BENGALURU : Even as parents worry about their little ones spending increased time in front of screens, this storytelling festival is one where they won’t mind that. Ranga Shankara’s storytelling session for children AHA's Little Cloud is back with its third series from December 25-30.
The session will be happening digitally. With a line-up of storytellers, including Ratna Pathak Shah, MD Pallavi, Arundhati Nag, Sihi Kahi Chandru and others, the stories will span different languages – Kannada, English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Marathi. Along with that, one of the stories will be in the form of the classical Indian tradition of Kutiyattam, and one story is from Germany.
Arundhati Nag, founder of Ranga Shankara, for whom the event has been really special, hopes to spread the magic of storytelling through this programme. "Little Cloud on a digital medium is really special for us. So many artistes readily sent us stories. We have so much variety in this series with a very special one from Germany for children under four years of age. We hope to keep adding to this treasure," adds Nag.
Even if the sessions are for children between the ages of 4 and 6, people in any age group can enjoy it. MD Pallavi, who is going tell Angelina’s Christmas by Katharine Holabird in Kannada, points out that stories are very important not just for children but also adults.
"It helps open a part of the mind which leads to imagination and create a world of its own," says Pallavi, adding that when stories are told, it’s important that it’s told in a manner where concepts are easily understood.
Veteran artiste from Mumbai Gitanjali Kulkarni, who will tell stories in Marathi says it’s not easy to grab the attention of children. Which is why she will use movements to make it interesting for them. “The story I am telling is about four hens and two roosters which is basic, but I use a lot of movements and colours to capture their attention. You basically have to create world of their own,” explains Kulkarni, who has been in the field for 23 years. The event will be held from Dec 25 to 31, 11 am, on the theatre’s YouTube channel.