KOCHI: It was during the long months of Covid lockdown and isolation that Harish R Namboothiripad first nursed the idea of starting a storytelling group. The idea then was to give children an avenue for entertainment that was not confined to the six-inch screens of a mobile phone. By way of a WhatsApp group, ‘Katha Parayam, Kelku’, Harish, who is also a children’s author, started telling stories as audio notes. It was a big hit, with Malayali listeners tuning in from all corners of the world.
Now, in the run to the election, Kathaamaamen, as Harish is now fondly called, is back with a new spell of stories which help dissect the intricacies of voting. Animals are used as characters to make these intricacies seem interesting for children. It’s election time in the forest!
“Youngsters today are not interested in casting their vote. I hope to make a dent in this trend by getting children, the next to vote, excited to exercise their franchise. And what better way to do this than by the help of stories,” says Harish, who’s presently engaged in election duty in Kalamassery.
The school teacher from Ramamangalam has told over 1,000 stories so far on his WhatsApp group.
“My son Abhinav and his friends too are getting ready to cast their first vote. To encourage them, I have prepared motivational songs as well,” says Harish, who has written over 52 books for children. His next work, titled Kattile Voting, will compile all the election-related audio stories done so far.
Harish has been writing and telling stories every day without fail for the past three and a half years. His efforts have won him recognition from many quarters and even awards, including the Bhashabhimana award and the Chintamani award.