Kathakar International Storytellers Festival

A group of thirty Indianites of class VI visited the Kathakar International Storytellers Festival held at the IGNCA ( Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts ) on 16 November 2018.This festival is Indias only oral storytelling festival, which took form in 2010 as part of the Ghummakkad Narain- Travelling Literature Festival, to promote and preserve the traditional art form of storytelling. Several schools of Delhi and NCR participated in the three-day mega event held from 16 November to 18 November 2018. Several famous storytellers offered a treasure trove of short stories at this literary fiesta. The first story was narrated by Xanthe Gresham, a professional storyteller from the United Kingdom, who has been performing for 25 years. She narrated the story of Babylono, a witch. She bewitched the young audience with a magical spell of sounds, gestures and expressions to make her characters come alive and the narration thrilling. [gallery link="file" order="DESC"] Next, the students of the Blind School narrated two stories using props. The stories conveyed moral values seeped in rich Indian culture and tradition. Their performance was a visual treat and much appreciated by the audience. The next segment included a Phad performance by the famous Rajasthani Phad artist, Kalyan Joshi. Phad originated more than 700 years ago in Rajasthan and is part of an elaborate song and dance performance using phad paintings as visual aids while performing dramatic renditions of mythological tales. Polish artist, Miachel Malinnowski, narrated a story about two feuding brothers who build a wall between their homes. Miachel captivated the ardent listeners with his expressions and voice modulation. Michael is the creator and director of the Storyteller Museum and has been a chief contributor to the revival of the Polish Storytelling Movement. Oral traditions like storytelling are an integral part of our cultural heritage and Kathakar is doing remarkable work towards upholding these traditions by organizing such festivals. Children enjoyed listening to the diverse mediums of storytelling . They managed to take the autograph of Xanthe Gresham, one of the storytellers, who the students liked the most! Overall, it was a soul enriching experience. The children gained much in terms of engaging emotions and intellect, developing listening abilities and understanding skills through stories. They had an enthralling experience. Ms. Tarannum Athar, School Librarian