Kala Ghoda, February 2013, Mumbai

Kala ghoda 2013
“A Mumbai Mom asking of Jeeva eagerly after she had brought the house down, “Do you do birthday parties?!”- and most of all the books flying off the shelves”.
quote Lubaina, children’s lit fest organizer.

Yes, I was a part of Kala ghoda 2013, A festival of arts, crafts and music in south Mumbai that opened this year for the first time to children’s lit fest.
Authors, Illustrators, Storytellers from around the globe were featured.
I was very honoured to be a part of this festival.

It started with sharing the stage with renowned children’s author illustrator Deepa Balsavar on the launch of her picture book sans words “Round and round”. It was a lovely experience as the book brought in a lot of imagination, discussion and participation. It was a full house with children playing different roles to go round and round the tale!!! It sure went round and round and round……

By now the full house had turned into over flowing house, what was interesting was, it housed just not children but every adult who had a child within.

The warm up brought the canopy down with every one jumping and the adreline had gone high. There was excitement, laughter, expectation, all navarasas in action. I felt like a puppeteer with all my listeners as puppets, they danced to every pull and push of the story. Hundreds of faces reflected me as mirrors. I once again felt proud to be a storyteller, endorsing the fact that “IT IS THE POWER OF THE STORY!!!”

I was told that the Mumbaites were not very aware of the art of storytelling, but I don’t think so, with the way they responded to the story. Children and adults participated in total, absolute concentration and fun and frolic and above all a lot of learning and community living. That is INDIA!!!!Proud to be an Indian, proud to be a storyteller!

For a lovely photo essay by my nephew, Rithwick K. Raghunath click on the link http://issuu.com/rithwickk.raghunath/docs/jeeva_khalaghoda?mode=window


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