“Nobody remembers Pythagoras Theorem which everyone learned in middle school but everyone remembers the story of the hare and the tortoise or the thirsty crow which we heard when we could barely write. That’s how prominent impacts stories leave on our minds and for centuries many have died believing in their stories and fighting for them!” These words of Ameen Haque, who conducted a master-class on storytelling, summed up the seventh edition of Jumpstart festival.
Held at India International Centre, the festival brought together experts from the publishing, media, performing, visual and digital arts industries to explore different facets of narrative creation through the intersections of storytelling, imagination, technology and reality that will translate into better content for children.
With the theme ‘Get Storyfied!’ making an instant connect, there were four master-classes by experts from different fields.
Australian writer Leonie Norrington, the star expert of the day, told us that nowadays children are exposed to a lot of foreign literature which does open up their mind but too much of it also doesn’t let them bloom to the full. She explained, “In Australia kids read a lot of American comic books, strips and novels. This does make them familiar with other cultures and customs but then at some point these kids feel incomplete and subordinate to themselves, what they are, what their parents are and what their country is!”
Her advice was young minds should always begin reading their own country’s literature and then move on to the world. This way she said they would have strong roots but an open unbiased mind.
In Nicki Greenberg’s illustration class somebody was a father who wanted to draw better for his kids so he thought maybe he’ll sharpen his illustration skills, somebody a weaver who thought maybe she can weave better stories in her designs and then of course there was the expected crowd of professional writers, illustrators, cartoonists, script writers and so on. Later one of the participants went on to say, “I think illustration is a science which can be learned.”
When noted Israeli television writer Motti Aviram was asked why he always dabbled with script writing for children he said, “I don’t want to face the harsh realities of the world. Even back home I cannot watch movies which I know will have a tragic ending. It is too much for me. I am like Peter Pan who never wants to grow up.” He then went on to show various animation movies which he and several others had made and then analysed the scripts, how they were to be moulded for children and several related issues.
Ameen Haque, the Indian expert on storytelling told the participants bluntly, “Har kahani achhi nhi hoti (every story is not good).” He explained with an example of the stereotyped wicked stepmother found in almost all fairy tales. Ameen said such concepts are not only outdated but also dangerous because divorce rates are on a high. If they are inculcated and seep deep into young minds then the parents are instilling deep hate for something which a child might later go through. “Such irrational stereotypes – be it race, status or gender – should not generate bias in a child’s innocent mind,” he went on to say.
And then he went on with a unique exercise on ‘how to sex educate 8th graders’, which is a story in itself, for some other time.
The sessions ended on a cheerful note with one of the experts proclaiming, “What are stories but windows, a gateway to the world. They mirror a reflection of reality and kaleidoscope a flight of fantasy.”
