The power of Shoonya'

When the Ollapallys lost their son Joseph, it was obviously a huge loss for them. The outpouring of messages drove them towards starting Shoonya, a multi-arts centre in memory of their son, who lived an inspirational life.

Talking about Shoonya, Joseph’s younger brother Thommen says, “It’s designed to be a place where different disciplines in the arts and somatic practices can meet. It was started by my family along with Michel Casanovas, who was a dear friend of my brother’s. He is a dancer and a Feldenkrais practitioner who worked with my brother. After Joseph passed away, we were struck by an outpouring of emotion. Invariably, people said their interaction with Joseph changed them profoundly. My brother was so passionate about his own journey of self-discovery that it inspired them to further their own.”

As his family, they experienced this profoundly and the way they processed his death was deeply shaped by the way Joseph lived his life. “We felt the need to share this with more people and with the belief that the arts and somatic practices can be powerful ways to further one’s journey of self-discovery, so we decided to setup Shoonya,” shares Thommen.

How do they plan to honour Joseph’s memory through Shoonya? “I think the ultimate quest is for authenticity. If we are able to find that for ourselves and in the way we run Shoonya, it will be a space that helps others find that for themselves. Achieving this objective  will be the highest way we can honour Joseph,” says the Columbia University alumnus.

For Thommen, his brother was a mentor, a guide and his touchstone. “Given that he was six years older than me, he brought me up in many ways,” he reminicses.

Talk veers back to Shoonya and Thommen throws more light on the activitvies planned at their centre. “We’ve had workshops, performances, talks, screenings, certified trainings around performing arts and somatic practices. We also have started a dance collective (Citizens of Stage Co Lab) as well as a corporate training programme that seeks to help people express their creative side through movement and somatic practices,” says Thommen. adding,

“The larger idea is for Shoonya to be a supportive platform for artistes and somatic practitioners as well as a space through which more people appreciate the value of art.”