The global storywallah

Deepa Kiran, who was in Kochi recently, is one of the few story tellers in India to have travelled across the globe to tell stories

KOCHI: Deepa Kiran visited Iran for the first time in 2016. It was her first trip to the country known for its rich and powerful story telling tradition. “I was taken to Iran in my capacity as a professional story teller to attend an international art festival. It was amazing to see how seriously the people and their government have taken up the art of storytelling.

Deepa Kiran in one of her
sessions

The adults were also awesome. I saw politicians and academicians shed all inhibitions and participate in my workshops with enthusiasm,” says Deepa who was in Kochi for a reader’s fest organised by Panampilly-based Circuit Creative.
Over the years, Deepa has also visited countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Scotland which is the Mecca of storytelling. She will be visiting Austria for a session in May.

So, how did this come about? “I guess I have been lucky. I was referred to these places by other international story tellers. These travels helped me grow as I have been able to meet very senior artists who have been in this field for years. I have been able to pick up on many of their techniques and the kind of stories they tell children,” Deepa said.  

Deepa believes she always has an edge over many others, because she has always been very passionate to learn new languages. “Ever since I was a child, I always had a keen sense to learn new languages. In my profession, this helps a lot. Right now I am taking a course in German and learning a few stories in this language so that I can connect well with the audience when I go to Austria. It helps to know and narrate in their language since it breaks many barriers,” says the Hyderabad-based girl.

Apart from her storytelling workshops, Deepa  is an active resource person at the Ministry of Culture.
When you ask her about the situation of story telling in India, she is quick to say she has come a long way. “Storytellers have existed even 25 years ago. But then, towards the end of the 20th century, there was a big lull in this art form. It has grown over the years. Kerala has grown in the storytelling field too. In Kochi, unlike other states, I was amazed to see that almost all the children knew a lot of stories,” she says.