Events

Have you ever heard about Origami? You must have, definitely. If not, Origami is Japanese paper folding art that started in 7th century. I have been doing Origami since my school days but I had never been serious about it until I was in college. It became a turning point in my life. I had always wanted to learn Japanese ever since I read Totto-chan, a best seller of Japan. And as I got exposed to the Japanese language and the culture, my perspective of Origami completely changed. I felt like I could explore my inner world. I was mesmerized by the unique Origami models. It helped me become more creative and confident. I realized it brings me immense joy and peace. And so, gradually, it became my passion. Since then, for the last 3 years, I have been trying to make Origami models every Sunday. I was learning Japanese at Mumbai University and there I made an Origami model of jumping frog to post on social media for some advertising purposes. My Japanese teacher saw the video and asked me to make a Kimono bookmark for a Japanese festival held in Somaiya college in Mumbai. I was ecstatic about this opportunity and I gave it my all. And from that day onwards, Origami was more than just a hobby to me. I even started creating Origami models using train tickets. One day, a ticket collector asked me to show my ticket for the ride. I pulled out a ticket from my bag and opened two or three folded tickets, and showed them the ticket for the day. That's when I saw her smiling at me. Thank God I found my ticket, otherwise, it would have been a major problem! After that, I promised myself only to create Origami using tickets that have already been used. Now, especially in lockdown, Origami has helped me a lot. It motivated me to wake up and do something productive. At the time I thought that why not start my very own YouTube channel where I can share tutorials of Origami models which we can use in our Indian festivals and it will motivate more people to venture into this art form. So, I decided to do it. To this day, I can't believe I have completed one year of my YouTube channel. I also started taking Origami sessions that helps me to improve my skills, which also inevitably boosts my confidence. Due to this, I can also connect with a lot of people. It feels very fulfilling too. Origami taught me to believe in myself. I found a way of living life vibrantly because of it. Just like while unfolding the paper to make a beautiful model, in life too, we need to take a step back sometimes to be in the right order. Origami has so many creases and folds which give each model its uniqueness and beauty. We humans, too, have a lot of creases and folds but that's what make us stand out from others. We are beautiful in our own way. And I think that's pretty amazing, don't you?

- Prajakta Chaudhari, SYBA