“Stories are doorways to seeing and experiencing your inner and outer worlds”: Usha Venkatraman
The tongue can paint what the eyes can’t see, goes a Chinese Proverb. Indeed, how true to life it is! We are all made up of stories — some funny, some scary, and others — downright embarrassing. However, it is these very stories that bind us to our roots, our culture and its variegated traditions that get passed down the generations through word-of-mouth. And preserving this beautifully evocative art of storytelling in today’s fast-paced, modern world is Usha Venkatraman, a Mumbai-based award-winning performance storyteller. Founder, Mumbai Storytelling Society; Festival Director, Gaatha — Mumbai International Storytelling Festival; Founder and Creator, Scifari: Exploring Science Through Stories and host at Storytellers Café on Bharat FM radio, this multidisciplinary artist wears many hats with poise. Armed with twenty years of rich experience in the field, Venkatraman combines her foundation and training as a classical vocalist with her love and passion for storytelling to inform, educate, inspire and connect with people from all walks of life.
Venkatraman recently conducted a lively food-based storytelling workshop for HT School, India’s smartest education initiative from the pioneering media group, Hindustan Times and Slurrp.com, India’s No.1 food and recipe website from the coveted HT Media Group. Later, in a freewheeling interaction with Meghashyam Shirodkar, Content Lead, HT School, she also delved into all things storytelling — right from her own journey to making the art relevant and memorable in the world of instant gratification. Edited excerpts:
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your storytelling journey so far.
I discovered the spellbinding power of narrative when I began telling stories some 27 years ago. Travelling across the length and breadth of India while visiting schools, colleges, universities and other organisations, libraries and festivals, I realised that the most compelling yet powerful way to persuade people was by uniting an idea with a strong emotion and weaving a story around it. The epiphany at the time made me feel as if I had unearthed the magic formula to set people on fire and how! However, I was not always a storyteller. In fact, the credit for sowing the seeds of imagination and creativity in my childhood goes to my grandmother who was an excellent raconteur herself. I am a trained classical vocalist whose work is deeply rooted in Indian culture.
Over the years, I figured out that human beings remember a story a lot better than just random facts; children recall and retell facts through stories. Thus, what better way to enliven our classrooms than storytelling which ensures delivery of curriculum in an easy-to-understand manner, engages young minds and enhances their conceptual learning too. Besides, the immersive art of storytelling encourages students to think about various issues while delivering emotional and factual content beyond their vocabulary or reading ability.
Sharing her enthusiasm about it, she says, “There are a few things as satisfying to me as the aliveness in the faces of people who are experiencing a story through storytelling.” After all, their bodies are relaxed, their hearts are open, and their minds are actively working, imagining, predicting, and weighing the justice of the events and outcomes in each story. What could be a better sight than this for any storyteller, you bet! When asked what sets storytelling apart from other forms of creative arts, Venkatraman is quick to divulge, “Stories tap deep into the conscience of listeners, engage their emotions, and hold them in a powerful grip. A good story has the ability to make the here and now disappear. They are doorways into seeing and experiencing your inner and outer worlds.” Well, we couldn’t agree more!
How do you make stories and storytelling stay relevant in today's age of social media and instant gratification?
As a storyteller, it is important for me to adapt to the changing times in order to stay relevant. Initially, I experimented with puppets to introduce Indian classical music to my audiences. That was the 1990s and early 2000s. Cut to the present, my stories have an intersection of art, storytelling and music. Trust me, this amalgamation has got audiences instantly hooked. Hence, while I am keen on building communities and bringing down walls while I try to inspire, educate and entertain through storytelling; I also firmly believe in taking chances to make choices that would bring about powerful changes in our society. My evolutionary approach towards my work is proof of that. Consequently, thanks to the power of social media, I am flooded with more work now and I couldn’t be happier.
In this blink-and-you-miss-it era, how can institutions, brands, and corporates leverage the lost art of storytelling to showcase themselves and their offerings?
Well, stories are as old as humankind itself. Stories have given us knowledge about our environment, other people and ourselves. It would not be an overstatement to say that they have helped us invent things, expand our thinking, improve our lives, and make us better people while also entertaining us. Thus, it is up to institutions and brands themselves as to how do they wish to portray their history, growth and aspirations to their target audience. “Our brains are wired for stories which transform facts and emotions into engaged responses. Interestingly, Applied Mythology is very popular today. Lessons from our great epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata can be applied in business. No wonder, this ancient art of storytelling is getting revived today and corporates are engaging in Masterclasses and Learning Rooms eagerly,” she adds.
Do India's ancient epics, folklore, and folk tales still have a place in contemporary storytelling and modern society? If yes, how?
Oh yes, myths are the most fulfilling form of storytelling as they serve to document events; explain the unexplainable and to operate as manuals for morality. The epics are known to us as itihasa (history)— literally “thus it happened”. And, to Indians, there is no doubt that the events of the epics did happen. Folk tales and epics have certainly influenced people’s lifestyles across centuries. It’s high time we learn from these epochal treasures now. Moreover, in a post-#MeToo world, we have been trying to imagine new characters and rethink existing ones. Look around carefully and you’d see Indian literature has been witnessing a resurgence of feminist retellings in Indian mythology. Similarly, folktales are being made contemporary to adapt to changing times today. For instance, a traditional folk story of Diwali is used by me to teach savings or managing finances. Thus, it is these riveting stories that help us look at different life situations through the lens of present times.
What would be your advice to young readers who may want to follow in your footsteps and pursue storytelling as a profession?
My advice to young readers is simple — please choose to be a storyteller. Storytelling is gaining popularity in India, and storytellers are changemakers at heart. We hold the power of bringing about transformation in society and thus, one must try to foray in this field which can also bring lucrative career opportunities.
Can you share a few memories from your storytelling journey of how stories and lore have had a meaningful impact in the modern world in the most unexpected of situations?
Words hold the power to change our lives. Even so, little did I realise in 1996 as I explained the story of the “Origin of Indian Classical Music” that I was actually embarking on STEM Storytelling! Believe me if you will, I have used the art and craft of storytelling to explain subjects ranging from music to mathematics! In fact, stories proved my go-to activity during the pandemic as they offered me strawberry moments in a world fraught with pestilence. Add to this the fact that American neuroscientist Paul Zak's research is uncovering how stories shape our brains, tie strangers together, and move us to be more empathic and generous.