CHENNAI: College students are not uninitiated in the fine art of clowning around, but to be awarded a certificate for the effort is unheard of. Stella Maris may just be the first college in Chennai to take the leap. In their case however, it's clowning with a difference. The college is in the process of launching a certificate course in therapeutic clowning - a form of clowning that takes a more studied curative approach (compared to clowning for entertainment), to raising a laugh.

The course is being developed by Canadian therapeutic clowns Fif Fernandes and Hamish Boyd, who settled in Auroville two years ago to establish their school of clowning, Komali MeDi Clown Academy. Having deployed humour and role-play in hospitals and community centres in Tamil Nadu to relieve stress and assist in healthcare, Fernandes and Boyd, are now stepping up their efforts in training and Stella Maris College is the first educational institution to which they're bringing it......click more

source web page:THE TIMES OF INDIA