When I tell a story, I respond to the audience every moment and we are co-creating because we are alive to the moment.

I had heard these words from Vergine Gulbenkian, the UK-based storyteller, who was conducting the “Share your stories” workshop with The British Council. While it has been few years since I attended this workshop, I experienced it live at the government run Fazilpur Primary School in Gurgaon area. The Rotary International Club Gurgaon Greens is working closely with Ramakrishna Mission to implement their VIVA program in few schools and as a Rotary member I had volunteered to engage with the students and be observer of few sessions. Watching the students – who with full attention were lapping each words coming out from the teacher as he narrated a story refreshed Vergine’s words – The beauty of a story is that it works on a subconscious level and that is why I can’t stand when people interpret, analyse or tell morals in it. It needs to be left open and works like magic which is why it is important especially for children.

#OralStorytelling blends spontaneity with tradition as it preserves our ancestral stories while adding a contemporary twist. It’s crucial for memory and recall and also in bring values and morals – remember the stories of Vikram & Betal.

The spoken story is only the beginning, and not the end. #Stories connect to one’s soul emotionally and make even the mundane look magical; they create an impression on the young minds and relax and stimulate adults. While some are natural storytellers who knows how to arouse a listener’s curiosity others build this art. A good Storyteller takes her time to let a story grow gradually, increasing in tension or complication getting the audience so involved in the tale until it difficult for the audience to barely tolerate a fraction of a second longer. Remember the line in the Bacchhan song – Phir Kya Hua. For a good story each paise becomes like an age, sometime hanging as the expectations keep growing – Offo Aage Bhi Toh Bolo. The feeling today’s generation gets while binging on content digitally.

For most of us – kids growing up in the 70’s or early 80’s – there was no television, no mobile or such a form of readily available digital entertainment. When friends met it was either playing, reading comics and telling each other stories. Its the digital revolution – mainly the small screen in our palm which brought about the fallout of the decline of the oral storytelling tradition. While the tradition of oral storytelling has declined but fortunately it’s not dead. It has come back in various avatars including the digital formats of podcasts or radio shows and there has been a modern resurgence of oral storytelling with events like Kathakar, Udaipur Tales, Dastangoi, Scribes& Storytellers etc. And in the world of professional communication it’s not uncommon to see consultancies and individuals (including yours truly) calling themselves #Storytellers.