Storytelling is an art that has existed since time unknown across the globe. It makes you imagine and think about things that otherwise goes unnoticed. Atta Galatta hosted an evening of storytelling session called Qissa-Folktales and Myths from the Middle East conducted by Nisha Abdulla -- resident storyteller from Ever After which gave Bengalureans an evening full of amusement.
Talking about reviving the art of storytelling, she says, “It is not just reading out loud some text. There is a way to perform a story, it includes voice modulation, good diction and enacting to an extent. These are important aspects of story telling. It is like a performance in itself. Now people have started valuing the art of storytelling.”
It is common to neglect something that you already have and storytelling is a fine example of it. “Abroad people value it way more and now people within India too have started giving it importance. It is like going back to the roots,” observes Nisha, who has been actively involved in theatre and has penned stories of her own.
“I narrate my own short stories or stories of other people. I get to act and interact. It is a great way to remove barriers. Unless you sit in a story telling session you will not know what it is like to be taken on a journey. People come forward and narrate their own versions too and share stories they grew up listening to.” A number of these stories are quite similar with slight variations. The narrative core remains the same. For example, the Sufi stories, the Panchatantra or the Jataka Tales - the core of the stories are the same.
Nisha goes on to add,“The narration style and the character’s name changes to make it more relatable to the local people. The Trickster Tales are quite popular too. They are stories with wise fools or clowns. For example, characters like Molla Nasruddin the folk figure from Turkey or the character of Don Quixote in the novel by the same name or Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare. These characters come from different parts of the globe carrying with them the essence of their land of origin. But somewhere they are all connected in some aspect. The point is we all relate to it when it is narrated. We laugh at their foolishness without thinking where they come from. Stories are meant for humans so it does not matter where its origin is. People enjoy them all over the world. A slight change in the technique or style of narration and the same stories can be narrated to children too. Although I would have to bring in a game element for children and add in more interaction,” signs off Nisha.
