Meet The Storytellers: Sowmya Rajan Srinivasan

“The universe is not made of atoms. It is made of tiny stories” – Anonymous

Stories have the power to bind audiences from diverse backgrounds, geographies or ages, and these stories gain immortality through storytellers. Storytellers can influence entire generations and create a lasting impact on individuals, societies and nations through their stories.

Sowmya Srinivasan, one of the founding members of  Bangalore Storytelling Society, is a professional storyteller and educator.
She promotes creative thinking in children using theater, music and movement in her stories. She  encourages children to create their own props and visual aids  while telling their stories. She understands the transformative  power of stories and how they affect human psyche.

An M. Phil in Psychology from Annamalai University, a keen  blogger, mother of two, a wannabe traveler, Sowmya loves  gathering stories from around the world and use them as an  instrument of healing in her sessions.

Recently, Tell-A-Tale got an opportunity to catch up with  Sowmya.  Here’s an excerpt of our chat with her.

Tell us about Sowmya – the storyteller.
I have always lived in an imaginative, dream world and Storytelling is a natural extension of this part of me. Stories come to me asking me to share them! Like a treasure seeker I keep looking for that gem of a story and my biggest challenge is finding one I really want to tell.

Along with telling stories that reach out to me, I started writing my own stories and sharing my storytelling journey in a blog called SoulSpace. I also collect personal stories of Women in another blog called Reinvention Stories, which is an ongoing commitment to honor and acknowledge the stories of everyday women who create a significant change to their lives, due to internal or external reasons.

What influenced you to become a storyteller?

I told my first story to a group of children in a Special Needs school in Chennai called Vidyasagar in 1997. I was doing Rabbit and the Lion story, from the Panchatantra. I took the children to the garden, we sat in a circle around a bucket of water which was our well and I made each child an animal with paper cut outs. It was exciting to see the involvement and interest the children showed to that story, including trying to look at their reflection in the bucket of water. It was my first Storytelling experience and I always carried the feeling of connect and bonding of that session into my later life, when I chose Storytelling over being a Special educator.

I had learned Carnatic Music & Bharathanatyam for many, many years, as a result of a Mother who loved both and also had a natural flair for acting as a result of a Father who was an amateur actor in his early years, plus I have always been a book worm! Later when I wanted to pursue a job that was an outlet to all my creative interests like theater, dance , music & books and also that which could be done at my own flexible pace, I naturally veered towards Storytelling. Funnily as I record these thoughts, I remember I used to Mono-act for entertainment at family weddings, not realizing this was going to be my bliss in later years!

How have the stories in your life influenced your style of storytelling and the way you place stories?

I started telling stories in 2008. My style of storytelling is interactive and participative and I love to co- create a story wherever possible. Initially I saw it as an outlet to my creative energy and an immensely satisfying flexible job to pursue, considering the fact that my two children were always my first priority. Opportunities came to me and I chose to take up only those assignments that I felt I could execute to my satisfaction.

I was deeply interested in using stories to help develop socio-emotional skills in children; this is due to my early training in special education and my continued interest in psychology. This module I helped to co-create was a great learning experience and I saw myself grow as a Storyteller, for it took me deep into the realm of story metaphors and story analyses.

As I started telling adults, the world of storytelling opened up immensely and I saw the potential of a story in manifold ways and how every human being thrives on stories no matter how it is told. I discovered Personal Stories in this process and am fascinated by the whole process of crafting personal stories for telling.

I also enjoy telling stories in Tandem that is along with another storyteller.

Going forward I am hoping to start using Stories for healing and self-empowerment and provide one-on-one coaching based on my understanding of human emotions and storytelling.

[color-box color=” customcolorpicker=” rounded=false dropshadow=false]Children may forget the storyline, but remember characters from the story, while adults connect with the metaphor and storyline. [/color-box]

Tell us more about the audiences you work with. How different is the experience between different kinds of audiences?

I have told stories to almost all age groups, from Toddlers to Senior citizens. One of the first spaces that I told my stories was way back in 2009, called Think Box Library and I still tell stories there!

Children may forget the storyline, but remember characters from the story, while adults connect with the metaphor and storyline. Every Story session is a different experience. Starting from understanding who your audience is, to choosing your story, then seeing and experiencing the story going through an organic change as you tell the story, makes the whole experience most exciting and challenging.

It has been very rewarding to create a space for Adults to share and listen to stories, outside of the school environment. This has been possible only because of venues like Atta Galatta & Rangoli Metro Art Centre that have extended immense support and encouragement to us Storytellers here in Bangalore. I see myself as a pioneer in this regard, who has helped co-create a Community for Storytelling.

Recently I had the opportunity (along with another Storyteller) to tell stories in Tamil to a group of women employees and really saw that the reach of Storytelling is limitless.

[color-box color=” customcolorpicker=” rounded=false dropshadow=false]The greatest gift that can be given to a storyteller is to be remembered through the stories we tell.[/color-box]

Any particular incident/anecdote from your sessions that you would like to share with readers?

The greatest gift that can be given to a storyteller is to be remembered through the stories we tell. I remember telling a story in Tamil to a group of children in a village called Kodaganallur. When I went back, exactly one year later, there was this one child who came and told the entire story back to me, though he had heard it only once from me. That’s the power of a story!

There was another story I shared about a kite and an old man written by an American Dad who loves to tell stories, (a lawyer by profession), at the Chennai Storytelling Festival (an annual event held in Chennai facilitated by another American!). He went on to publish a dialogue we had over this story and both our experiences as a Storyteller in the Huffington Post, which made me understand how Stories can connect people from around the world.

I have kids who have been inspired to write stories of their own after my story telling sessions. Kids in summer camp who would not want to do nothing else but listen to stories by me. There have been many instances when children have wanted the story to end in a way I would never foresee!

[color-box color=” customcolorpicker=” rounded=false dropshadow=false]The Professional should know how to craft a story, understand the dynamics & application of storytelling and create their own unique storytelling identity.[/color-box]

Do you feel storytelling can be adopted as a full-time profession, like any other? What pros and cons do you foresee/advice that you can give for/to someone who wants to get into this full-time?

If you want to become a Professional Storyteller, then this is the best time to become one! The initial struggle is always there as one tries to establish oneself, so finding your niche is important and at the same time knowing how to adapt and be creative.

Yet not everyone who tells stories can be called a Professional Storyteller. The Professional should know how to craft a story, understand the dynamics & application of storytelling and create their own unique storytelling identity.

Dive right in and practice your craft.

Any suggestions to our readers how they can help in keeping stories alive?

Parents must tell Stories to their children. Family Stories are the best way to bond. Record some of these interesting stories and share them at family gatherings or at functions. Create a culture of sharing Stories. Encourage children to tell Stories that they have read. Let them also tell stories of incidents and events that happen to them. If they are interesting, encourage your children to tell them to a larger audience. Just watch how their confidence levels shoots up.

Stories are not about Moral values so do not insist on any moral value for a story. Just be aware of what you like and enjoy in the story and narrate it from your heart.

Do not restrict yourself to stories from books, (at the same time I must say this: Parents should read to their children). Look for stories in your life, in nature, in pictures, in music, in dance. Look for stories without words, even stories in a language you do not understand, a story can be created out of any object or feeling.

Create a Storytelling Community – gather friends and share stories.

Write your Life Story – record it as a memoir, even if you think you have nothing to tell-there will be something you can leave behind for your family, friends and the future.

There is a Chinese folktale which tells us that Stories which are not shared become serpents at night and make us sleepless, so remember that other’s know us through our stories, so share your stories and take back some with you too!

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Don’t Miss: We love storytellers as much as we love storytelling. On Tell-a-Tale, we’ve featured a lot of talented storytellers, in the past.

Are you a Storyteller? If you’re a storyteller who is actively pursuing storytelling and would like to be featured in this column, drop us a mail at contact AT tell-a-tale.com or reach out to us via Facebook.