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Indian Storytelling Network

 

Hyderabad

 

 


Storytellers (and other Story Experts)

(in alphabetical order)

1) Deepa Kiran.

2) Lalitha Sastry.

3) Lyla Paladugu.

4) Neha Khaitan.

5) Padmini Rangarajan.



Ongoing Storytelling Activities in Hyderabad.



 

1

Deepa Kiran.  Founder-Director, Story Arts India.

Deepa is a professional storyteller, writer, and educator engaged with employing story-arts as a pedagogical intervention, deeply impacting both the learner and the teacher.  She has held teacher-training workshops and musical-storytelling performances across India and in other countries.

     As a research scholar, Deepa has completed a research grant award project with the British Council on "English Language Teacher Development". 

     She is a resource person with Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), Ministry of Culture, for training central Government school teachers across India.

     She is a guest expert for the "International Training Program" at English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad.

     Deepa gives Storytelling training to people of all ages and professions (including educators, relating to language,  maths,  science,  law,  engineering, business studies,  etc). 

     Deepa's Workshops for Teachers include, "Storytelling in the Classroom".  Her Workshops for Adults and Children include, "Whole Body Communication and Creative Self-expression in Storytelling".

     She gives talks at forums of art, culture, language, literature, and learning -- at TED Talks, Rotary Clubs, Lion Clubs, Toast Masters, etc.  She also gives talks at educational events such as the International Teacher Educator Conference, the English Language Teachers Association of India Conference (ELTAI), and the Indian Public Schools Council (IPSC).

     Deepa gives Storytelling performances of folktales, stories about Bhakti poets, and characters from epics and mythology (Dashavatara, Hanuman, etc).  She also researches, composes, and performs customized Storytelling programs on specific issues such as Rock Conservation and Bird Watching.

     Deepa has performed at numerous festivals, including the Kala Ghoda Festival, Mumbai; the Katha Utsav Festival, New Delhi; the Hyderabad Literature Festival, and the Iran International Storytelling Festival, Tehran, Iran.

     She has authored a children’s print-with-audio book, "The Royal Mistake". 

     A Tamil language Aval Vikatan article about her work is here.  An English language article about her work is here.

     A recording of a TED talk by Deepa is here.  Recordings of her telling stories can be found on Youtube ("Deepa Kiran Storyteller").

Contact

90529 10239

over2deepakiran@gmail.com

Story Arts India

 

 

2

Lalitha Sastry.

“Great stories happen to those who can tell them” is what Lalitha believes in.  She feels Storytellers have the power to present a different perspective to the world because people respond to stories, connect to the emotions and remember information given in the story form much more vividly.  Lalitha is very passionate about storytelling and hopes to make a great story, one step at a time.

 

Lalitha is an educator turned storyteller.  She has conducted story sessions at government schools and community centres, and has conducted storytelling workshops in schools.

 

She has trained teachers in "Curriculum Integration Through Storytelling" and has conducted Faculty Development Programs on "Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool".

 

Lalitha has been blogging since 2017.  She has a blog of her own, and has also written for various other blogs.

 

Lalitha has often been a featured author on Women’s Web for Writing, India’s leading website for women writers.  She has won this organisation's award for Flash Fiction numerous times, and she has been nominated twice for the Orange Flower Festival, an annual mega event that Women’s Web for Writing produces.

 

Lalitha was one of the 20 winners of #SheIsStrong stories conducted by Opined in collaboration with Women’s Web for Writing.

 

She has also won various awards on Momspresso, one of India’s leading parenting websites.  She has written sponsored blogs for Momspresso.

 

Professional Storytelling Training

 

Diploma in "Storytelling", from Kathalaya International Academy of Storytelling (affiliated with International Storytelling Centre, Tennessee, USA).

 

Certificate in "The Art of Creating Stories and Folktales, the Panchatantra Way", from Vikram Sridhar.

 

Professional Storytelling Experience

 

Lalitha is the founder of Katha Chavadi, an activity centre where regular storytelling sessions are conducted.

 

She has participated in

1) Chennai Storytelling Festival,

2) Hyderabad Literary Festival 2023, and

3) Kathaparab, the Jharkand Storytelling Festival.

 

Lalitha has been an active vounteer and storyteller at HYSTA (Hyderabad Storytellers Association), and is a member of SEAIC (Storytelling Education and Arts India Council) and FEAST (Federation of Asian Storytellers).

 

Academic Training

 

Master’s in Commerce from Osmania University, Hyderabad.

 

State Level Eligibility Test in Commerce.

 

Photo

Here

 

Contact

98662 67495

kathachavadi@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/kathachavadi

Instagram:  @katha_chavadi

 

 

3

Lyla Paladugu.  Founder-Director, Kathakalpa.

Lyla has been an avid art lover since childhood.  However, it was when she started reading stories to her own child that she realised storytelling is not only an art, it can also be a wonderful teaching-and-learning activity that can communicate emotions and boost thinking capacity.  Having realized this -- and empowered by dream and driven by passion -- Lyla called a quit to her 10 year corporate career as a trainer, and opted instead to apply herself to using storytelling to facilitating mental, social, and academic development in children.  Thus, she established Kathakalpa.

     At Kathakalpa, Lyla and team tell stories to children, to help the children integrate their emotions and intellects, blending life skills and academics.  The stories and storytelling help the children to improve their language skills, and along the way, the children's imaginations are stirred, and often a love of reading blossoms in the children.  Children learn to relate images and words to experiences.  Children are encouraged to participate in various storytelling and storytelling-related activities, which help lay foundations for the children's thinking, behavioural, and academic skills -- and, above all, for their bright futures.

Contact

90147 02954

kathakalpa9@gmail.com

www.kathakalpa.com

 

 

4

Neha Khaitan.  Founder-Director, A Flower Child.

Neha Khaitan is a Bharatanatyam dancer, Storyteller, and Visual designer from Hyderabad.  She is also an Author of books for children.  Neha uses Classical Music and Bharatanatyam in her storytelling sessions.  Neha has performed at Saptaparni, Hyderabad Literary Festival, and Kalaghoda Arts Festival; and at schools like Sloka, Ahilya Education Society, and Pebble Creek.  She has also led workshops in storytelling, dance, and/or visual art at numerous NGOs and Schools.  She has traveled to various cities in India and abroad for her dance recitals, art exhibitions, and storytelling sessions.

     A Flower Child is a platform founded by Neha Khaitan which involves Visual Communications, Children's Books, and Storytelling.  Everyday Maths (Rupa Publications, 2021) is the first volume in a series of math-based activity books for children which Neha has authored and illustrated.  This is also available at Sapna Online.

     Anekdotes is a storytelling initiative from A Flower Child.  Curated from various sources or written from the scratch, these stories use storytelling to convey messages and also to help the children to develop their emotive skills.  The storytellings are embellished with elements of Indian Classical Dance, such as abhinaya (expressive techniques used to convey themes, moods, or ideas), including mudras (hand-gestures), body postures and movements, and enactments.  Through on-stage and Youtube storytelling, Anekdotes aspires to make learning and communication a fun, engaging activity for children and their parents.

     Before foraying into the world of the Arts, Neha worked in the IT Industry.  She has experience in Business Development, Branding, and Visual Communications.

     A photo of Neha is here.

Contact

91773 70958

neha.khaitan@gmail.com

---

https://linktr.ee/aflowerchild

https://khaitanneha.wordpress.com

https://linkedin.com/in/nehakhaitan

Youtube channel: Anekdotes

 

 

5
Padmini Rangarajan
. 
Founder-Director, STEPARC.
Padmini is an Educational Puppeteer and Research Scholar.  She holds a PG degree in Social Work (1993-95), and a PG Diploma in Women’s Studies (1997-1998), from Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka.  She received a Tata Fellowship in Folklore, 2012-2013.

     Padmini was in the teaching field for over ten years.  She was a Lecturer regarding Spoken English at Vivekananda Institute of Languages, Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad, 2003-2009.

     In 2005, Padmini started the Sphoorthi Theatre for Educational Puppetry, Art, and Craft (STEPARC), which uses puppetry as a medium of education.  It conceptualises and produces Puppet plays, and storytelling with Puppets.  It conducts workshops for teachers, parents, organisations, and children.

     STEPARC has also provided puppetry-related services to NGOs working in tribal and rural areas in Andhra Pradesh.

     Padmini attends Seminars and Conferences relating to Theatre and the Social Sciences, and has presented papers on Folklore, Theatre, Puppetry, Storytelling, Language, Sociology, Women's Studies, and Education.  Approximately ten of her papers have been published in Journals.

Contact

0 98660 81172

040 2740 3699

steparc1@gmail.com

www.sphoorthitheatre.com

www.sphoorthi-theatre.blogspot.com

 

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Ongoing Storytelling Activities in Hyderabad --

 

Sphoorthi Theatre for Educational Puppetry, Art, and Craft.

 

Story Arts India.

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