7 January 2014

It was that time. A new beginning. End of holidays, end of a year.  Where, by force of habit, one mentions the year bygone while writing the date. For those involved in the Share Stories Open Minds project, it also meant one more thing. Kusumika-di would be in town! For our new recruits who were yet to meet the children, the storytelling workshop was a god-sent.

A short yet fulfilling discussion with Kusumika-di recreated the magic of listening to stories. Our volunteers were stunned to see how drawn-out facial expressions and little sounds transported stories to a different level. Kusumika-di also stressed on the importance of music to draw children into the story. While sharing some of her experiences in using storytelling, she demonstrated the use of masks through which she had brought Shakespeare to a group of seven year olds. For a little while, our volunteers disappeared and in their places appeared trees dancing moving in the wind, fishes swimming in their ponds and birds soaring in the sky. With little movements, the courtyard had transformed into a lively jungle.

In addition to being lessons on morals, Kusumika-di also pointed out that stories open a world of imagination, develop vocabulary and aid in language development as a whole. She demonstrated her statement by performing the story of The Dancing Tiger—how a children’s story can be expanded to include dramatizing, art, learning new words and working together as a team. ‘Express and hold’ were her oft-repeated words. ‘After their initial laughter the children will realize that you are being serious.’ As the workshop proceeded with discussing the use of epics as a reservoir of stories, more stories were shared and ideas exchanged to make storytelling an inclusive and participatory activity.

The group of volunteers dispersed with the love and passion for storytelling swelling in their hearts.

—Anugraha Madhavan