Storytelling is an art that has been part of almost every culture and society for eons. Earlier, epics such as Homer’s Iliad or Vyasa’s Mahabharata were by bards. In modern times, the fascinating world of stories has become an integral part of one’s childhood, especially with grandmothers narrating tales of princesses and monsters to their grandchildren on lazy summer afternoons.
Saket-resident Shraddha Gupta (45) realised the magical quality of storytelling at a library in London in 2008, when her son was one-and-a-half years old. “I couldn’t help but notice the huge smile he had on his face. I knew this experience and environment of children learning and listening through stories is something I wanted to take forward. It also brought back memories of the first time I performed on stage.
Seeing my son enjoying the story gave the performer in me a nudge and a purpose to use my talent for children,” shares Gupta, a former marketing professional. To keep the tradition alive, Gupta founded Storee Ki Boree (SKB), a storytelling and theatre initiative with the aim to teach children important skills such as communication, cooperation, co-dependence, and more.
A medium to express
Since its inception in 2011, Gupta—she does this along with SKB’s Creative Head Jai Kumar and Performing Arts Head Anand Kumar—has conducted interactive workshops in both English and Hindi for children across Delhi-NCR. “I believe that stories have two sides—one of the presenter and one of the listener. For the presenter, it is a way of bringing age-old lessons of life, reminding their audience of the beauty of tales. On the other hand, for the listeners, stories open up a window into new possibilities and ideas,” shares Gupta.
Being able to help children express themselves is SKB’s main focus. The team uses stories as a medium to help nurture creativity and develop the ability to children—both shy and extroverted kids—to express their emotions. Speaking about the need to teach children the art of storytelling, Gupta adds, “It teaches children creativity, self-confidence, and how to playfully express themselves emotionally. Each child is unique in their own way. What we try to do is help them revel in their uniqueness and own their narratives.”
Helping children channel energy
A favourite among SKB’s recurring theatre workshops is the one based on Ramayana titled ‘Ram Lila’. “The workshops are like an atom. The story forms the centre and the children collaborate, improvise, and work around it to put up a great performance,” Gupta explains. Their stories are usually conceptualised keeping in mind the age of the participants—they range from two-year-old toddlers to 18-year-old young adults.
Each workshop activities to provide children with a wholesome knowledge of theatre and also to help channel the child’s untapped creativity and energy. Gupta further elaborates, “Our activities help build the child’s ability to project, express, and balance their energies. Every session is designed to engage the child within the story. We have instruments and songs along with the story, and most importantly, theatrical depictions that have been curated for the child.”
Explaining the ‘Trust your partner’ activity SKB conducts in their workshops, Gupta mentions how the participants work in teams of two, with one team member blindfolded. “This not only builds trust between the two children, but also makes them know the stage. Setting foundation for trust also teaches them how to look after each other in a performance. At a young age, if you encourage children to applaud others and have each other’s back, won't this world just be a sweeter place?” she expresses.
Nine-year-old Vaibhav from Karol Bagh has previously attended these theatre workshops. Vaibhav’s mother Shilpy Jain shares, "SKB has given Vaibhav a better medium to express himself. I also love that they work on plays in multiple languages. It has helped so much with his pronunciation and speaking skills.”
Theatre and beyond
In 2020, SKB started organising virtual book clubs to nurture a love for reading. In these book club sessions, children discuss books by various authors, and at times reimagine the stories in it. Vaibhav is also a part of the book club. Jain mentions how initially, she would read the books assigned by the club to Vaibhav. However, she proudly exclaims that he can now finish a 200-page book in an hour. “He has become so fond of reading now. As a parent, I feel so relieved that my child is enjoying productive gadget-free time now,” she adds.
At the recently-concluded Red Fort Festival, SKB also conducted storytelling workshops and a musical comedy on the iconic comedic characters King Akbar and his minister Birbal.