The workshop and presentation possibilities outlined below are not an exclusive list. The descriptions should, however, give some idea of the range of possible presentations and target levels. Padma Venkatraman (T. V. Padma) enjoys tailoring her presentations to fit the specific needs and interests of the audience she is addressing.
The short stories in The Forbidden Temple are perfect for the middle age group. Padma often reads part of a story and then works to interact with her audience, by encouraging them to ask questions and participate in activities that tie in her story and geography, history, science, mathematics, or art. She brings handicrafts from India that can be passed around the classroom, Indian music to listen to, and Indian spices that the children can touch.
One of the stories in The Forbidden Temple, For love of a game, is a perfect fit for any group looking to learn or celebrate Diwali, the Indian festival of light. This festival usually takes place in October/ November. Padma reads a portion of the story, and then engages the audience in themed activities such as drawing a festive kolam (with chalk), and handing out Indian craft pieces that children can examine. This story is also perfect for horse-loving groups, or groups of children who enjoy sports and outdoor activities.
Another story from The Forbidden Temple, Checkmate, is set during the time of the Indian freedom struggle. When she reads to American children, Padma often draws parallels between the Indian freedom movement and the American Revolutionary War, and also between The Civil Rights movement / Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the nonviolent independence struggle lead by Gandhi. She is happy to have these stories lead in to discussions on the topics of freedom and nonviolence, and what these words mean.
The Forbidden Temple also has stories that can lead to discussions and activities centered around the following topics: The Stone Age, Ancient civilizations, Alexander, The History of Science and Mathematics, Buddhism, Hinduism, Persia, Trade, Tea, Spices, The Silk Road, and The Age of Exploration. Please look at the teacher's guide to the book for other ideas.
As a scientist and a teacher who had taught K-12 mathematics, Padma is also happy to read out one of her mathematical folktales. For example, Rounding Up Camels can be used to explain the concept of prime numbers, discussion rounding, and teach children how to interconvert fractions and decimals. Other stories in the collection that make for popular presentations are: The Eighth Donkey (counting), Double Trouble (power series), Filling a Space (volume), The Weight of a Crown (The Archimedes Principle), How many stars? (infinity and large numbers), A Fair Division (Division), and Gourmet Roulette (Factorials). Two of the stories can be acted out by young audiences: Shortening a Line, and Magic Squares. Padma is happy to bring along props to be used in a short classroom theatre session, if requested in advance.
Padma Venkatraman (T. V. Padma) teaches a course on scientific writing. She is happy to talk to adults and young adults about writing, and conduct writing workshops. She can combine a reading from her biography on Caroline Herschel with a talk on careers in the ocean sciences (or scientific careers in general), preparing for college, women and minority role models in the sciences, or a quiz that helps children learn about multicultural contributions to the sciences. She is also happy to combine book signings with talks about ways to draw children to mathematics and the sciences; the Indian culture; the Hindu religion; technical writing; or creative writing.
Padma has instructed graduate courses and has been invited to guest lecture and present workshops for faculty and professionals. Workshops on technical writing, scientific writing, writing good abstracts, writing a scientific proposal, and creative writing techniques may be arranged directly with the author, using the contact form.
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