Simple pleasure..finding the right one

A friend of mine in 5th standard wants a story for her story telling competition. What I enjoy about the school is all these extra activities that are conducted for the children. Read that as Story telling specifically, which is an integral part of the inter house competitions. Both Hindi and English story telling competitions are held from first to fifth.
It did not take me long to select a story for my friend, and here is a link to the story I chose for her. Scroll down for "The Faithful friend".
Click here

This was a time when the child's character stands out so well in my mind that the process of selecting was quite easy. Affectionate, very fond of animals and friends, so this story is ideal for her.
It is the story of a parrot that does not want to leave its injured friend , a Tree. Finally it rejoices when its love and concern is rewarded by an angel who gives back life to the tree.

Cathy Spagnoli, from whose site I took the story is a veteran story teller. What is interesting is her link to Tamilnadu and Chennai in particular as her story telling travel brought her there, and she finally married a Tamilian! She tells a lot of Asian tales, and is seen as a pioneer of English Storytelling in Asia.

The pleasure of finding the right story and telling it to people, to be able to convey the feelings and thought behind the story and how it touched me...that is pure joy in itself.

My friend has to still tell the story. She loved it, but I have to wait to find out the reaction of the judges...

My Take on Story telling

Story telling is different from Drama or solo/mono acting...it is an interactive process where the audience is asked to move with the Teller, imagine with the Teller, and experience with the Teller.
There are many others qualified to give an insight on these differences, but I speak from my thoughts/heart.
For those who enjoy performing arts this is a very genteel art to pursue. I call it that because, there is no right or wrong way to do Stories.
The only way is to connect with your audience. To share with them a thought, a feeling, an experience.
With younger children it is important to have a story line, as they need a plot, an organized thought process, which they themselves may not have in their thoughts.
While with an audience that gets older, you don't need an organized plot. You need to spark imaginations,and even give them an opportunity to make their own endings, extract their own conclusions.
Yet there are some Learnings that I have gained from my own meager experiences in story telling:
a) Don't tell till you are sure about the acoustics. Problems with the mike or the sound system is the first step to not connecting with your audience...and it's not worth having a bad feeling at the end of the session, when you know it's not you but the technical part that has slipped
b) For smaller and cosier groups, go in for an enclosed space, especially when there is no mike and you have to rely on voice,
c) Eye contact and smile...connect with your audience, move with them, include them, share yourself with them,
d) Have no inhibitions! A teller who is comfortable is loved the most.
e) Believe there is no right or wrong in this, it is a process of Sharing, and the most wonderful aspect of the telling,
f) Choose your story well, age, interest and environment plays a crucial role in this
g) If the environment is not conducive to the telling, you cannot connect with the audience...
h) Brief the hosts. Puppet shows require greater involvement from adults to keep the audience from getting up and trying to see behind the screen(!) (Happened to me). So you need an adult to keep the kids from peeping behind!
i) Puppet shows and Story telling are very different, and people usually expect a puppet show when you say Story telling, so make that very Clear!
j) Telling a story, visualizing a story for an audience is different from Reading a Story! The Teller needs to recreate the story, add her own imagination, thoughts and feelings, and improvise the story with out taking away from the story. I would even say this, the Teller has every right to make additions and deletions, in order to convey her message, her thought to the audience.
k) While as you Read a story, it is only right for the Teller to convey exactly what the writer has expressed in words.
l) So Story telling is an improvisation, an adaptation of a plot, a manner of sharing creative verbal imagery!

The end product may be very different from what you shared with a different audience, at another time!

Lucknow Tales

 

We were at the Bada Imambara at Lucknow.
Amazing building and amazing people behind the building. Why would some one want to build such a majestic structure? Add to that the Bul Bulaiya, that is the maze which runs through the walls and pillars, and runs through 3 levels. The guide tells us there are 1000 ways within the maze,but only 1 way is the right one to get us out of it!
It appears that man will do anything for posterity and this is definitely an example of that. You and I can enjoy the quirks of the moneyed class as they leave behind monuments and minarets for future generations to explore and savor.
This building brings to my mind the innumerable photos of SRK's palatial house Mannat floating around the cyber world. Then there is even our own favorite batsman's new pad...with foyer designed like the interior of a conch shell!! It's true, google around and you will find it.
And what about Ambani tower?
..what about it...mmm....surely that is one monument waiting to be converted to a museum when their owner's are no more...

Kids enjoyed the Bul Bullaiya a lot, and finally the guide made my son act as the guide to find out the correct route. Of course we got lost and he had to help us out!
My Mom shares my fascination for such adventures through lands and landmarks. It was great fun, 3 generations exploring that fantastic space, each one carrying away different thoughts and feelings.