Moti Choor Cheesecake

Even though deities are invoked differently in most households, the true essence of Diwali remains the same: victory of light over darkness.

So this year as we celebrate the true meaning of ‘Deepavali’ (where ‘deepa’ means ‘light’ and ‘vali’ means ‘row’; thus a row of lights) let us rid oneself of the darkness and negativity that dwells within.

We pray that the lights illuminating from Diya’s not only brighten your homes but also your hearts.

Wishing you and your family a very Shubh Deepavali!

Presenting Ganeshji’s favourite Moti choor Laddoo with a watdoumeal Twist

It’s one of the most simple receipe. You can buy both from a shop near you and assemble it with your own personal favourite flavours. Like ours being rose water and kevara.

We used the no bake cheesecake recipe with 4 simple steps. (Use your own favourite) or PM us on fb or insta for a full recipe 3) Spray rose water and kevara 4) Add rose petals and your favorite dry fruits 5) decorate with fresh edible flowers

The story to this receipe is , this diwali I’ve invited few of my non-Indian friends and wanted to create a fusion of desert which has best of both the world’s.

It’s easy to make and has the best festive vibes.

We bought the ladoos from our local favourite shop. Steps:.

1) get your cheesecake ready 2) Use boondi or ladoo crumbled on top of the ladoo

Conducting a Creative Pulse Check to Help Communities; Organisation collaborating to help families during COVID

Going on a Roller Coaster ride on a loop is an image that comes to my mind when I think of going through COVID in 2021.

While some roller coaster rides can be exhilarating, when done on a loop is sure to leave you feeling exhausted. While the thrills of working from home and waking up late did seem exciting at the start of the lockdown, needless hours staring at a screen, devoid of human social interactions, indeed left many of even the well-adjusted adults feeling flat. As an adult, I can only imagine the toll it has taken on the mental health of the young population.

Since its onset, COVID-19 has emerged as a significant health threat. A pandemic not only affecting our physical health but also creating an endemic of mental health issues. The recent lockdowns in Melbourne and Sydney caused an increased surge in calls of distressed children to the Kids Helpline (Sydney Morning Herald, 2021). Parents of young kids suddenly were forced to take the roles of surrogate teachers, a highly specialised part that requires extensive training, skills and experience. All while juggling their careers and working from home. While the proximity of sharing a household did have its advantages, turning a home into a school cum office created a bubble within the home bubble, where staying connected was becoming a challenge.

It is to burst this bubble and invest some conscious time and help bring parents to reconnect with their younger ones; Sydney Community Group collaborated with Mindkshetra and organised a Creative Pulse Check session during October School Holidays. Sydney Community Group has been working at the grassroots level on community initiatives for the betterment and upliftment of the community. A not-for-profit organisation spearheaded by Indu Harikrishna, an all women-led volunteer organisation that works on needs-based project initiatives responding to community climate. “I want to help mums and kids destress and spend some conscious time, breaking down the barriers and provide some practical strategies to help them”, said Indu, when she de-briefed about the project requirements. She wanted to ensure, along with being informative and practical, it included the element of fun.

Since conception, Mindkshetra has been working on many such initiatives, providing research-based creative arts psychoeducational strategies to help families nurture their mental health. As this was a pilot project, we only aimed at a small sample size of a maximum of 5 mums and kid’s pairs (age group Year 3 – Year 5 students). We advertised and recruited mums and young people through Facebook and community networks and enrolled three mums and four kids. As per Indu’s request, each activity was designed to facilitate a creative yet honest conversation and get insights into the young person’s world.

The first activity was a creative check-in using a Blog Tree. A blog tree is a communication tool that provides a visual prompt to identify how one feels. It was interesting to observe the young kids consciously contemplate their position on the tree and verbalise how they feel during the lockdown. One of the Mums, R, provided feedback that her daughter A’s share pleasantly surprised her. She revealed later, when I caught up with her, that she constantly worried about how her daughter was coping with the loss of social connection as a parent. “I was feeling guilty that completing chores and getting things sorted meant there is hardly any time to check in with A. It had been even a long time; we tuned in. Doing this activity reassured me that she is coping better than I assumed she is”.

The second strategy we discussed was an activity that encouraged the participants to reflect on their control and outside. The participants were encouraged to make a handprint of their palm and invited to jot down things within their power, within the boundary of their handprint, and place things they couldn’t control outside their palm print. The youngest participant of all, 8-year-old M, jokingly admitted that not hassling her sister was well within her control, up until her sister provoked her. This activity proved to be an important reminder to the mums that allocating time for self-care for themselves is well within their control and controlling their temperament.

For the final activity, I chose to teach the kids how to construct a chatterbox with a purpose. The kids were invited to self-identify eight different activities they would like to do to calm themselves. At the same time, I instructed the mums to help the kids build and decorate the chatterbox together. Though I conducted the activity online, I could sense the palpable buzz and chatter within the participant’s environment. As each kid enthusiastically worked along with mum to build the chatterbox. Once the kids completed constructed the chatterbox, I invited them to test the chatter box out with their mums. “I never thought such a simple activity could be so much fun”, shared D, a mum who watched her little girl engage with creative play.

The primary intention of conducting this pilot session was to help families take a pulse check of their kids and

impart practical knowledge to help cope with the stress of Covid Lockdown. The feedback received during the session and in the two-week follow-up interview revealed that the session effectively achieved this objective.

Just like little drops of water make a mighty ocean, Indu (SCG) & I (Mindkshetra), through our collaboration, hoped that organising this pilot session would help start a positive ripple. We aimed to spread the message of hope within the community and provide some practical psychoeducational strategies to families with primary school children barring the COVID lockdown brunt. Hearing the feedback from participants in the two-week follow-up interview that they were still using the chatterbox made in the session assured us that our collective effort paid off, and we indeed started a ripple.

Sydney Community Group is a Women’s Initiative of 60+ women and a registered Incorporated Not for Profit Community Organisations supporting the community across various suburbs in Sydney.

Email: info@sydneycommunitygroup. com.au Phone: 1300 983 222

Mindkshetra is a creative arts mental health studio, that nurtures life stories using creativity. The Practice works on the philosophy that nurturing mental wellness is as important as building physical fitness. Mindkshetra offers cultural art based creative art and art therapy workshops as a proactive strategy to boost resilience.

Contact: www.mindkshetra.com.au Email: rupa@mindkshetra.com.au Note: The participant names and identifies have been de-identified.