New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) Everyone loves hearing a good story, believes performance storyteller-author Shaguna Gahilote, who in 2011 conceptualised "Kathakar", an oral storytelling festival. Its eighth edition, featuring noted names in various genres, will kick off here on Friday.
Indian and international storytellers Danish Hussain, Mohit Chauhan, Imtiaz Ali, Xanthe Gresham, Godfrey Duncan, Pankaj Tripathi and Sadhguru will form part of "Kathakar", which focuses on oral stories as compared to the written word.
"Getting children, and even adults, to pick up books is slightly hard. So I started doing these oral storytelling sessions in schools. They were hooked and started seeing books as treasures where stories could be found," Gahilote, who helms the festival with her sisters Prarthana and Rachna Gahilote, told IANS.
Gahilote, who will perform "Bapu Ki Kahani" to commemorate 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, reiterated that everyone loves to hear a good story and it is something everyone connects to, despite the age.
The three-day festival will have spiritual guru Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation, in conversation with noted music composer-songwriter Mohit Chauhan, a statement by the organisers said.
"Like music, storytelling is the simplest of art forms and also the greatest carrier and upholder of culture. Their shelf life is infinite too," Chauhan said in a statement.
"It will also curate Indian art forms such as the dolls theatre by Sudip Gupta from Kolkata; Rajasthan's 'phad' (scroll) storytelling by Kalyan Joshi; 'Powada', the vibrant storytelling of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's tales by Adinath Bapurao Vibhute; and the 'pandavani' tales (about the Pandava brothers of Mahabharata) by Ritu Verma," the statement read.
Noted theatre artist Danish Hussain will also present a contemporary adaptation of "Qissa Urdu Ki Aakhri Kitaab Ka", originally written by Pakistani poet Ibn-e-Insha.
Stories from Poland, England, Greece, Russia and Iran will also find space in the festival.
"Kathakar" will run from November 16-18 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Entry is free.
