Obviously this is Shobha at her best, telling stories like only she can. Her narration is packed with drama and action and it is amazing to see that every child in the class listen in rapt attention.
The twenty-minute session is exhausting and she wipes the small beads of perspiration from her face. She joins me with a big smile. “How do you manage this?” I ask her. “Well if you enjoy something then you give your all” she says still out of breath. “The secret to good storytelling is that you have to ensure the group is engaged – use simple language, modify our voice, maybe mimic at times and make it participatory by asking a question or two.”
Well, theoretically it sounded brilliant but to practice that and to work with children on a routine basis is certainly not that easy. Shobha agreed and explained, “I actually plan my story sessions in detail. I read a few stories and mull over them. Then I short list at least three stories, keeping in mind that the story should appeal to both boys and girls. I then read it out loud, and put in the right expressions and keep a track of the time each story takes.”
I am curious to find out if she has a theater background. Shobha clarifies, “My family is very conservative and even in my school days I was not allowed to participate in such activities. I do get to watch plays and soap operas on the TV now and my skills for acting are all self-taught.”
Shobha added “Perhaps what really helped me was the training I received from SAKSHI” (Room to Read’s NGO partners). “The training helped me to get over my inhibitions and also understand how to take this exercise forward.”
Shobha is enrolled for a correspondence course and is also a volunteer at SAKSHI. She visits this school each week to conduct story telling sessions. “The idea is to encourage children to read story books. Sometimes I narrate a story and just as we are close to the dramatic end, I stop the narrative and ask a child to read and finish the story."
-- Reena Luke