The language of making.

Ever since I drilled a plank for setting up a projector, I have always wanted to make something using wood. As I was looking for someone to teach me the "how-tos" of woodworking, Makerspace coincidentally hired Deepak Bhaiya, who is a pro at the craft.

So far in my journey at Ashoka, my lack of Hindi didn't matter, as English was spoken by the majority. But now, with Deepak Bhaiya, we don't speak each other's languages. One would think this would be a barrier for me to work with him, but that has not been the case.

On Day 1, when we were both introduced to each other, Deepak Bhaiya wanted to build a tool shelf. I went down to the basement and I was surprised to see how well he had organized the tools, unlike the chaos in rooms 006 and 007.

We procured a long wooden carton from the basement, took it apart. So we had like three big planks with rusty old nails in em. My first job was to hammer these nails out of the plank — this so far is my favorite part of the project.

We measured, and drew countless right angled lines and cut the planks, all while I was trying to communicate using the only 10 words I knew. After more right angle markings it was hammer time — three planks, six nails each.

After feeling out of touch with making for the last few weeks, seeing the tool shelf completed was such a dopamine rush. It sort of brought back my spark.

I always thought that not knowing Hindi was going to be a drawback — that I could not interact with people and make real connections outside the academic setting. But this was one example that as long as there is a will to teach and a will to learn the skill, language doesn't matter.

This language attribute of this project might seem like nothing from the outside, but for someone who has always feared that some day this language is going to get shoved down my throat, this was a refreshing experience.

Within a week, I am back with another personal project of making a jewellery stand. Excited to see how that turns out.