It’s how the light gets in

Jyoti Pande sees stories as more than a vital art form; she believes they can heal. “They have the power to bypass the conscious mind, since there are no defences in play when a person is listening to a story. Stories work at a deeper level than casual conversation,” says Pande, a psychologist and member of the Indian Storytellers Healing Network (ISHN). ISHN was founded in 2020 by five storytellers based in Bhopal, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Coimbatore. Amid the pandemic, the aim was to use stories to promote self-exploration, restoration and healing. The sessions are still held online.

The organisation conducts monthly story circles around themes that range from shakti or inner strength to the idea that “there is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in”. In each session, the moderator tells a story, after which there are activities such as role-play, drawing, self-reflection and discussion.

ISHN storytellers source their stories from existing ones and their own life experiences. ISHN member

Ramya Iyer (right), for instance, looks for stories that move her. One favourite is an African folktale, The

Secret Heart of the Tree, in which a young hare is out on an adventure and rests in the shade of an old baobab tree.

“He sits under the tree, and he takes deep breaths,” says Iyer. “While I’m telling the story I take those breaths.

And there are others who would feel the need to take them too.” The hare communes with the old tree and is rewarded with a walk into the tree’s secret heart, and the gift of a gold ring. Later a hyena tries to do the same, but he is not as kind as the gentle hare and gets stuck inside the secret heart of the tree.

Iyer has added a second chapter to the tale. “I bring in the hare’s son, who goes looking for the tree many years later, and is gifted with a journey into the secret heart. The young hare guides the hyena back out into the world. The touching forgiveness, a call to nestle and rest are some reflections that have left me very moved.”

Often, after a story is told, people discuss what they took away as its most salient message, and share stories from their lives along that theme. “A healing circle allows participants to become vulnerable, authentic and expressive,” says Geetanjal i Kaul, a member of ISHN.

Sowmya Srinivasan, a psychologist and also a member, recalls sharing a story about how attached she was to her bicycle, which she left behind when she got married. “It left a void within me,” she says. “In order to fill that gap, many years later, I went on a cycling expedition in the Western Ghats. This triggered a lot of sharing from participants around what they had to leave behind or let go of and some poignant stories emerged.” Personal stories work like magic potions, adds Poonam Joshy, the group’s fifth member. “I often tell stories from my life because I feel we tend to ignore our own stories. We never see their worth. But personal stories bring out many stories from listeners and suddenly they start seeing their own story with pride.”