Even at 60, she could be whoever she fathomed to be. A beautiful princess, a croaky frog, an ugly blobfish, a brave warrior, a cruel dictator, an amiable friend, a peevish stranger or a docile dove. Sudarshan Batra metamorphosed into a different character every night. It was her many stories that granted her the right to weave a fascinatingly magical, playfully whimsical and utterly satisfying world of make-believe that she made her grandchildren a part of at the stroke of nine each night. In her telling of these fables, her grandchild Samegh Batra found himself completely enraptured in her sprightly expressions, animated movements and dramatic stance.
Now 28, Samegh is doing his bit to revive the tradition of storytelling. Rekindling those intimate connections that he made with his grandmother years ago, he and his 26-year-old wife Tanvir are bringing back to life all those glorious narratives through their voluntary initiative called Friends of Heritage, a society that works to support the preservation of heritage. Their maiden storytelling session was on September 12 at The Qutub Tiffin in Delhi.
There is something about oral traditions of telling a story, or retelling a folktale, that stimulates the imagination and stirs the soul in a provocative way. The seduction that the world of fantasy holds within its thought-provoking grip always makes for a mysteriously attractive web of words used to create an impact. “There is something so surreal, yet so real, about stories and the way they’re told. Evoking memories from the past, they transport you to a land of possibilities. It’s sad that this art form, perhaps one of the oldest, is a fading one,” says Samegh.
With the help of Story Ghar, an organisation that’s being spearheaded by storyteller Jaishree Sethi, there’s always an abundance of tales in the Batra kitty. Through these recitations, attempts will be made to make children aware of their environments. “Every story has a moral lesson at the end. Children learn about family values, nature, gender sensitivity, culture and other important aspects of life. Because we as a family work extensively on conserving and maintaining heritage, that’s also a theme that reflects through the work,” says Tanvir.
The curated framework of these workshops focuses on building language proficiency, articulate expressions, original thinking and a confident disposition. It’s also an attempt get children outdoors. “Kids have such short attention span these days. Technology has spoilt their sense of realism. These storytelling sessions will get them out of their homes and make them a part of an activity that’ll stimulate their intellect, we hope,” says Samegh.
Supplemented with a walk to Qutub Minar, the session threw light on a historical masterpiece that still manages to catch the fancy of people. The storytelling session was led by Swapna Liddle, co-convenor of Delhi Chapter, INTACH, who walked the children through the premises, educating them about Qutub Minar’s significance, it’s history and prominence, and the need to constantly conserve it and other such sites.
“Each session will have a different activity along with 45 minutes of storytelling,” says Tanvir. “It’s for kids aged 6-10 years. At that age, your absorption level is terrific. It also puts a lot of pressure on my husband and me to make sure the stories are presented in the best possible way, with the right kind of anecdotes, understandable language and a lot of elaborate explanation. We want these kids to go home with lessons well learnt.”
With demanding academic schedules, intrusive technology, an inundation of information, and the growing epidemic of play stations—
the telling of these tales may prove to be the greatest escape. Even if a few narratives are able to sensitise young minds, the story would have a happy ending.