Veteran storyteller Geeta Ramanujam’s stories draw you in, hypnotise and leave you enthralled. Co-founder of Kathalaya, a storytelling Academy in Bengaluru, Geeta has brought alive the magic of stories not just in the city, but also in other cities, small towns and villages.
In an endeavour to further spread the joy of storytelling, Kathalaya is conducting Kathotsava, a global storytelling festival, till December 12. Through storytelling sessions and workshops, conducted by renowned storytellers, Kathotsava aims to touch every child and adult.
“I will be travelling to Vishakapatnam on December 3,” says Geeta. “On the evening of December 5, at Atta Galatta, we will have two shows, one for both children and adults. The other only for adults.” Workshops will also be conducted.
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On December 6, Katha Sandhya will be held at Kathalaya. “On that day, we will light lamps and tell stories to the storytellers and their families. Each one will bring a dish and light a lamp, and anyone can tell a story. ”
The stories Geeta tells emerge deep within from her knowledge and innate wisdom. “I once told the story of the golden crane to children. They listened for an hour. It was a Sunday, so I thought the children must be waiting to go back. But they stayed on. One of them said, ‘I am not going to ask you if the story is true or not, because for me, the story is true and will stay with me forever.’”
She has trained 60,000 facilitators and in all these years, Geeta says, she hasn’t received a single negative comment. At the inauguration of Kathotsava at Rangoli Metro Art Centre, Geeta personally thanked everyone who has contributed to Kathalaya. She radiated humility.
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The journey of Kathalaya, which she founded with Lalu Narayan and Sujatha Pai, has been one marked by some hurdles and remarkable highs. “I remember telling stories for children from one end of the city to the other end. The only relief, then, was that there wasn’t much traffic. Things were opening up in education and learning at that time. People were rising up with new ideas.”
Kathalaya has trained 58 batches so far. “We have a basic and advanced diploma course. The basic course is about listening. There are 40 types of listening, in that we deal with the eight basic types. The first step of a storyteller is to be a good listener and observer. ”
There is an interesting story on how the diploma course at Kathalaya began. “When I presented stories at the Scottish Storytelling Festival, the hall was full. I got a standing ovation. Donald Smith, director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, asked, ‘how can I help you?’ I told him I wanted to do storytelling in education. He said, ‘Why don’t you do it with us?’ I told him I want to start a diploma course. He said, ‘I’ll give you the affiliation.’ He wrote a hand-written letter, signed by him, with ‘I fully endorse this course.’ Our diploma course is affiliated to the Scottish Storytelling Centre and to the University of Skovda, Sweden, the professors gave me a grant to have a six-year contract with them. We started storytelling for the Swedish University.”
Geeta discovered the storyteller in her when she was a history teacher and librarian. She delighted her students with stories, making the study of history even more knowledgeable.
“The most beautiful part of storytelling is that it also helps you to trace the origins of yourself. For our courses the feedback most of the time is it was a transforming journey for them. They say, ‘I did not realise what wanted, now I know. You can get someone in touch with themselves merely by the spoken word.”
The power of a story is such that it stays with you forever. “We all have the innate ability to picturise something. Converting it into words is unnatural. But making a picture of it is natural. Can you make the listener see the story? Simple rendering of stories is the best. For example, when I say, ‘There were thousands and thousands of cranes that passed the sky. And the sun was just setting. The orange reflection of the setting sun on the wings of the cranes, added to the silence.’ You lose yourself and transport yourself to the teller.”
At the inauguration of Kathotsava 2014, a DVD by Kathalaya, The Storyteller Show was launched as well as the the new learning centres, Kathalaya story space.
For details on Kathotsava 2014 and Kathalaya, visit www.kathalaya.org.