BENGALURU: Several of us have grown up listening to stories on how Rapunzel escaped from a tower and how Cinderella was helped by a fairy godmother. But there are other lesser known fairytales that break stereotypes and shall resurface at Rangasthala Auditorium on September 24.
Sowmya Srinivasan and Priya Muthukumar of Bangalore Storytelling Society will present an hour-long session to share stories of forgotten fairytales.
Did you know about Cinder Edna, who happens to be Cinderella’s neighbour? Or of an Indian fairytale? “Bopuluchi is known as Indian Cinderella and she hails from Punjab,” says Sowmya.
“But the similarity lies only in the parts where she uses animals to help her escape from a very difficult situation,” she adds.
The story is derived from AK Ramanujam’s Folk Tales of India. Sowmya, giving the gist of the story shares that “Bopuluchi does not wait for prince charming but manages to escape the clutches of a dangerous thief and a witch.”
Priya Muthukumar, who believes that fairytales are controversial and a reflection of time and society, will tell the audience about Cinder Edna.“She was very much there in the fairytales but was different from Cinderella in many aspects. I stumbled upon her character by chance when I was surfing the internet,” she says.Sowmya believes that fairytales are actually all about transformation and not about rescuing a damsel in distress.
“In Forgotten Fairytales we choose to bring to light some very unusual fairy tales that people have forgotten to tell,” says Sowmya. These fairytales highlight imagery and may even have a twist that is unusual or tries to break the stereotypical fairy tale story like that of Cindrella or Snow White, she adds.
The event is held under the flagship of Heads and Tales, an interactive, family storytelling session.
It is conducted at Rangasthala Auditorium on the last Sunday of every month for over three years.