CHENNAI: Tired of listening to grim tales and looking for a breather? Meet storyteller-cum-author Lavanya Srinivas, known for her empowering and enriching stories. City Express chats with the founder of Katha Kamamishu about her journey and the upcoming ‘Storython’ event by Kathai Kalatta.
A regular in All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan during her college days, Lavanya says that being a teacher fueled her interest in storytelling. “I have been a teacher and I used to make my English classes interesting by narrating stories that were in the books of a different class — something students didn’t expect. This made it exciting for me as well,” she recalls.
She says that even students who were tagged as slow learners started becoming active and involved in other lessons. “This became my style and in any subject I taught, I used to introduce the main concept in the form of a story. I incorporated the same in spoken English classes and soft skills training,” explains Lavanya, who is also a certified soft skills trainer from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad.
In 2009, Lavanya met storyteller Eric Miller, and has been a part of programmes conducted by him ever since. “Until 2010, I used to move in and out of the city. After I settled here, I started doing my regular storytelling and training classes and in 2012, I started my own venture called Katha Kamamishu,” she shares.
Katha Kamamishu intends to take up stories from Indian languages. Lavanya translates stories from Telugu to English and vice versa for Tulika Publishers. A trainer in activity-based storytelling, she has conducted workshops for children and adults in classrooms, colleges, and corporate settings. She is working on bringing in dramatised reading and reviewing books during her sessions.
“After I narrate a story, I discuss the author and characters. Sometimes, I ask my students to come up with a different title or make an illustration out of the narrative,” she explains.
A passion for language, stories and education came together and chanced upon a journey for Lavanya which she calls a ‘great journey’.
So what will she perform on the day of the storython? She smiles, and says, “Let’s just say that I will be sharing tales that aren’t grim or heavy. The crowd will be a mix of parents, children and grandparents and I will be narrating stories with a family set up. People today are becoming more self-centered and isolated. My stories will be something that will point to the joy, support and strength that one can derive from a family system.”
Pointing to the false perception that storytelling is only for children, she avers, “Storytelling is for everyone and I am working on encouraging and providing opportunities for young storytellers through Katha Kamamishu. I want to support them so that they feel confident that there is a career and a future in this. With the group expanding, we meet more people, more stories and that’s more enjoyment!” she claims.
Catch Lavanya perform live at Storython on October 1 from 11am onwards at Stepping Stone, Spur Tank Road