Intricate stories take centre stage

Soothing classical music wafted through the air as we walked towards the open amphitheatre at Sunder Nursery on Friday evening.
Patrons enjoying a performance by Sanchi Peswani
Patrons enjoying a performance by Sanchi Peswani

Soothing classical music wafted through the air as we walked towards the open amphitheatre at Sunder Nursery on Friday evening. The steps of the amphitheatre were evenly-lined with cushions, on which excited spectators sat eagerly waiting for the first performance of the 14th edition of Kathakar - the International Storytellers Festival. This two-day celebration of oral storytelling is organised by Delhi-based NGO Nivesh and Himalayan Hub for Art, Culture, and Heritage, an NGO under the aegis of UNESCO.

The festival kicked off with Mumbai-based storyteller and performer Sanchi Peswani. Clad in white, traditional Dastangoi attire, Peswani narrated a short story in Hindi from Curious Tales from the Desert, a folktale collection by Shaguna Gahilote. An independent artist, Peswani has been performing the art of Dastangoi Gujarati. “The idea was to make old Gujarati stories interesting so that people can connect and engage with the tales more,” she shared.

Peswani performing at Sunder Nursery; Michal Malinowski narrating a tale on Friday
Peswani performing at Sunder Nursery; Michal Malinowski narrating a tale on Friday

Known as one of India’s only storytelling festivals, Kathakar began its journey in 2010 as a platform that aims to revive the art of storytelling in India. “Traditional storytellers in the country were not earning properly from this. So, the next generation was not keen on taking up the tradition as a career. We wanted to change that,” shared Gahilote, one of the curators of this festival.

Tales from the dunes

This year, the festival—this edition is curated around the theme of the desert—features 10 sessions that will allow the audience to experience music and stories from Thar as well as international tales such as that of the Polish sand dunes by Michal Malinowski, a folklorist who founded The Storytelling Museum of Poland. “Storytelling is not just about sitting and telling stories. It is an experience and emotion of its own,” shared Malinowski during his performance that the audience had been waiting for despite the sudden spell of rain in the city on Friday

Today’s schedule includes a performance by Sikandar Khan, a storyteller from Rajasthan as well as a discussion on Kissagoi—a form of storytelling—by Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali along with playback singer Mohit Chauhan and composer Shantanu Moitra. We met grandmother-granddaughter duo Lily Basu and Anushka Basu from Sarita Vihar at the event. “To have an event such as this, where one can listen to stories, is quite refreshing,” concluded Lily.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com