Marks theplot

New treasure-hunters are chasing down stories that haven’t been told in centuries, reviving traditions pushed into the background during colonial rule. As the curtain goes up again, there are signs of a happier ending. See how these narrators are using an

says Prabhath, 32. But our tales matter, he adds, because “time and space are abstract; stories add meaning to them.”

In a world that has returned to storytelling as a means of improving communication skills and confidence, self-expression and education, brand-building even, Indian oral storytellers are venturing into hitherto unexplored areas.

They’re using the formats and legends of their roots, but adapting these for the 21st century, adding contemporary twists and perspectives; they are merging storytelling and science; they are using stories for group therapy; and they’re uncovering legends largely forgotten that have lived on in art and architecture.

In Bengaluru, Aparna Jaishankar, 44, is drawing on ancient paintings, temple art and academic research to offer new perspectives on tales from the Mahabharata. The ticketed events she helms draw people aged 19 to 90. In Chennai, Deepa Kiran, 45, currently pursuing a PhD in storytelling and language, is trying to bridge the gap between the sciences and humanities using storytelling devices (rocks that talk; tales about the history of the sciences in India).

“In our oral storytelling traditions, it was adults who would listen to the stories. In the same vein, we would like to bring adults into the world of stories,” says Meghana Bommatanahalli, 47, of the Hyderabad Storytellers Association, which holds story circles in which participants swap tales around a predetermined theme.

And amid the trauma of the pandemic, in 2020, five storytellers set up the Indian Storytellers Healing Network (ISHN), to promote the sharing of stories as a means of healing. The sessions are still held online, the core group of five storytellers themselves scattered across the country.

An ISHN storyteller begins with a tale, then those in the audience share their reflections and accounts. “The telling of one’s own story lightens a load,” says ISHN member Sowmya Srinivasan, a psychologist. “Listening to another’s tale promotes empathy and compassion. Stories are how people feel less alone.”

Take a look, then, at some of India’s contemporary oral storytellers, the traditions they’re carrying forward, and the new ones they are crafting.