Stories that entertain can heal you too!

HYDERABAD :  From cave scribbling to Instagram ‘stories’, the mediums have changed, but our innate urge to share our lived experiences has remained the same. On World Storytelling Day (March 20), we speak to a few storytellers from the city about the art and its healing power. Zeeshan Hussain, a procurement executive at an MNC and a writer, tells stories in English and Urdu.

He believes that stories can change the world. “This form of art is a natural calling of every human being. What do you do around people? You tell your stories and listen to theirs. Listening to a story takes you through a soulful experience of feeling alive with the highs and the lows of the characters. You make an ethereal connection with them and start to look at the world from their perspective.

That’s where the magic begins. What unfolds now is a new paradigm which has the power to make every listener a more empathetic person,” he says. Revathi Mohan, a story therapist and an author, says: “The art has evolved from oral to visual. Storytelling empowers humanity. We are living in a generation where emotions have been replaced with emojis, where parents are competing with gadgets and where children learn stories through visual mediums.”

Is there any way to ensure that the stories that we tell are engaging? Storyteller Zakariya Zaki, who is a founding member of Anjuman-e-Fannan and Hyderabad Art and Culture Community, says: “A story can be called good and engaging when the audience is forced to use at least three of their senses out of the five (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). Use of metaphors and similes too can jazz up stories and help build a connect between the narrator and listener.

Stories must have a defined start, a mid portion and an end. A few cliffhangers can also do wonders to retain the listener’s attention. Stories are not just about wordplay and morality. Listening to them should make you go through an emotional roller coaster ride.” Revathi shares: “I use stories as a medium for diagnosis and healing. In my sessions, I create a plot and ask my client to choose the characters, places, attitude and other attributes.

It makes the listeners do an introspective analysis and relate to the stories. In some cases, I pick a situation which my client describes as tough, and examine if it can be seen in a humorous light. Looking at a situation from different perspectives helps the listeners achieve clarity about their emotions around a situation.”

THE STORY OF STORYTELLING

A story can be called good and engaging when the audience is forced to use at least three of their senses out of the five (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) sense

Zakariya Zaki, Anjuman-e- Fannan and Hyderabad Art and Culture Community

— Kakoli Mukherjee kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress. com @KakoliMukherje2