Storytellers are by default explorers. They hunt for stories in every place they visit, every person they meet; always enthusiastic to meet new people and try out new things. Experiences for them are as important as air and water, and they are ready to escape into a magical world at the drop of a hat. Geeta Valecha is a storyteller who believes in the therapeutic powers of storytelling. Stories, she believes, provides a sense of satisfaction and happiness to not just the audience but also the teller. The enthusiasm and curiosity of her little listeners is what gives her the power to explore and tell new stories.
Geeta turned storyteller at an early age. Childhood games with friends from her neighborhood invariably ended up with her playing the role of a teacher, and answering her friends’ questions with stories. She would read out stories from her textbooks, complete with emotions, voice modulation, accent, etc. Her friends were her first audience as a storyteller.
As an adult, opportunity literally knocked on her door. Looking for flexi-work options on Facebook, Geeta stumbled upon Little Readers’ Nook. Within a month, she made up her mind and after a discussion with Founder, Devaki, she signed up as a story-educator with them. She started covering Versova and Juhu areas in Mumbai. Convincing parents that learning through stories was a fun and effective way of teaching was a big challenge. After all, every parent can read out a story to their kids, can’t they! But a storyteller, in essence, ‘completes’ a story – with props, song, action and music, bringing it alive for the kids. Geeta’s audience grew from 6-7 students once a week, to sessions in 3 different schools twice a week.
Below are some excerpts from our chat with her.
What are the kind of audiences you work with? Which is your favorite audience?
I work with children in the age group of 3-6 years as they are the best audience. They listen to you enthusiastically and show their affection uninhibitedly. As of now, since I am working with this age group, they are my favorite, but I guess any audience who is interested and eager to listen, and reciprocate are the best.
Any story that you particularly love using?
All the books we use for our sessions are fantastic. My favorite author is Julia Donaldson.
Do you think storytelling can be adopted as a full-time profession? What is your advice to those who want to do so?
Yes, why not! Stories take you to a different world altogether. It is a career choice that is stress free. The best part is your little audience who doesn’t judge you and makes you relive your childhood. If you love children, love reading, interacting and expressing then take it up. The rest is all about patience and dedication, which will take you a long way.
Your advice to parents and teachers on why and how they should keep stories alive.
It is very important to keep storytelling alive as it strikes a chord with children. It engages them and sets their imagination on fire in a way that can never happen while watching TV or playing with any other gadget.
Children love stories. It is so much fun. Enjoy yourself ! Bring out all the stories you have ever heard. It’s a wonderful bonding experience and a memory your child will treasure all his life.
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Geeta Valecha is a storyteller with Little Readers’ Nook. Read more about Little Readers’ Nook here.
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. Check out this complete list of Storytellers in India.
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 or Twitter.
