Express News Service
Storytelling has been an integral part of human civilisation from the beginning of time. Apart from being used to document every aspect of life, this narrative art has also passed on important information, moral lessons, and even culture from one generation to another.
Over the years, the Capital has wholeheartedly welcomed skilled raconteurs and story enthusiasts across ages at Kathakar—an annual festival that celebrates the art of oral storytelling. Established under the aegis of UNESCO by NGOs Nivesh and HHACH and as part of the Ghummakkad Narain—a travelling literature and arts festival—in 2010, Kathakar aims to revive India’s long-standing oral storytelling tradition and make audiences familiar with it.
In its 15th edition, Kathakar 2022 has partnered with the Ministry of Culture under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. The event, which commenced on Friday—it will end today—was inaugurated by Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of law and justice, at Sunder Nursery. The Amphitheatre at Central Vista, India Gate, was also the venue for a few sessions. Day one of Kathakar displayed star power with ‘Kissey Kahani aur Adakaari’, a conversation between musician Mohit Chauhan and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, moderated by Prarthana Gahilote. Other prominent names who graced the event included Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture; director Imtiaz Ali—who was part of ‘Kissey, Kahani aur Mausiki’ on Sunday—and actor Sanjay Mishra.
Diverse expressions
When we visited Kathakar on Saturday, the crisp winter air was in sharp contrast to the warmth exuded by people who were captivated by listening to Sarah Rundle, a storyteller from the UK, who shared Italian and North African women’s folktales. Rundle said, “Storytelling requires imagination and intellectual research to keep the audience indulged.”
Other performances we enjoyed were by Lillian Rodrigues-Pang, an award-winning storyteller from Australia; Niall Moorjani, who narrated Scottish Ghost Stories, and more. Moorjani shared, “The Indian audience is so interactive and expressive. Their spirit of participation is beautiful.”
Magic of stories
Over the course of four days, Kathakar has been successful in bringing together international and native storytellers as well as performers who regaled an audience across ages with diverse narratives. Today, the line-up will also include a storytelling workshop for teachers and children. It was amid a conversation with British-Sierra Leonean rapper-turned-storyteller Alim Kamara that we realised what the magic of stories actually means to people. He concluded, “Stories make us feel how different yet similar we all are, and that is beautiful.”
