Can storytelling be a transformational experience for the narrator and listener? Can it be a journey in self-discovery?
On World Storytelling Day on March 20, a team of 21 storytellers will go on a storytelling marathon spread across the day, to narrate personal accounts that inspire and heal. Organised by Mumbai-based The Secret Passages, in collaboration with Chennai-based Katha Vriksh and Mumbai-based Storycellar, the theme of the event centres around Better Endings, New Beginnings.
“The idea behind this event is to tell stories that are transformational,” says Geetanjali Shetty Kaul, founder of The Secret Passages. Each storyteller will narrate a five-minute story that is personal; that brought about a life-changing experience. This will be followed by an interactive session called “group harvesting”.
“When you share a story that you believe in, talk about your own vulnerability and your experience of finding truth, it makes a connect with the listener at a different level. For instance, I am narrating my own journey from being a person obsessed with the idea of having a control over external factors (individuals) to someone who today believes in empowering others,” says Geetanjali.
The event will bring together storytellers from across cities, sharing their experiences of passing through fear and change. “My story is about the life of a lie! How all these years, I pretended to be someone else; but my father’s cancer pushed me to come out. I realised I was not seeking for acceptance, but acknowledgement. I was blessed with education and privilege and I didn’t care for people’s acceptance to belong somewhere,” says Darshan Savalia, founder Storycellar.
C Mangalam Senthil, who tells stories under the banner of KathaKuteeram , believes that stories can not only educate and entertain but they can also heal, motivate, provide solace and can do wonders to the body and soul. Mangalam’s story is about how she learnt to drive a car in the face of rejection and fear.
For some, the pandemic opened up newer avenues of learning — like Visakhapatnam-based Sree Karuna, who switched her career from an educator to storyteller last year.
A simple act of colouring one’s hair can itself be a liberating experience. “That was a moment of realisation for me and helped me to love myself, which I had been struggling with my whole life,” says Jyoti Pande, one of the storytellers.
Geetanjali says that narratives around popular stories and fables are changing.
“There used to be no grey areas in stories. But today, stories are more about characters who have shades of grey and less about a hero or villain. We open up the possibilities of how a story can end. I strongly believe that stories can be more purposeful,” she concludes.
The event will be held at three time slots: 10 am to 12.30 pm, 5 pm to 7.30 pm and 8 pm to 10.30 pm.