Journalism of Courage
UK-based storyteller Vayu Naidu will re-interpret the Ramayana through her performance today
For UK-based storyteller,Vayu Naidu,telling a story means relating the present moment with the past. It lets one look through a zoom lens and have a pan vision at the same time. Naidu is in the city to perform at Sunte Ho,a journey through the epic of Ramayana . It is part of Kiski Kahani’s ongoing work on Ramayan and its celebration of diversities. Story-telling is not about relating tales but more, says Naidu. She is accompanied by Ruby Sahota,the story-teller in residence at Vayu Naidu Theatre Company in London,and Ansuman Biswas,who plays the Haang,a Swiss percussion instrument.
Naidu is fascinated by the way the diaspora has created an identity for her in the United Kingdom. It is heart warming to notice how mythologies are related to so many memories in India, she says. Naidu believes in being an interpolator to the listeners rather than reciting a story. I like to focus on aspects by contextualising them for contemporary audience, she adds. Apart from her liking for Indian mythology,her story telling is sharpened by folk tales. They have immense significance in terms of habitats and thinking. People can relate to folk tales easily, she says.
Naidu is in the city after a gap of three decades and is overawed by the greenery around. It is really soothing to see so much green around. I had imagined Pune differently after 1972, she says.
She has performed extensively in Europe,Scandinavia and Asia,but feels at home in Pune. I am thrilled to be here. Young people are interested in story-telling now. I am excited to have a live interaction with them.
