CHATLINE Shruti Rao has what it takes to be a writer: the ability to tell stories, to observe and to appreciate beauty, finds SRAVASTI DATTA
F rom being too shy to show her writing to anyone as a child, Shruti Rao's first short story, “The Story Lady” won the 2011 Unisun Reliance TimeOut writing competition. Shruti, more than writer, considers herself a storyteller. “Not all writers have an impulse to tell stories; those writers who do, are storytellers,” says Shruti Rao.
The idea for “The Story Lady” came to Shruti in an everyday situation in a remarkable way. “My four-and-a-half year old daughter loves stories. She told me one day to tell her a new story. In desperation, I remember saying to myself, where am I going to get stories now, who's going to put ideas in my head?” That flash germinated into the plot of her award-winning story. “The Story Lady” is about a lady who sends stories to earth. One day, she runs out of her stock of stories, which creates havoc on earth. But there is hope. It comes in the form of a little girl.
More than the award, however, it was the performance of “The Story Lady” by the children of Parikrama Foundation that crowned it all. “I was tearing up with emotion throughout the performance. It was wonderful both seeing my characters come alive, and a different interpretation of my story.”
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