LOS ANGELES: "The goal of all communication is silence," stated facilitator Vivek Kashyap, a volunteer with the nonprofit organization, Be the Cause. The workshop was based on Dr Marshall B Rosenberg's application of Nonviolent Communication. Held at the Sanatan Dharma Temple in Artesia, CA, the workshop focused on the importance of non-violent language, which involves connecting with one another through compassion, understanding, and empathy.

South Asian Network, in collaboration with, Center for Pacific Asian Family & Sahara and Be the Cause organized this workshop to raise awareness about the rates of domestic violence and child abuse and provide tools that will assist families in utilizing a nonviolent paradigm. The organizers also held a children's art workshop attended by 12 children and lead by Rucha Tadwalkar based on the "Hands are Not for Hitting", a curriculum developed by Martine Agassi, PhD, to educate children that hitting is not appropriate and ways in which they can communicate to allow for everyone's needs to be met.

The utilization of non-violent communication in our relationships allows for everyone's needs to be met equally and it provides us with a different language to communicate, listen, and resolve conflicts. The intention of this form of communication thus allows for us to understand one another comprehensively, thus negating the very need for communication.

The workshop focused on using this philosophy to discuss ways we can build healthier families in the South Asian community. The 30 participants at the workshop found the topic to be extremely useful and timely. The discussion on nonviolent communication provided information on the impact of anger on the human brain, participatory exercises to discern how we learned to express anger and alternative methods of communicating that facilitate healthy and equitable relationships.

Archana Joshi, a volunteer with SAHARA and Saima Husain, a Community Advocate at South Asian Network, also provided participants several suggestions for a more harmonious life such as making house rules based on feedback from all the members and holding off on sending that nasty e-mail until you are a bit calmer.