with children and how to provide accurate information to children in a world where they are inundated by stereotypes.

This brief blog post is my big thank you to TARSHI, to Prabha, to Ramya Anand from TARSHI who moderated the session beautifully and also to the other panelists Kaveri Ahuja and Satendra Sen who made the experience fun and meaningful. Thank you to all those who attended and all those who continue to support and encourage Candidly in it's infancy.

We have included the link to the YouTube video of the panel discussion Lets Open The Doors. Please watch and tell us what you think about it.

Here's hoping for a long and meaningful association with all of you. May we open many more doors together.