The art of listening to stories
Listening to stories is an enjoyable experience. It engages us, makes learning fun and memorable. But if you thought reading stories or listening to stories was just this, merely a pastime or a part of children’s playtime, you need to know more!
Stories ignite curiosity about characters, the plot, and what happens next. This curiosity fuels the desire to learn. Stories broaden perspective and develop problem-solving abilities through its characters, locations and the various life situations we encounter in the stories.
Storytelling stimulates imagination, creativity, and emotional intelligence. It shapes how we perceive the world around us. We imagine scenarios, visualize characters, and invent our very own tales! Stories depict social interactions, relationships, culture, and societal norms, thereby building a sense of empathy, compassion, and cultural awareness.
Listening to stories enhances memory retention. Their characters, plot twists and details aid cognitive development and help us learn about the new worlds, their cultures and expressions.
Last, but not the least, stories help us become better listeners and improve our attention spans, much needed in these times of excessive exposure to gadgets, social media and other audio-visual platforms. Someone rightly said, ‘After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.’
So, how about an evening of stories every month? Delhi Storytellers’ Tribe (DST), a collective of performance storytellers from Delhi-NCR, has teamed up with Meghdutam Rangmanch to perform oral stories for children and adults on the last Saturday of every month. We intend to weave ‘story-listening’ into the socio-cultural fabric of our community.
In response to World Storytelling Day that falls in this month, the first of the Kahaani Square performances will take place between 5:00 and 6:00 pm on 31 March at the Amphitheatre of Meghdutam Park, Sector 50, Noida. The performances will be open to all. More details can be sought by writing to DST at delhi zstorytellerstribe@gmail.com or calling the author. Also register yourself with Meghduttam Rangmanch for timely updates on forthcoming events (Whatsapp 9899437350).
