Rohini Christopher picks up the pop-up book on Chronicles of Narnia and flips the pages. As the cut-out of a lion pops out of the book, she exclaims, “Isn’t this brilliant? There are also little flaps of paper on the pages that hide within them a story. These were bought for my daughter. But, I get more excited about them than her!” Rohini Christopher is a story teller who visits schools, summer camps and play schools, to regale children. Distracted and restless kids fall silent once she starts her story-telling. Even the grown-ups are hooked as she conducts training sessions for corporate professionals.
“Stories are not just for children. Grown-ups too love them. I have seen many professionals responding to a concept much better when I explain them in the form of a story or a real-life experience,” says the former IT professional.
In a recent story telling event Rohini introduced a group of six-year-olds to Picasso through the eyes of a whale called Wally. She sang, mimicked the baby whale’s squeaky voice and taught them about the art and life of the Spanish painter. By the end of the session, children were singing songs of colours and asking questions on Cubism! Rohini loved stories as a child. She used to “devour every book that came her way.” P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle were her favourite authors. She wanted to create the same interest for stories in her little daughter, Nivedita. “It was story time the minute she returned from play school. We would run around the terrace for a while. I would finally sit down and cook up a story for her.” In those breezy evenings, Rohini would transform into Cindrella, Snow-white and Mamma bear, and little Nivedita would look at her with wonder. “She would love to hear me mimic the animals and the fairy-tale characters,” recalls Rohini.
In 2011, she chanced upon a newspaper write up on a week-long story telling course offered by Kathalaya, a Bangalore based academy of story-telling. “I met people from different walks of life. One of them was Helmut Whitman, a 70-year-old Austrian, who has been telling stories for the past two decades. He played an instrument similar to a mouth organ while narrating ancient folk-lore and legends of his homeland.”
The workshop in many ways changed her life, says Rohini. She made new friends, and it also helped her shed her inhibitions. “That’s when I decided to turn passion into profession.”
The next year, she took up a diploma course in story telling with Kathalaya, which in turn was affiliated to International Institute of Story telling, Tennessee, University of Skovda, Sweden and The Scottish Story telling center, Edinburgh, U.K. “It focussed on the theoretical aspects. We had to learn about the origin of myths and fables. For instance, we had to read up on the Vedas to research about the stories of the Mahabharatha and the Ramayana . Also, I realised there is no one way to tell a story. One could use the help of puppetry, theatre and music.”
One gradually evolves a style of one’s own as a story teller, says Rohini. “I have seen professional story tellers using percussion and puppets to tell stories. Some use theatre and mimicry. I personally like to use a lot of rhymes and songs.”
Stories and songs work like a charm, especially when you want to teach children concepts, says Rohini. “Kids do not like to be lectured. One has to break the monotony of dry facts with stories and songs. Recently, I read out Leela Seth’s We, the children of India , an introduction to the Preamble to the Constitution of India. Imagine teaching them something so serious! So, I broke it up into stories and anecdotes. And they identified better with the concepts of freedom and secularism.”
But, not all children are quiet and obedient, she says. “I still recall this little girl in one of my story telling sessions, who kept darting around the hall and would not stay still for a minute. And she pulled the puppets out my bag! Finally, I lifted her up and put her on a shelf. She was silent for a minute because the entire hall was looking at her. Some of them just need a little extra attention and they are fine!” smiles Rohini.
Rohini loves the company of children. “After each story telling session, I feel energised. They keep asking questions. One can’t take them for granted. Children are difficult to please.”
