Storytelling in the mother tongue by the parents of class 3 on International Mother Tongue Day

Our young Indianites got an opportunity to celebrate Indian diversity and versatility on International Mother Language Day on 21 February, 2022.

The parents and grandparents of class 3 participated in a grand celebration of storytelling in their respective mother tongues!

Hailing from Sikar in Rajasthan, Ms Suman Singh, mother of Suhana of class 3C, narrated a story in Rajasthani, mesmerising the audience in her vibrant Rajasthani dress. Ms Singh had put in a lot of effort by setting up her home stage for the occasion to make her session engaging! Her prelude of a folksong and dance unfolded the riveting tale of a Rajasthani king and his queen and a hunter. She explained the meanings of difficult Rajasthani words in Hindi. Post her storytelling session Ms Singh expressed her delight at her participation in the storytelling session.

Class 3A heard two stories in Sindhi by the grandmother and mother of their classmates, Jenisha Tulsiani and Mihir Kanal, respectively.

Jenisha introduced her father, Mr Akhil Tulsiani and her grandmother. Mr Tulsiani followed his introduction with a brief presentation on the structure of Sindhi words. He also showed pictures of Sindhi cuisine, festivals, and culture. The mother-son team took turns to narrate the endearing story of a mouse with seven tails in Sindhi. They followed this up with a Hindi translation of it. Post the session, Mr Tulsiani shared that it was a wonderful experience, and he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the storytelling session.

Ms Dipti Kanal, mother of Mihir Kanal, cleverly presented the story of two clever goats through her beautiful illustrations. Her narration saw a sprinkling of Hindi for the non-Sindhi speakers in the audience.

Class 3 A listened in rapt attention to Ms Akanksha Saini, mother of Shaurya Saini, who told a story in Gujarati with the help of hand puppets. The story of the monkey and two cats resonated with the kids since it also appears in the Hindi text -Rimjhim. Ms Saini also narrated the Hindi translation of it and taught a few Gujarati words and their meanings to the children. The young children responded with enthusiasm to her prompting them to recall Gujarati word meanings. The guest storyteller was full of praise for the attentiveness, good behaviour of the children and also their enthusiastic interaction.

The storytelling event was made possible by the collaborative effort of Ms Khushi Jadwani, PTA representative class 3, and Ms Tarannum Athar, school librarian.

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