Close to 360 pairs of little eyes shifted left and right without pause, as they followed storyteller Jeeva Raghunath’s spirited voice and gestures.
Hands went up in the air, applause broke out spontaneously, and almost every move of hers was mirrored with resounding chorus — for the hall full of kindergarten children was listening to how the little frog learnt to sing.
The Hindu Young World ‘Under the Aalamaram’ storytelling festival, presented by Kathai Kalatta, which commenced on Tuesday, was venue to stories from around the world.
If one set of students went on a sing-along bear hunt, guided by storyteller Ariyo from Indonesia, some others became characters in a story from Scotland, brought to them by Margaret Macdonald from the U.S.
Kausalya Padmanabhan, who founded Kathai Kalatta along with Ms. Raghunath and Kanchana Manavalan, said they started the venture to revive the traditional art of storytelling.
“All the storytellers at the festival have different styles, and come with different strengths. Close to 5,000 children have registered for the two-day festival,” said Ms. Padmanabhan.
The festival, being held at MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women, features storytelling sessions for children and workshops for adults.
On Tuesday, the event brought together storytellers such as Sheila Wee from Singapore, Kiran Shah from Australia, Ng Kok Keong from Malaysia, Wajuppa Tossa from Thailand and Cheng Ming-hsiang from Taiwan.
Saritha Umesh, a teacher from Sherwood Hall School, said even those students who are otherwise quiet participated in the session conducted by Cheng Ming-hsiang. “They were able to express themselves so well,” she said.
