NEW DELHI:
Storytelling, and how it can transform our understanding of the world, was brought alive on stage by performers across the globe on the second day of ‘Kathakar—International Storytellers Festival’, with captivating performances by well-known storytellers such as Godfrey Duncan, popularly referred to as TUUP, Xanthe Gresham from the UK, and Michal Malinowski from Poland. These performances were also punctuated with flavourful sessions on Indian folktales by Navin Pangti, and ‘Powada’, the heroic tales of Maratha leader Shivaji by Samrat Adinath Vibhute.
‘Kathakar’, India’s only oral storytelling festival, began at India Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) on November 16 and aims to weave a rich tapestry of imagination and culture through powerful tales rooted in ancient storytelling traditions. Over the course of the festival, the event, organised by NGO Nivesh and Ghummakkad Narain, has witnessed immersive storytelling sessions focusing on India’s rare art forms as well as native tales from Africa, the UK, Greece, Poland, Russia and Iran.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were ace Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali, singer, composer and singer-songwriter Mohit Chauhan, senior BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal, Renuka Mishra, ADG SSB, Nidhi Srivastava DC SDM, Shaguna Gahilote, well-known storytelling artist and one of the main organisers of the festival, among others.
In a panel discussion with storytellers titled ‘Reimagining Storytelling’, moderated by Gahilote, Ali spoke of how the highest philosophical concepts in India are explained to people through stories: “Storytelling not only teaches you lessons or entertains you. It goes beyond that to offer you a ray of hope.”
Acting as a foil to these discussions were the actual story narrations. The ‘Bapu Ki Kahani’ (Story of Bapu) session by Gahilote offered insights into the life of Mahatma Gandhi through simple anecdotes that amplified his lifelong tryst with honesty and empathy. “His whole life is a story composed of his experiments with truth,” she said. She urged audiences to sing the Father of the Nation’s favourite bhajan titled ‘vai??ava jana to tene kahiye’, to underline Gandhi’s abiding sense of affection and sympathy for fellow beings. Gahilote, who articulated the meaning of the bhajan, explained how the Mahatma stayed true to the idea of understanding the pain of others, which lay at the crux of being an ideal Vaishanava.
The pièce de résistance of the festival’s second day was TUUP’s narration of a Creation tale from South America. Born to Guyanese parents and raised in London, TUUP, which means ‘the unorthodox, unprecedented preacher’, held the audience in spell through his acts of unmatched improvisation and mimicry. He made the story of a young boy from the rainforests of Amazon come alive through outstanding charisma and spontaneity. Being a creative lyricist, poet, percussionist and vocalist in an earlier life, he recreated the Amazonian rainforest through bird songs, flowing rivers and other primal sounds of the jungle.
The Indian colours and flavours were added by way of folktales of Uttarakhand by Navin Pangti and Powada tales of Shivaji by Samrat Shri Adinath Vibhute of Maharahtra. Adinath Vibhute’s performance, was a rhythmic combination of music, poetry and songs that gave the storytelling format a new dimension. His troupe narrated the valorous legend of Tanaji Malusare, Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj’s comrade and the hero of the Battle of Sinhagad. The battle scene was animated on stage through accounts of Tanaji’s epic courage while he led a military campaign against Udaybhan Rathod, guardian of the fort, under Mughal army chief Jai Singh I. Powada, a powerful genre in Marathi poetry, dating back to late 17th century, was enacted for the Capital’s audiences, in its typical ballad style.
Capping of the day was Michal Malinowski’s lore from Poland, where greed and gluttony were denounced through a parable of old Polish citizens and a group of mice. Malinowski, a museologist and founder of The Storyteller Museum, which is dedicated to the traditions of oral and intangible heritage, urged the audience to renew their ties with oral traditions to fight contemporary adversaries.
The finale was a session Kissey, Kahani aur Rockstars an in-conversation which almost seemed like a chat between three friends. Prarthana Gahilote, the festival Director, got Imtiaz Ali to open up and talk about his journey and search for characters. Imtiaz Ali narrated three stories. He recalled how he used to ask his grandmother to narrate to him the same story every night, however his daughter would ask him for a new story every night. He had to therefore cook up and innovate a story every night. This is when Prarthana asked for an impromptu story from Imtiaz by asking the audience to throw five words which he then wove into a story. Later on Prarthana and Imtiaz were joined by the other half of Rocksar, singer-songwriter Mohit Chauhan on stage. The two talked about the creative process of the music of Rockstar. Mohit Chauhan also rendered some soul stirring singing from the Rockstar album. The audience was totally enthralled and refused to leave the venue even till after 11 pm.
