Long speeches, special prayer services, commemorative programmes, tributes and two minutes of silence, skits and long plays; these are some things we all associate with Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday observed in India. But storytellers in the capital city had something different in store for the people of Delhi NCR this year.
Delhiites were regaled with stories from Bapu’s life and tales about his teachings, in a myriad of storytelling sessions on 2nd October. Each storyteller brought their unique touch to their performance.
City-based Dastangos – Fouzia and Fazal Rashid presented ‘Dastaan-e-Gandhi’, a Dastangoi performance about Bapu’s journey from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi. Dastangoi is a centuries-old oral storytelling form, based in Urdu poetry, which has seen a revival in the last decade. The narrative comprised of anecdotes from his life, the Indian independence movement and Urdu poetry. The session was jointly organized by Sarvodaya International Trust and India International Centre.
(Pic Source: Dastango The Storytellers Facebook page)
Children in Gurgaon learnt about ahimsa and satyagraha, the principles on which Gandhiji based his movement for justice, through stories. ILoveRead.in Delhi conducted a storytelling and activity workshop where kids listened to anecdotes from Gandhiji’s life as well as stories that emphasized his teachings. Fun was the keyword at this workshop. The session ended with the kids building a huge Gandhi-themed floor art with waste material, invoking the true spirit of this festival and paying tribute to the Father of the Nation in their own way.
(Pic Source: ILoveReadDelhi Facebook page)
Senior citizens in Sohna Road, Gurgaon celebrated the day with stories by Kabuliwala Kamal Pruthi at Zorba. Stories, music and dance remained the focus of this event, organized by the cafe in association with an NGO.
While Gandhiji and his life have been part of textbooks for decades, these storytellers are taking things a step further by retelling these stories in a way that appeals to a more contemporary audience, and by adapting it for a younger generation.
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