Since time immemorial, stories have always been a part of our lives and cultures. They captivate the imaginations of the listeners and transport them to magical realms far beyond reality, in voice and action. Storytelling societies such as Bangalore Storytelling Society (BSS) and Delhi Storytellers’ Network (DSN) have been instrumental in taking forward this initiative. They stress upon the need to develop the art of oral storytelling and promote the same through activities such as meet-ups, tell-a-thon’s, festivals, workshops, and publishing. The aim is to keep this art alive and strong through generations.
8th January 2017, Atta Galatta – Jaane Be Do Yaaron (BSS)
BSS hosted its first Storytelling meetup for the year 2017. Aptly titled Jaane Be Do Yaaron, it was indicative of the carefree, fun-filled ambience of the meetup. The meetup was an interesting session filled with stories. From the classic fairytale – Three Little Pigs, to short stories by Satyajit Ray to stories from mythology, the meetup was ideal for a sunny, Sunday afternoon.
Sowmya Srinivasan, a founder member of BSS, believes it crucial to revive and nurture the art of oral storytelling, a thought resonated by fellow storyteller Lavanya Prasad. The BSS meetups are a platform to encourage budding storytellers. It is also a powerful means through which awareness is created amongst professionals to foster this art and keep it going. Lavanya says, “storytelling not only lets people come out of their routine chores but also helps them to introspect and identify themselves with the narrated tales while they interact with the others too.”
We look forward to the BSS February meetup on 12th February !
22nd January, 2017, Oxford Bookstore – Kahaniyo aur Cha pe Gupshup (DSN)
A cold, cold winter evening in Delhi did nothing to quell the enthusiasm of these eager storytellers as they assembled at Oxford Bookstore for some chai and gupshup. The idea was to ‘Bring Your Own Story’ and did people do that ! The stories were narrated, read-aloud, sung, danced and even doodled.
Rituparna Ghosh, a founder member of DSN, believes that every person has a story hidden within them, in fact every person is armed with a bag of stories. One just needs the right time and space to tell them aloud. The DSN meetup definitely provided that platform to the hidden storytellers within each of the attendees.
Don’t forget to go armed with your own stories to the DSN February meetup on 26th February.
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