Katharsis by the woods

Picnics, poetry, plays and yoga have all been a part of the wonderful spring tradition at Cubbon Park. But what of a space to learn, share and celebrate the spoken word? In a first of its kind, April 17 will see a storytelling jam under the trees in the great outdoors of Cubbon Park.

There are storytellers, spoken word artistes and performance poets in the city. But is there a space that unites them? “Not really,” says Janet Orlene, a performance poet who often organises poetry and prose workshops. It was this belief that there was a dearth of platforms that led she and her friend Bharath Divakar to bring everyone under the trees, with nothing but the wind to lift their words.

“As a storyteller and a spoken word artiste, I have learnt that it can be quite a liberating and bonding experience for both the storyteller and the listener. All we wanted to do is to give people a free space to share their stories,” says Bharath. The event which is free for all, invites everybody enthusiastic not just about telling stories, but listening to them too. “Every adult has a child in them and they are just as passionate about listening to stories,” says Bharath, who will act as a facilitator and help weave stories.

That’s probably why a number of adults are signing up for this free ‘jam’boree. “It seemed like I could not just pick up stories from this session, but also storytelling skills which will definitely come in handy for kids,” says Tanya Roy, a pre-primary teacher from the city. You can also allow someone else to finish your story – you know, just to see how else it could turn out.

“That’s something that caught my fancy. It’s only like word building but with stories. It’s at its creative best – impromptu, requires no preparation, writing or editing!” says Shruthi Sudhir, a pastry chef who is looking to take her kids along. For some others, it’s just an outing with a twist. “How many movies can you probably watch and how many times can you eat? Any outdoor activity is a much-needed breather to our social calendars in the city,” says Sonal Bhatia, an arts student who has attended Shakespeare in the Park, a couple of yoga and slam poetry sessions at Cubbon and wouldn’t miss this one. So, put on your story-telling caps, for this one’s going to be tale-ific!