Curtains down at Udaipur’s international storytelling festival

Stories from around the world were heard and cherished at Udaipur’s international storytelling festival that concluded last weekend

Turmeric wafts through the audience, hanging in an amber cloud around the woman on stage. In a purple sari, hair in a fierce swirl around her shoulders, she breathes heavily, eyes wide with defiance. A rousing applause begins. Actor Smita Tambe has just performed, through narration and dance, a tale called Jogwa, about a young girl who dreams of becoming a dancer. However, she becomes a devadasi , and her journey of being betrayed and exploited, ends in rebellion against the system. This is Udaipur Tales, an international storytelling festival that was held from November 30 to December 2, in Udaipur. In its second annual edition, it is unique in its focus on celebrating the art of storytelling.

The festival features stories in English, Hindi and Urdu, told through song, dance, mono acts and spirited narration. A guest at the festival questions whether this qualifies as oral storytelling, as some expect to hear an author read from a book, or an animated narration of a popular tale. But what makes this festival special is that it reminds us that stories exist everywhere and can be told in a variety of ways. The artistes are from various backgrounds — theatre, business, journalism, music, films. Gautam Mukherjee is a professor and entrepreneur by profession, but a historian by passion. His rendition of the Battle of Haldighati, where Maharana Pratap Singh fought to keep Mewar free from Mughal rule, has the audience in rapt attention.

Jeeva Raghunath, storyteller and author, showcases Tamil folklore. Her entertaining narrative is peppered with cackles and shrieks and cries of despair, as she enacts the tale of an old storyteller who is asked by a little girl named Truth, if she can accompany him on his visits around town. As the story goes, storytelling and truth have been inseparable since then! The Urdu storytelling art of

dastangoi is one of the highlights, with the spirited cadence of the

dastango, Syed Sahil Agha, and the lofty notes of soprano Kabuki Khanna blending in a musical

dastangoi , putting a captivating twist on an old Rajasthani folktale. Later, Agha asks the audience to write a word on a piece of paper, weaving each of those words skillfully and hilariously into his narrative.

Actors like Divya Dutta add a touch of glamour, sharing a heartwarming story of her relationship with her mother, reminding us that our own lives make for some of the most interesting stories. And then there are tales for the hordes of children — from Australian storyteller, Dee Durgah Palanisamy, who draws them in with her spirited style, and Russian artistes, Olga Uzorova and Anna Smolikova, inviting a few to wear costumes and be part of the tale telling, to Tshering Peldon from Bhutan, who shares charming folk stories.

This is the toughest crowd to please, especially in today’s digital world. Smita performed Jogwa for older children for the first time, unsure if the theme would be appreciated by them. The fact that many of them came up to her to ask if these sorts of incidents take place made her observe that “we often underestimate children”. Dee agrees that it can be difficult to retain their attention. “However, a story is more effective than trying to lecture kids about good and bad,” she says, “It only takes a few minutes, and in that short time, the story has been passed on and stays with them.”