Nine story tellers visited the city recently and captivated children and adults alike with their tales, some funny, some scary and some that included song and dance in them. Kathai Kalatta organised the story telling festival at Chandrakanthi Public School and there was much laughter and cheering in the crowd as the tales unfolded. Most of them borrowed traditions from their respective cultures and made it their own as they spun their yarn. Of the nine story tellers, Vikram Sridhar from Bengaluru, Jeeva Raghunath from Chennai and Craig Jenkins from London have already visited the city before.
Alicia Dongjoo Bang (47)
South Korea
Alicia Dongjoo Bang
As a teacher, Bang used to read out stories to her students. One day, a student said that he wanted more than just being read to. “I put down the book to tell them a story. I looked into their eyes and we instantly connected,” she recalls. She now uses music and instruments like the Korean Fiddle to add drama to her stories besides changing her voice every now and then. “Children find it interesting that I use Korean words. I use a lot of repetitions, hand gestures and also use picture books.” Her country has a community called Cheong Soo that travels around telling stories. “In olden times, only the privileged could read. And they passed down the stories,” she explains. Pansori, another tradition, is a musical way of storytelling and is performed on stage. “I am passing on my culture to others.” She believes that she is the director of her audience’s mind when she is performing. “I am inspired by my audience. I try to figure out what they like, and then cater accordingly.” Her stories are mostly from Korean folklore.
Favourites: The Story Bag, The Sun and the Moon, and Three-Year Hill.
Richard Vilar (55)
The Philippines
Richard Vilar
the tradition of Bayok by the Maranao community and describes it as is a story wrapped in chants. The story telling can go on for weeks for weddings or if there is a new sultan. The Manabo community practises Panguman which is also filled with changs but in a different style. He believes that the heritage of every place and community is wrapped in their stories. “We need stories to pass on the wisdom of our forefathers. Storytelling is a way to bring people back to their roots.” He puts in a lot of thought before selecting stories and looks for those with deep meanings that can cut across all age groups. “I like stories that talk about history, love and humanity.”
Favourites: The Legend of the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, The Monkey and the Turtle and The Legend of the Pineapple.
Deeptha Vivekanand (35)
Chennai
Deeptha Vivekanand
illupattunarrates stories on a number of subjects. Kathayum Pattum, another tradition, blends stories and songs.” She believes that narratives helps us make sense of the world. “ Stories are the most important way of communication. They help in understanding multiple truths, as a single story — when told from various perspectives —will convey different meanings.” With a keen interest in folklore, she alters them to cater to the modern times. “I also make sure the stories I pick do not show women in poor light.”
Favourites: The Little Boy and the Pumpkin (Indian folklore), The Rainbow Bird (Native American), and Dala Tarwadi ( Gujarathi)
Aparna Athreya (41)
Karnataka
Aparna Athreya | Photo Credit: S. SIVA SARAVANAN
Athreya, a former software professional, started telling stories as part of her company’s CSR project. “I use music, my body, my clothes and even the audience themselves as props.” She speaks of the oral tradition of story telling in Karnataka that includes the Yakshagana (which combines stories, music and dance) and Burrakatha. She believes that she can connect with others through stories. “My stories depend on my audience. I elicit stories from them.”
Favourites: Alice in Wonderland, Aesop’s Fables and Ramayana
Alumbe Hellen (42)
Kenya
Alumbe Hellen
Hellen worked as an actor before being introduced to a storytelling company. Using a lot of traditional African music, instruments, chanting, and dialogues, she believes in “combining all genres of performing arts in storytelling. I think storytelling is a mode of teaching. It is problem solving and I think it is important to pass on the stories that we know to the next generation.”
Favourites: Why monkeys Climb Trees, Ten to Ten and Fish Soup.
Hans Laurens, (64)
Denmark
Hans Laurens
A trained architect, Laurens got into storytelling quite unexpectedly when he found his students were bored with the usual methods of teaching complex technical ideas. So he started presenting it to them in the form of stories. In his sessions, he makes use of use sounds to catch the audience’s attention. “Our storytelling tradition is not as prominent as in India or China. There are occasional sessions where people sit around storytellers, who are most likely priests.” Laurens is trying to revive oral folk tales that have died out.