Storytelling has been an integral part of human civilisation from the beginning of time. Apart from being used to document every aspect of life, this narrative art has also passed on important information, moral lessons, and even culture from one generation to another.
Over the years, the Capital has wholeheartedly welcomed skilled raconteurs and story enthusiasts across ages at Kathakar—an annual festival that celebrates the art of oral storytelling. Established under the aegis of UNESCO by NGOs Nivesh and HHACH and as part of the Ghummakkad Narain—a travelling literature and arts festival—in 2010, Kathakar aims to revive India’s long-standing oral storytelling tradition and make audiences familiar with it.
In its 15th edition, Kathakar 2022 has partnered with the Ministry of Culture under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. The event, which commenced on Friday—it will end today—was inaugurated by Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of law and justice, at Sunder Nursery. The Amphitheatre at Central Vista, India Gate, was also the venue for a few sessions. Day one of Kathakar displayed star power with ‘Kissey Kahani aur Adakaari’, a conversation between musician Mohit Chauhan and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, moderated by Prarthana Gahilote. Other prominent names who graced the event included Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture; director Imtiaz Ali—who was part of ‘Kissey, Kahani aur Mausiki’ on Sunday—and actor Sanjay Mishra.
Shaguna Gahilote—an organiser of the Festival along with her sisters Rachna Gahilote Bisht and Prarthana Gahilote—shared, "Kathakar has been an intrinsic part of human history across cultures. With the advent of modern means of entertainment, it has been sidelined. We, the Gahilote sisters as a festival team, have therefore been trying to revive and promote the traditional artform for the past 12 years.”
Diverse expressions
When we visited Kathakar on Saturday, the crisp winter air was in sharp contrast to the warmth exuded by people who were captivated by listening to Sarah Rundle, a storyteller from the UK, who shared Italian and North African women’s folktales. Rundle said, “Storytelling requires imagination and intellectual research to keep the audience indulged.”
Different types of audiences will take different things from a story and as a narrator, we need to understand what the audience wants from it. The stories that I tell come from different parts of the world like Russia, the UK, etc. While preparing a story, I take time to conceptualise the whole thing—from the character's outfits to their lifestyles and surroundings. If asked what type of stories I personally like; I like stories with a twist.”
Lillian Rodrigues-Pang, an award-winning storyteller from Australia, entered the stage with a handheld percussion, and immediately started interacting with the audience—especially children. Her voice modulation was part of the reason why the audience remained enthralled. Talking to us about her journey as a storyteller, Lillian shared that stories are her way of staying connected to her roots as they remind her of childhood days and bring her back to the comfort of home.
She added, “When I started storytelling—which I have been doing professionally for 25 years—I looked into my culture first to get stories from there. I grew up in Australia, my mother is from El Salvador, and my grandparents were from Palestine; so we all live in a mix of cultural heritages and [have heard] folktales from multiple places. In this fast-moving society, we just try to be what the world needs us to be instead of what we truly are.”
Later that evening, when the audience were both scared and awestruck by the Scottish ghost stories narrated by Niall Moorjani, the Scottish-Indian writer, theatre-maker, and storyteller was filled with joy. Moorjani said, “The audience in India is so interactive and expressive, and indulged in these stories. Their spirit of participation is beautiful. The most lovely thing about them is that they are honest: If you are doing well, they will tell you and if not, they will tell you that too. It is always a refreshing experience to perform in front of an Indian audience.”
Magic of stories
Over the course of four days, Kathakar has been successful in bringing together international and native storytellers as well as performers who regaled an audience across ages with diverse narratives. Today, the line-up will also include a storytelling workshop for teachers and children.
It was amid a conversation with British-Sierra Leonean rapper-turned-storyteller Alim Kamara that we realised what the magic of stories actually means to people. Mentioning that he has always been a storyteller, Kamara added that rap was the closest form of modern-day storytelling that he feels comfortable with. Sharing a memory with us, he concluded, “When I was a kid, I loved listening to stories—it changes something in you and takes you to different places you have never been to. As a child, it was really mesmerising to me.
As I grew up, the only form of storytelling I knew was hip-hop, rap, comics, or cartoons. In university, my lecturer knew that I was a rapper and wrote lyrics, and she asked me to attend a storytelling module. It sounded interesting; I just went for it. But she then asked us to narrate a traditional story.
That is when I realised how important it is to carry forward the stories our ancestors lived. I started looking for stories with a traditional touch while talking to people. I came across stories that were similar in various regions with a bit of changes. That’s the magic of stories, it makes you feel how different yet similar we all are, and that is beautiful.”