Author Pooja Patel with children after conducting the Angels of Mumbai book reading and craft session |
The seventh edition of Storyexpress, a storytelling initiative exclusively for children from underserved communities, was conducted yesterday at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum Plaza and the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo (Byculla). The festival is an initiative of the Akshara Foundation, and aims to demonstrate how storytelling can help raise awareness, change attitudes and motivate people to take action.
The festival, which saw participation from 220 children from six NGOs, featured a range of engaging sessions and workshops such as Dancing Folklores by Maithali & Devangi; Drawing Tales by Chetan Sharma; Elephants: Our Best Friends by Nalindi Ramachandran; Travelling Through Time by Hamir Kaur; and Whispers of Nature by Gauri Shah, Unlocking Creative Classrooms by Rishita Chandra; Rhyme-a-Poem by Yashasvi Vachchani, among others.
This year, The Free Press Journal’s Angels of Mumbai debuted at the lively festival with two storytelling sessions—Angels of Mumbai and Stories of Kindness and Courage. The illustrated children’s book series based on Mumbai’s real-life heroes was read aloud by author Pooja Patel, followed by animal-themed craft sessions and the distribution of illustrated books to the young audience, which were appreciated by curious children aged eight to 10.
The young audience listened with rapt attention to the stories of Monisha Narke, Founder and CEO, RUR Greenlife, and Dharmesh Barai, Founder, Environment Life Foundation. They took home the message that waste should be segregated, used Tetra Pak cartons can be recycled into useful products, and that keeping mangroves, hills and surroundings free from trash—especially plastic—is paramount.
“We call it a festival because it brings together a rich mix of storytelling forms and modes of expression. For children, we introduce multiple forms of storytelling, including classical dance, as a way to help them experience how movement and performance can convey stories. This is why we describe it as an all-encompassing experience,” said Reena Agrawal, co-founder, Storyexpress, adding, “We conclude with films for children. While many films are made for young audiences, very few are actually released in theatres for them to watch. Through the festival, we curate and present such films—especially animated ones—so that children can experience cinema and audiovisual media as another powerful form of storytelling.”
The festival was a massive success, made possible through the collaborative efforts of Storyexpress, Akshara Foundation, the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, and the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo.
