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to ISN homepage Indian Storytelling
Network Chennai
Storytellers 1) S.W. Alvin. 4) H.
Banumathy (Banu). 6) Debjani
Bhaduri. 7) Divya Anand. 9) Geetha
Kailasam. 10) Geethanjali
Javed. 11) Indu Divya. 12) E. Kalyan
Babu. 13) Kanagadurga
Ramesh (Kanaga). 15) Kavitha
Thyagarajan. 16) Lalitha
Thilak. 18) Manjula
Karthikeyan. 20) Mohan
Krishnan. 21) Mubeen
Irshad. 22) Nazrin M.
23) Mee.
Pandiarajan. 24) Periya
Nayaki. 25) Pooja Giri. 26) Pretigaya
Haran. 27) Priti
Sudarsan. 29) Priya
Palanikumar. 30) Radha
Balaraman. 31) Ramya
Arivazhagan. 32) Renu Meera. 33) Renu Narayan. 34) Sabapathy
Narayanan (Saba). 35) Sandhya
Ruban. 36) K.
Shanmugasundaram (Shan). 38) Shyama
Sridharan. 43) Sudha
Umashanker. 44) Suriya
Lakshmi. 45) Uma Jairam. 46) Vasugi Ram
Manohar. 47) K.R.
Vidhyaa. 48) Vithya
Dhanaraj. 49) Zarin M.
S.W. Alvin. Alvin
is a Storyteller and Creativity Trainer.
He seeks to deliver Peace, Joy, and Goodness through stories, and also
to help individuals discover the knowledge of their true selves, and identify
their inborn potentials. Alvin's Storytelling and Training
Company is Regina Pacis - Zone of
Confidence. Regina Pacis
trains Teachers regarding Storytelling, Communication, and Personality
Development. Alvin also teaches Spoken
English classes for students and professionals. Alvin has developed a 2-week Personality
Development module called "LIKES" (Life Inspiring Knowledge
Enriching Stories) for people of the age group 12 to 17 years. If you might be interested to have this
module in your institution, please contact Alvin. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info alvinansa@gmail.com 2 Ambujavalli N. (Ambuja). Ambujavalli
-- an IT professional turned storyteller-trainer and public speaker --
strongly believes that good stories spread healthy happiness. She is known for the performance elements
that she weaves into her stories. She
is comfortably bilingual (English and Thamizh). Audiences love her energy, humor, and more
importantly, her spontaneity. A few feathers in her cap are: ➢
Interviewed by the Indian national TV channel, Podhigai DD. ➢
Featured by the TV channels: Podhigai TV, Kalaingnar TV, and Makkal
TV. ➢
Featured by All India Radio, and Bengaluru community radio. ➢
Workshop Leader (Mudras and Rhythms), FEAST International Conference
2019. ➢
One of the authors of FEAST's 2019 Anthology, "Royals, Wise and
Otherwise". ➢
Storyteller at International Festivals such as: Under the Aalamaram
2018; and Chennai Storytelling Festival 2021. ➢
Workshop Leader, Chennai Storytelling Festival 2017-20. ➢
Part of the Tamil Nadu Government Education Department's "Story
Corner" project. ➢
Curator of a Spiritual series that combines slokas and stories of
Hindu deities: "All in All Aadhyantha", "Spectacular
Shiva", and "Versatile Vishnu" to name a few Member: Indian Storytelling Network
(ISN); Chennai Story Tellers (CS); Federation of Asian Story Tellers (FEAST);
and Springboard Tales (SB). Contact
info Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ambujavalli.Nagarajan
. You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ambujavallin/featured (Over
1000 subscribers). ambujavalli@gmail.com 99625
27135 3 Annapoorani Barani. Annapoorani
is a storyteller, a theatre artist with Veshadharis, a carnatic singer, a
writer on holistic growth for Life
Positive and The Teenager Today,
and a sales and marketing manager. She has pursued theatre, music, yoga,
and writing in numerous capacities and believes these activities have helped
to mould her into the multifaceted professional she is today. She loves to blend her knowledge of music,
yoga, and fitness into her storytelling, and she believes this blending has a
powerful impact on her audience members. An ardent reader of books of all genres
and a lover of mythology, one can often find Annapoorani engrossed in watching
movies or reading stories pertaining to mythology and other tales of various
cultures. Her love for stories is
coupled with a penchant for exploring the hidden facets and lessons in
stories. Annapoorani is fluent in Tamil and
English. Her story repertoire
includes: Mythology (Hindu and other), Animal Fables (Aesops' fables,
Panchatantra stories, etc), and adaptations of classic tales. As a storyteller and storytelling workshop
leader, Annapoorani can customise sessions for all age groups. A
video recording of Annapoorani telling an original fictional story is here. Contact
info annu199@gmail.com 97910
54616 4 H.
Banumathy (Banu). Banumathy
is the Founder-Director of Fables n Tales. She believes that stories can entertain and
educate. As part of the Government of Tamil
Nadu's "Children's Program", Banu has shared stories in Public
Libraries across Chennai. She is also
a member of the Government of Tamil Nadu's "Story Corner" project. Banu has told stories and conducted
workshops in Storytelling Festivals and schools across Tamil Nadu. She has performed for Regional and
International Radio Channels, for DD National Television, and with
International Storytelling Guilds. When Banu tells stories, she uses her
theatrical expertise to transport listeners to different worlds. Listeners make the story their own by
relating themselves to the characters. Banu believes that by telling and/or
listening to a hero’s / heroine's story journey, and by deciphering the
metaphors of a story, one can enhance one's problem-solving skills, further
develop moral values and creative imagination, improve vocabulary, and even
experience healing. --- Storytelling-related
Services Offered (online): --- *
Regular Saturday storytelling sessions for children aged 4-9. --- *
Interactive storytelling sessions using puppets for all occasions. --- *
Customised intensive workshop, "Introduction to Storytelling and Its
Elements", for all age groups. --- *
Workshop on making and using puppets. --- *
Workshop for parents on reading and telling stories to their children. --- Contact
info 80560
50606 banumathy81@gmail.com --- https://www.facebook.com/FablesnTales --- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ZvmWi3dsZB8aMbqSj_FLQ --- Instagram:
fablesntales Daniel Joseph. Daniel
uses Storytelling to teach English language.
He is a certified TESOL instructor.
Together with his wife, Christina Joseph, he directs Virginia Language
Training (VLT), which is based in Pallavaram (just south of
Chennai airport). VLT, formerly known as VATD (Virginia
Academy of Training and Development), provides English Language training to a
number of schools, including Shikshaa Matriculation Hr. Sec. School, in
Hasthinapuram (near Chromepet), St. Stephen's and St. Sebastain's in
Pallavaram, CSI Bains School in Kodingaiyur, CSI Ewarts Annanagar, and more
schools all over Tamilnadu. VLT has conducted English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction for over 50,000
students, using innovative and creative fun-filled activities such as
Storytelling, Theatre, Mime, Puppetry, and Arts and Crafts, to help children
develop their language abilities. Two
excellent Storytelling and Language trainers -- Maria Lincoln and Sabatina
Cornielle -- contribute to the strength of the VLT team. Recently we have added even more
Storytellers to our team. Virginia Language Training is now
conducting Online Classes for children all over the world, providing programs
in Storytelling to Learn English, Moral
Values, Good Behaviour, and about Different Cultures for young people in
India, USA, Canada, and Brazil. Contact
info 88258
79393, 99406 13580 danygetsit@gmail.com Pallavaram,
Chennai - 43 Facebook, Virginia Language
Training 6 Debjani Bhaduri. Debjani
enjoys telling stories, and also giving instruction in Storytelling, to
people of all ages. She brings a lot
of humor and fun to her Storytelling work. Debjani is a post-graduate in English
literature. She has taught in a
college in Bangalore; and in Bala Vidya Mandir, Gandhinagar, Chennai. Currently she is conducting phonics classes
for children in Besant Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur. She also teaches communication skills and
story-theatre classes for teenagers and adults in Adyar and Thiruvanmiyur. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 98402
76914 debjani.bhdr@gmail.com Facebook,
Debjani Bhaduri 7 Divya Anand. Divya
finds great passion in her craft as a storyteller for young children. She has been in the IT industry for a
while, along side which she has also been doing voice overs for promos,
corporate videos, documentaries, and the like. So the power of voice and
expressive speech found a natural meandering into the world of storytelling,
which one can apply to entertain as well as to educate. Voice, action, fun, and more give flight to
the characters and bring the story alive.
Her stories entertain, and in the process also cultivate the need and
sense to be grounded with healthy beliefs and value systems for oneself. A photo of Divya is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 98404
26260 dhivyaanand1110@gmail.com Divya's
website is here. 8 --- The schedule of Chennai Storytelling Festival
2022 is here
! --- Dr
Eric is a Scholar, Storyteller, Story Writer, Trainer (regarding Storytelling
and Storytelling Therapy), and Life Coach.
He is a native New Yorker, settled in Chennai. --- Dr
Eric co-founded and directs the World Storytelling Institute,
the Chennai
Storytelling Festival (now approaching its 10th annual edition, in
Feb 2022) and the Storytelling
Therapy Association of India. --- He a
co-facilitator of the Indian Storytelling Network
and the Chennai
Storytelling Association. --- He is
the Assistant Director of the East West Center for Counselling and
Training, and the Indian
Institute of Psychodrama. --- Four
trainings Dr Eric offers are: --- 1 "Storytelling Workshop" (for
adults) -- 10 group-sessions. Info is here. --- 2 "Professional Storyteller"
training and certification (for Storytelling Workshop graduates) -- 4
one-on-one sessions. Info is here. --- 3 "Storytelling Therapy: Using Stories and
Storytelling for Life Coaching and Psychological Counselling"
training -- 8 one-on-one sessions.
Trainees apply the Storytelling Therapy method to themselves in order
to learn how to apply it to others.
Reviews of this training are here and here. No
requirements. Additional training info is here. --- 4 "Storytelling and Psychodrama"
group workshop. With
co-trainer Ms Magdalene
Jeyarathnam (TED Talk). One of our past workshops is described here. --- All of
the above is occurring primarily via Zoom. One-on-one sessions could also
occur in Dr Eric's office just off Nungambakkam High Road, Chennai. --- Dr
Eric also helps to provide Storytellers for any occasion (in Tamil, English,
and other languages). --- Links
to 91 newspaper, etc, articles mentioning Dr Eric's work are here. --- Links
to 83 of Dr Eric's writings are here. --- Regarding
Videoconferencing: --- Dr
Eric has been working with Storytelling and Videoconferencing since the early
1990s (almost 30 years ago). --- Links
to 19 Storytelling-related Videoconferences he has co-facilitated are here. --- In
2017, Eric guest-edited "Ways
Storytellers are Using Audio- and Videoconferencing for Training, Discussion,
and Performance" -- a 12-page section of the USA National
Storytelling Network's Storytelling Magazine. --- Member,
Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info eric@storytellinginstitute.org Geetha Kailasam. Geetha
is a Storyteller and Writer. She
conducts Storytelling and Theatre classes for children and adults, especially
in Besant Nagar. Geetha is is also a Certified Accountant
by qualification, and passionately teaches Accounts and Commerce to students
in the 11th and 12th Standards. Contact
info 99529
57031 geetha33@gmail.com 10 Geethanjali Javed. Geethanjali
directs the Spotlight Academy, through which she trains children in soft
skills using storytelling as one of the tools. She conducts summer camps for children in
the Academy. For many years, Geethanjali was a
teacher. She has a PG in English
Literature. She has studied
storytelling with Eric Miller (director, World Storytelling Institute) in
Chennai, and with Sherin Mathews in Mumbai. Geethanjali also trains teachers,
regarding ways to use storytelling to enhance children's English-language
speaking skills. She tells stories in
schools, libraries, NGOs, and social gatherings. She tries to inspire people by telling
personal stories which they could relate to regardless of religion, language,
ethnicity, etc. A person who always believes in
countries without borders, Geethanjali considers herself as an ambassador of
peace. A photo of Geethanjali is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 73583
25036 geethanjalijaved.gj@gmail.com 11 Indu Divya. Indu
is a professional storyteller, trainer and content developer. She believes deeply in the magic of
storytelling as a medium to engage with people. Personal-experience storytelling is the
type of storytelling she most enjoys and considers her forte. She has trained under Jeeva Raghunath. Indu has conducted storytelling workshops
and has staged public performances for children. Indu is now focusing on engaging with
adult audiences through her storytelling.
She has recently founded The
Narrative, a company providing training/coaching
and content development services.
Storytelling is at the core of all the services offered by The
Narrative: In addition to regular workshops, The
Narrative organises Live Themed Personal Storytelling Sessions for mature
audiences, once a month. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 98407
12328 indu.divya.247@gmail.com Facebook,
The
Narrative 12 E. Kalyan Babu (a.k.a., Uncle Kay). A
senior management professional and newly minted theatre coach, Kalyan’s love
for theatre brought him into the world of storytelling. A voracious reader of books of all genres since
his childhood, over the years Kalyan has assembled a personal library of over
1,200 titles and counting. Kalyan is the Creative Director of ReaderzForge,
an after-school book reading and theatre program. ReaderzForge came into existence as a
direct result of the ongoing pandemic.
Having dabbled in theatre during his younger days, Kalyan always
dreamed of going back to his theatre roots in some way but, as is usual, there
were always other ‘urgent’ priorities on the top of the list. But as COVID-19 wreaked havoc and India
went into a long lockdown in March 2020, Kalyan began reading Harry Potter
books for the kids at Narthanam to ease their boredom and the experience was
so fulfilling that it led to the launch of ReaderzForge in July 2020. ReaderzForge offers a variety of reading
and theatre activities for children in the 5-16 years age group with focus on
building greater English communication skills, enabling creativity, team
building and improving their Emotional Quotient (EQ). As part of the offerings, Kalyan conducts a
weekly storytelling session for kids – Kathas by Uncle Kay (K-bUK). He
incorporates elements of theatre in storytelling and is known for using
voices and acting to dramatic effect. Kalyan is a Postgraduate in Management
and spent 11 years climbing the rungs of the KPO industry before retiring
from the corporate world as Senior Vice President - Global Delivery. He has spent the last 10 years working as a
Management Consultant. In addition to
his professional commitments, Kalyan helps manage the various activities of
Narthanam Chennai, a Bharatanatyam dance school. Narthanam Chennai and ReaderzForge are part
of Narthanam School of Performing Arts (Madipakkam, Chennai) which he runs
along with his wife Gayathri, a Finance / IT professional and a Bharatanatyam
dancer. A photo of Kalyan is here. Contact
info Phone
/ Whatsapp: +91 93822 09157 readerzforge@gmail.com
13 Kanagadurga Ramesh (Kanaga). Kanaga
is the founder-director of the Storytelling organisation, Alabanza.
She is a teacher by profession, and has worked with children in the
classroom for many years. She is a
certified trainer of Montessori kindergarten teachers. She is also a language instructor,
regarding the Spanish language especially.
She has attended an English Language Course at the British Council,
and has passed the "Test of English as a Foreign Language Exam"
(TOEFL). Kanaga is an experienced storyteller and
mono-dramatist. She is an
enthusiastic, creative, and imaginative person, and is well able to use her
acting skills to express feelings. She
has attended a "Seven-session Storytelling Workshop" and a
"Workshop on Storytelling for Personality Development" at the World
Storytelling Institute. Kanaga can combine, in customised
workshops, instruction / training in languages and other subjects (including
storytelling and mono-drama) -- for children, teens, and adults. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 99625
72169 cvkanagadurga14@gmail.com 14 Member, Chennai Storytellers. 15 Kavitha Thyagarajan. Kavitha
is a storyteller and founder of Once Upon a Time ... Tells a Tale. She enjoys telling interactive stories to
young children between the ages of 3 and 10 years. She has given storytelling performances in
many activity centres, such as Chennai Hippocampus, Oyster Kids, and Kart Wheel;
at Odyssey book store; and for some leading schools. She includes art and craft work in her
sessions. Kavitha conducts regular storytelling
sessions at her space in RA Puram - Kavitha's Storytelling Space ! Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 99400
36390. kaviswe@gmail.com Facebook,
Once Upon a Time
... Tells a Tale 16 Lalitha Thilak. Lalitha
believes stories are the most effective medium to pass on an idea or thought;
and that a storyteller is a vital bridge between the story and the listener,
and has to ensure that the essence of the story reaches the audience. Lalitha's first experience of storytelling
occurred when she was telling bedtime stories to her two little girls. She realised how much they enjoyed this
experience. Today as teenagers they
fondly recollect the stories. And like
Lalitha, they are avid readers. Listening to stories helps children to
think, learn, and grow. Through her
storytelling, Lalitha seeks to create lasting impressions on children,
kindling their imaginations and encouraging their curiosities. This is the vision of her storytelling
venture, "Speak Through
Stories". Through
this program, she conducts storytelling sessions on weekends with children in
two age-groups: 5-7-year-olds and 8-12-year-olds. These sessions are interactive. The children have ample opportunities to
express their own perspectives. Before the pandemic, Lalitha also
conducted storytelling sessions for 9th and 10th standard girls in a
government school. These sessions
mostly involved stories related to life skils, and occurred in a combination
of Tamil and English. Lalitha's goal is to continue to
entertain, enrich, and create a positive impact though her storytelling. A photo is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 91766
82108 lalithathilak79@gmail.com The Speak Through Stories
program. Lavanya Srinivas. Lavanya
is a Storyteller, Trainer, Author, and Translator. She is the founder-director of Katha Kamamishu, A
World of Stories. As a Soft-skills
Trainer, Lavanya is certified by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Hyderabad. She conducts Activity-based Storytelling Workshops for
children and adults, in Classrooms, Colleges, and Corporate settings. She uses Storytelling as a powerful tool
for Effective Communication, Ensuring Employability, and Enriching Human
Lives; for Enabling Personal Success, Self Confidence, and Self Expression;
for Language Learning and Cross-cultural Trainings; and for helping people to
develop Creativity in general, as well as in fields such as Music, Dance,
Literature, and Advertising and Branding.
Her Storytelling Workshops are educational, enriching, entertaining,
and empowering. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 98844
72301 laavanyasrinivas@gmail.com www.kathaakamamishu.blogspot.in Additional
info about Katha Kamamishu is here. 18 Manjula Karthikeyan. Manjula
is a Software Developer turned Storyteller.
She enjoys telling stories to children. She is inspired by the various storytelling
sessions she has attended in the USA.
She includes singing, puppetry, and arts and crafts, along with
storytelling. Manjula focuses on
improving the morals, speech, communication, and social skills of children
via storytelling. She is a graduate of
a seven-session storytelling workshop for adults conducted by Eric Miller,
Director, World Storytelling Institute. Contact
info 97907
27987 manju_bkse@yahoo.co.in 19 K. Mashuda Muthi. Mashuda
is the director of The
Meticulous Master.
She aims at using Storytelling to water the garden of young
minds. Mashuda's areas of expertise
include, 1)
Storytelling for Children (aged 3-15 years): Fun and Learning. 2)
Specialized Storytelling Workshops for Children. a) Teaching Language Skills. b)
Overcoming Stage Fear. c) Public Speaking. d) Teaching Manners and Etiquette. 3)
Teacher Training: Using Storytelling for, a) Teaching Various Academic Subjects. b) Teaching Communication Skills. 4)
Preparing Modules for the above-mentioned Workshops, or as per requirement. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 98401
12193. 86108 39508. mashuthi@gmail.com Facebook,
The
Meticulous Master 20 Mohan Krishnan ( @Mohan Kabir ). Mohan
is a Storyteller, Happiness Coach, and Wellness Curator. He is an accomplished Human Resource
trainer. Mohan uses storytelling techniques
to train people in soft skills and communication regarding products and
services, especially in software and financial services companies. He also utilises storytelling techniques
for coaching and mentoring. Using
storytelling techniques for recruitment and for performance appraisals are
innovative concepts he has introduced. Mohan conducts regular storytelling
sessions, drawing from Indian epics, folklore, and history to inculcate
values, motivation, and inspiration.
He is an exponent of the 15th Century Saint Poet Kabir Das and uses
Kabir’s couplets (doha) for conveying life lessons Mohan conducts storytelling workshops
for teachers, Human Resource professionals, parents, grandparents, and young
adults. He is fluent in four languages
(Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, and English).
He often includes singing in storytelling. Taboo tales, and immersive and experiential
storytelling are two of his innovative and creative storytelling
techniques. His performances, talks,
and workshops synergise elements of enterTRAINment (teaching-and-learning
through entertainment). In a previous avatar he was a senior
executive with the Reserve Bank of India and has an impressive record of
service. Mohan directs the Madras Tale Spinners, a team of accomplished storytellers. Contact
Info 98403
22236 rbi.mohan@gmail.com --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohan-krishnan-0b646615 --- https://www.facebook.com/rbi.mohan --- https://gr8gurusblog.blogspot.com --- https://www.instagram.com/mohankabir --- https://www.youtube.com/user/rbimohan/featured --- https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/verses-two-good/article5785025.ece 21 Mubeen Irshad. Mubeen
is a very passionate Storyteller. She
has told stories at “Storython 2016” (an 8-hour storytelling event), Anna
Library, Accenture, and at various other events. She regularly conducts storytelling
performance-and-training sessions for children at Swarna Sudarshan Hall, in
Kovilambakkam, Chennai. She also
conducted these sessions at other locations. In 2016, she gave storytelling
training to approximately 500 children.
Mubeen releases free audio stories
through Whats App every week through her own brand, Story Carpet. She has
penned positive rhymes for children: these rhymes have been heard more than
400k times on YouTube within a span of 6 months. She has also penned 30 Rebus stories for
children which are also on YouTube.
She has published a number of articles in an International acclaimed
Magazine. She underwent storytelling training in
the World Storytelling Institute with Dr Eric Miller. She is a blogger, public speaker, Emcee,
and an ardent Toastmaster. She is also
a health geek: you can find her in the yoga studio every day. Mubeen’s primary mission is to infuse
positive ripples in the minds of young children through stories. She offers customised classes on Creative Writing,
Public Speaking, and Storytelling, for Schools, Colleges, and
Corporates. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info SMS/Call/Whats
app: 96770 70837 Website,
www.storycarpet.com Blog, http://thepositiveripples.blogspot.in Facebook,
Story Carpet 22 Nazrin M. Nazrin,
a B.E. (Bachelor of Engineering) graduate, is a dynamic and enthusiastic
person. She is certified as a
"Professional Storyteller" by the World Storytelling Institute
(based in Chennai). She is also a
motivational speaker, has undergone various other Storytelling Workshops, and
holds a diploma in Fine Arts. Nazrin has a strong belief that
Storytelling could help one to become increasingly self-motivated,
independent, and able to achieve one’s goals.
She believes Storytelling could help everyone, irrespective of
age, 1) To
follow one’s own passion, irrespective of hurdles one might come across. 2) To
become more confident. 3) To
boost one’s morale. 4) To
feel, and connect with, a common humanity. Nazrin customizes sessions of
Storytelling, Storytelling-related activities, and Coaching in Storytelling,
according to the age group and occasion.
Contact
info 98844
17134 nazrinrashid22@gmail.com 23 Mee. Pandiarajan. Pandiarajan (MBA, CFA) has worked in the banking and
IT industries for many years.
Pandiarajan took to storytelling in 2011, in both Tamil and
English. He has received training from
the World Storytelling Institute in Chennai, and has studied with Laura Simms
in New York City and Chennai. He is
also an orator, and was an actor in his school days. Since
2011, he has been conducting storytelling training for children and
adults. He has worked with charitable
organizations such as Udhavum Ullangal P Charitable Trust. He visits Angan-wadis (Creches), Hospitals,
Homes for Children, Schools, etc, to tell stories and to conduct storytelling
events. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact info 99401 08716 mepraja@gmail.com 24 Periya Nayaki. Periya
Nayaki is a Transpersonal Storyteller, Trainer, and Psychologist. She believes all that is needed for people
to live to their complete potential is within them, right here and right now! Periya Nayaki uses stories as a tool to
create loving environments with respective personal spaces where the
individuals (be they children, youth, or adults) are allowed to explore their
higher selves and manifest greater possibilities. She uses metaphors, mythology, folklore,
movies, day-to-day events, and personal experiences for stories. Periya Nayaki conducts customized
workshops and trainings based on individual requirements in personal
settings, and in the virtual space as well.
She has worked with many students, teachers, and parents over the
years and has learned one sure thing: If love cannot nothing else can and
sometimes silence is the best untold story! Contact
info 99652
23119 nayaki@gmail.com 25 Pooja Giri. Pooja
combines passion for storytelling, with creativity and entertainment. She engages audience attention with
participative narratives, and often intersperses her presentations with
interesting activities that enhance listener involvement. Pooja has a rich repertoire of tales and
fables from ancient lands of oral tradition such as Africa, China, India,
Turkey, Indonesia, and Ukraine. She
also composes, and writes and tells her own stories. Pooja has performed in schools, at book
stores and birthday parties, and for informal groups. She is the founder-director of Thangam
Talkies. She conducts regular programmes at The Storytelling
Studio, R A Puram, Chennai.
Pooja conductied a Storytelling Session for Children on Saturday 6
June 2015 at Starmark in Phoenix Mall (Velachery). The event poster is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 97910
81117 poojagiri@yahoo.com Facebook,
Thangam
Talkies 26 Pretigaya Haran. Pretigaya Haran is a Storyteller and a Trainer of Public Speaking,
Communication, and Drama. She conducts
weekly Storytelling-theatre workshops for children at iSpark, Goplapuram, in
association with the World Storytelling Institute. She also conducts weekly Story sessions and
Public Speaking classes for middle school children in a school in Chennai. Pretigaya has had the joy
of sharing stories at numerous venues, including Schools (Baal Niketan, and
Sherwood Hall); Libraries (Anna Centenary Library, and Just Books);
Children’s Centres (Buzy Bee, iSpark, Nutshell Kids, and Saaransh); and a
Spoken English Centre (Communiqua). Pretigaya also leads
Storytelling workshops for adults who use Storytelling as a tool to teach
school curriculum, behavioural aspects, and values and morals, to
children. She has conducted
Teacher-training workshops in schools such as Terapanthi Jain Vidyalaya, KRM
Public School, Kalgi Matriculation School, and Sherwood Hall Senior Secondary
School. She has also conducted
Storytelling workshops for college students and adults in the Chennai
Storytelling Festival. Pretigaya has trained
children in Speech and Drama at Chennai branches of the Helen O'Grady Drama
Academy for over 3 years. She is very keen on drama. She has performed in English, Hindi, Urdu,
and Gujarati, in plays in London. For two consecutive years she has performed
in the annual "Living Satues of Marina Beach Heritage Walk", an
event in Madras Week. Here is a collage of photos of her
performing Kannagi (in English) on 23 August 2015. Pretigaya writes and direct skits for
children. She has been sharing Jain
stories with young children at the Vepery branch of Jain Sanskaar
Vatika, an All India School on Jain studies. She also directs the annual day play for
them. Pretigaya started Story Sack,
Everything Stories in March 2017 to formally give her work a
name. She is also part of a project
called Springboard Tales,
wherein a team of storytellers share monthly, theme-based story videos,
available for purchase at their website. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact info 80560 51247 pretigaya@yahoo.co.uk Facebook,
Story Sack,
Everything Stories 27 Priti Sudarsan. Priti
is a Storyteller who uses theatre activities to help children improve their
communication abilities. She has
received training in Storytelling from Geeta Ramanujam, and has received
training in Storytelling and Theatre Games from Ms Poppy. She has also participated in the
"Kathai Kalatta (Under the Aalamaram) International Storytelling
Festival" in Chennai (August 2014), where she learned a lot from the
workshops and was a part of the organising team. Priti has told stories to children in
Chennai at Hippocampus, Ashivita Bristo, Weebees Play School, Pumpkin Patch,
Oyster Kids, and elsewhere. She has
led Storytelling Workshops for children at Arsha Vidya Mandir and Harishree
Vidyalayam. Priti's Workshops combine
Storytelling and Theatre Games. If the
workshop is for a week, she prepares the children to enact a skit on the last
day. Priti has launched a new storytelling
service: Story Voyage -- a unique way to entertain children
and adults through storytelling on the move, inside a bus! The bus can carry as many as 24
people. The sesions are interactive,
with sing-alongs and games.
Participants have memorable experiences of visiting some lovely places
in Chennai. Places are recommend
depending on the age group. Among the
places that have been visited are marine aquariums, lakes, and farms. Story Voyages are arranged for private
groups and schools, and typically occur on two Saturdays of every month. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 99627
14870 pritis83@gmail.com Facebook,
Story Voyage 28 Priya Balasubramanian. Priya
B. is the Founder-Director of Kadhaikalam Vaanga, a storyteller's platform. To join the WhatsApp group of Kadhaikalam
Vaanga, please send a text containing this request to 99620 08610. Also facilitated by
Priya B: 1) "Solla Marandha Kadhai" --
a personal storytelling event for adults, for sharing our own experiences as
stories in a group. The stories can be
shared in either English or Tamil.
This event is conducted on the last Saturday of each month. The event poster will be shared in
Kadhaikalam Vaanga's Facebook page and WhatsApp group. 2) "Vellai Pookal" -- a
storytelling workshop for children and teenagers. The participants will be trained to create,
narrate, and write new stories in English, with art based activities to
enhance their creativity. 10 sessions
(one session a week), on Saturdays or Sundays. Contact
info 99620 08610. 95000 85690. kadhaikalamvaanga@gmail.com priyaprak2415@gmail.com A flier about Priya B's
work is here. Facebook, Kadhaikalam Vaanga 29 Priya Palanikumar. Priya
is a freelance trainer and Founder-Director of Open Story, a
storytelling and theatre initiative.
She has performed in schools, libraries, social gatherings, at
Podhigai TV series and for events at festivals. She also works with schools as drama
teacher for annual day events and handles end to end from scripting to
staging of dance drama productions.
She is the Director at Nimayaa, a theatre unit of Bharataarpana
Institute of Fine Arts. Her interest in Yoga and Bharatanatyam
help in integrating a lot of sound, silence and movement in her storytelling
style. Her favourite genres are
adapted folktales, mythology, biographies, and academics interwoven with
creativity and spontaneity. She
underwent training at the World Storytelling Institute from Dr. Eric Miller. Priya is also an acupuncture and yoga
practitioner who runs a centre called Yahvi yoga. As visiting faculty at a dance school, she
conducts story yoga sessions for young children (7-12 years). She offers customized workshops on
storytelling, basic theatre, healthy and mindful living, motivational public
speaking, communication, and gender perspectives. She is a textbook optimist who believes
the world is full of stories and all we need to do is listen. When she is not telling stories she ends up
thinking about all the characters in her line of work. Member, Chennai Storytellers Member, SpringBoard Tales Contact
info 90422
51513 openstoryworld@gmail.com Facebook,
Openstoryworld Instagram,
Openstoryworld 30 Radha Balaraman. Radha started her career as a software Engineer. She has become a Storyteller and
Educator. She loves reading and
telling stories to children. She is
inspired by the various storytelling sessions she attended in the USA. Her love of books is immeasurable. She loves to dance, sing, talk, and act --
and she includes all of these in her storytelling. Training received: 1) Diploma in Montessori Education. 2) "Performance Storytelling Course" by Ms Laura Simms
at Chennai Storytelling Festival 2020. 3) "Storytelling Workshop" by Dr Eric Miller, World
Storytelling Institute. 4) "Storytelling as Pedagogy Workshop" by Ms
ChitraKala Ramachandran. Radha currently works
as a teacher in a school where she includes storytelling in her
teaching. On weekends, she conducts
online storytelling sessions for children (5 to 8 years old). A photo is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact 89396 07925 radhab2021@gmail.com 31 Ramya Arivazhagan. Ramya enjoys telling stories to children and believes in enjoying
the little things in life.
Storytelling turned into her passion when she started exploring the
world of stories, as she realised stories delighted her own children from
very young ages. She often includes
puppetry and arts-and-crafts in her storytelling. She would love to explore art-based storytelling in the coming
days, as she enjoys art and considers drawing to be one her strengths. Ramya is an IT
professional by career. She has done
her Foundation Course on storytelling from Kathalaya, Bangalore. She has also done workshops and hands-on
training with Mr. Mohan Krishnan and Mrs. Lavanya Srinivas. Her journey into
professional storytelling started along with like-minded friends, and mentor
Mr. Mohan Krishnan. She and two other
storytellers have co-founded Kadhai
Kadhaiyaam. She has
performed storytelling sessions in summer camps, schools, activity centers
and libraries. Kadhai Kadhaiyaam
conducts regular storytelling sessions and workshops in and around Velachery
in schools, activity centers and libraries.
Kadhai Kadhaiyaam experiments with different styles of storytelling,
such as tandem storytelling and art-based storytelling. Contact Info 98400
75308 kadhaikadhaiyaam@gmail.com 32 Renu Meera. Renu M
works especially with parents of children who have special needs. She listens to the parents' stories of
their own experiences, and tells them stories about other parents'
experiences. She seeks to use
storytelling to encourage, inspire, and educate these parents regarding ways
these parents could assist their own children. She also trains such parents to use
stories and storytelling to help their children improve their storytelling
and general communication abilities. Renu M is a graduate of the World
Storytelling Institute's 8-session Storytelling Workshop for adults. A photo of Renu M is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
Info 98846
61803 annaimeera3@gmail.com 33 Renu Narayan. Renu N
is a graduate in English Literature.
She is a trained Montessori teacher.
After completing the Montessori course in 2004, Renu N made a paradigm
shift in the way she parented her own children. Her interaction with all children also
underwent a dramatic change -- increasing her understanding of and respect
for children, for who they are. She feels she has also learned a lot just by
spending more time as a storyteller with children. Renu N has always been a voracious reader. She reads even more now in the quest of
finding new stories for children. She
has always loved stories and storytelling. Telling stories to her two
daughters helped her to hone her storytelling skills. She is a nature and animal lover, and
incorporates these elements into her storytelling, so children could better
understand the deep connection between humans, nature, and all living beings.
Renu N has a storytelling initiative
called KathaVriksh. She conducts
regular storytelling sessions for children at various places in South
Chennai. These sessions are highly interactive. She helps them learn ways to draw and tell
a story. She teaches them crafts by reusing and recycling paper and other
materials that would otherwise be discarded.
This helps the children understand more about how important it is for
us to take care of our environment. Renu N also conducts open-mic themed
"personal-experience story" storytelling sessions for adults -- and
other kinds of storytelling sessions for adults. These sessions occur at
different venues in the city. She has started writing poems and
stories for children, and is planning to publish this material. A photo of Renu N is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
Info 98410
13108 kathavrikshstories@gmail.com Facebook,
KathaVriksh Instagram,
KathaVriksh 34 Sabapathy
Narayanan (Saba). Sandhya
is the Creative Head of Eloquens.
Eloquens offers Member, Chennai Storytellers. Shan directs Artworkshop &
Communication, which provides training in Storytelling, utilizing
Storytelling to teach and learn curriculum (lessons), creating Character
Puppets, and presentations. He
specializes in training students in Mind Mapping, Learning Techniques, and
Mind Games. He has trained over 10,000
students in Chennai and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu. Shan is
-- 1) A Trainer in Soft Skills and Life Skills (NLP)
Programs for Schools and Colleges. 2) A Consultant and Workshop Leader for the Times
Group (NIE). 3) A Resource Person and Content Developer for
Oxford University Press. 4) A Resource Person for Tamil Nadu Govt.
Libraries. 5) A Mentor/Trainer for BYST (CII), and EDII. His
Mind Mapping and Corporate Storytelling trainings immensely help Startups and
Entrepreneurs in their business development.
His scripts for Tamil Nadu Govt., Medical Colleges (including Dr.
M.G.R. Medical University), and Hospitals have been made into
documentaries. Presently he is
developing content and graphic designs for Odisha Government on GRI
Sustainability Report. Member,
Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 73388 88542 98845 02478 artworkshop@gmail.com Facebook, Art Workshop http://artworkshop.wixsite.com/shan https://youtu.be/Tf7LQ3_8OG4
-- Performance. http://youtu.be/s2uGJ0eX-Pw
-- Mind-mapping Techniques. Shital is passionate to learn, and to help others to
learn. Her motto is 'Learning never
ends.’ She holds multiple degrees,
including a Masters degree in Psychology. Shital
started her carreer as a Storyteller.
She has come a long way. Her
academic career and her versatile industry experience make her an excellent
all-around choice for students and parents seeking education and career
guidance and advice. Shital has
14 years of experience in teaching and training. She is a certified Storyteller and
Storytelling Trainer, and is also a certified Phonics Teacher/Trainer. She has conducted Career Guidance and Behavior
Improvement sessions through storytelling with pre-teens and teens. She trains teachers and children regarding Storytelling, Phonics, and English
Improvement. In addition, she has
the expertise to help children to enact stories through drama. She has done all of the above in many
schools and playschools in Chennai. Shital
loves to work with special needs children and to give them support in various
ways. Her
start-up, Eduminds ("Our
passion, their future"), is a counseling and coaching company for
children aged 10 years and older. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact 98400
91290 theeduminds@gmail.com 38 Shyama Sridharan. Shyama
is a Storyteller, Mime Artist, Certified NLP Practitioner, and Corporate
Trainer. She is a freelance
Storyteller and Trainer with 3 years of storytelling experience in public,
and more than 30 years of experience in using stories in corporate
environmements. She has performed in various
platforms and conducted storytelling workshops in schools and training
institutes. She has experience in
telling stories in children's activity centres in Chennai, and has been part
of the team implementing storytelling in teaching by the Tamil Nadu
Government. Shyama is also an NLP
Practitioner and Life Skill coach using stories effectively to bring
transformation in lives. Storytelling-related Services offered
include: 1)
Power-packed sessions/workshops on the art of storytelling, along with
nuances of the art of miming and the way it can be used effectively in
telling stories. 2)
Fun-filled storytelling sessions for children using ventriloquism and hand
puppets. 3)
Storytelling sessions as part of Training the Trainers workshops. Shyama is a member of the Panace Valley
Organisation as a storyteller. 4)
Shyama provides customised workshops for professionals, college students,
teachers, and children. 5.
Shyama also provides ustomised workshops on Health and Fitness using
personal-experience stories for effective realisation of fitness in life.
(Shyama is a full marathoner.) A photo of Shyama is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact 94441
72345 shyamasri66@gmail.com 39 Sivakumar Davamani (SKD). SKD is
an Entrepreneur turned Storyteller. He
founded an initiative called Go Green Guru, which he uses to promote Go Green
awareness with children and corporates.
He creates customised stories and training programs for people of all
ages to promote the Go Green concept. SKD is a graduate of the seven-session
Storytelling Workshop for adults conducted by Dr Eric Miller, Director, World
Storytelling Institute. Training from
Dr Eric polished his skills and helped him to discover the storyteller within
himself. SKD conducts Storytelling Workshops for
Teachers, Human Resource Professionals, Parents, Grandparents and Young
Adults. He often includes Technologies
and Innovations in Storytelling to increase the impact a story makes on
audience members. Contact
99419
88555 sivakumar.davamani@gmail.com 40 Sreelekha Ramachandran. Like
everyone, my story, too, began when I drew my first breath in this
world. I believe that in every moment
thereafter, we are part of some story being narrated. Our thoughts, emotions and experiences
translate into knowledge and understanding.
The entire creation in its totality seems like a beautiful picture
with nature being arts and forms – and people, animals, and
circumstances being the artists and actors.
In its summation, it’s a grand story of sorts broken down to smaller
fables, folktales, mythology, fairy tales, epic, et al. Graduating in business management and
then earning my diploma in pre-primary teachers’ training, provided me with
creative and intellectual strength that enabled me to intuitively handle the
curiosity of childrens’ imaginations in numerous schools. I first discovered the art of
storytelling while teaching kindergarten.
It quickly dawned on me that storytelling delighted and enlightened
adults and young alike. It was like a
form of therapy. In order to deepen my
understanding of storytelling and to develop a more critical approach to the
performance practice, I obtained certification in storytelling from Kathalaya
Trust. This laid a strong foundation
in the area of conveying ideas and stories combining visuals, tools, music,
and illustrations to audiences of all ages. A story is never time wasted. Listen, know, and share! I give storytelling performances (which
often include discussions) and conduct storytelling workshops especially for
children, and for seniors at old-age homes. A photo of me is here. Contact sreelaya80@gmail.com 72999
25965 41 Sridevi Srinivasan. Sridevi
is a self-motivated and passionate Storyteller, focused on inculcating
reading ability, and the love for reading, in young minds. Sridevi is an IT professional,
metamorphosed into an Academician, Storyteller, and Trainer. The training on “Raising a Child as a
Reader” from Scholastic Publications (USA) was the moment of epiphany that
changed the course of Sridevi's journey, re-directing her to use Storytelling
to work with children. On returning to India, bubbling with
energy, she travelled around Tamilnadu with a bag full of storybooks. She transported children to the illusionary
world of stories through storytelling and exposed them more deeply to the
wonderful world of words. This journey persuaded her to use
Storytelling as the lifeline of her Reading Program. She worked in a CBSE school and developed a
Reading program. With her multi-potentiality,
she headed School Events, Dramatics Club, and Library activities. Her work on innovative, creative, and
collaborative "Story Way" annual events was applauded. The street plays, library activities, and
her involvement in organising foreign exchange programs, Tedx events, Green
School Programs, and other social initiatives were also much appreciated. Sridevi's joy lies in the facilitating
and activating curiosity in her students, encouraging them to imagine, think,
read books, and tell stories. A photo of Sridevi is here. Training
and Certification *
Diploma in Montessori and Primary School Teacher Training. *
"Foundation Course on Storytelling", by Ms. Geetha Ramanujam,
Kathalaya, Bangalore. *
"Storytelling for Teaching" Workshop, by Dr. Eric Miller, World
Storytelling Institite, Chennai. *
"Storytelling as a Teaching and Educational Tool", by Ms. Marion
Kenny. *
"Teaching Through Stories", by Storywallah, Hyderabad. *
“Raising a Child as Reader,” by Scholastic Publications (USA). *
M.Sc. in Computer Science. Sridevi
provides the following workshops (all
online and in-person) -- Workshops
for Teachers *
Raising a child as a reader. *
Identifying and working on specific reading problems. *
Storytelling in teaching. *
Online Classroom management. *
In-person Classroom management. Workshops
for Parents *
Raising a child as a reader (0-8 years). * Ways
to inculcate reading and instil the love for reading in children (9-12
years). Programs
for Children *
League of Little Legends (3L). (3L is
a club that envisions to unfurl young minds inside out and create a community
of students, educators and parents.) *
Storytelling sessions for students. *
Train students to perform storytelling. *
Reading program for children aged 4 to 7. *
Customised classes for children with reading difficulties, ages 7-12, Contact 98408
02406 sridevi.srinivaasan@gmail.com 42 Srividya Veeraraghavan. Srividya
is a founder of Story Train,
which aims to encourage storytelling in a variety of genres, for people of
all ages. Story Train uses
storytelling for engaging, teaching, empowering, entertaining, and providing
an enchanting experience of stories from across globe. Srividya conducts customised storytelling
performances and workshops for Educational Institutions, NGOs, Corporates,
and other organisations (in English, Hindi, and Tamil). She also provides sessions designed to
comfort and inspire people in their times of need and distress. With more than 10 years of experience in
HR leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility (Tamil Nadu TCS Adult Literacy
Program), Training, Theatre Acting, Family and Child Welfare, and Writing,
Srividya chose to follow her passion for storytelling in 2016. Since then, she has been a member of the
Indian Storytelling Network, and has contributed actively to the development
of storytelling in Chennai. She has
performed for Chennai Storytelling Festival and World Storytelling Day, and
does regular sessions for Government libraries in Ashok Nagar, Villivakkam,
ACL, and elsewhere. Her sessions at
Bookworms Library in KK Nagar are much in demand. Twice she has been featured on Podhigai's
(Doordarshan's Tamil Channel's) series of programs on storytelling. She has also performed for Hello FM (Layasa
Layasa Golu Special program), and All India Radio (Storytelling for
children). She has been featured in
Indian Express, including under the "God and Me" column in 2017. In the future, Srividya seeks to reach
as many people as possible -- to share stories with them, and to facilitate
them sharing stories with each other.
Srividya's aim is to go beyond geographical boundaries, addressing
local, national, and global issues through stories and storytelling. She would like her Story Train to be filled
with passengers and their stories. In
these ways, she is hoping she might have a positive impact on people's lives
and the world at large. An article about Srividya is here
(on a leading storytelling website). A video recording of Srividya telling
her original story, "A Story of Air", is here. This is an example of using Storytelling to
teach Science. An audio recording of Srividya telling
the story, "Seeds of Success" (in English), is here. An audio recording of Srividya telling a
motivational story for young people (in Hindi) is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact 97911
19634 storytrain@yahoo.com Facebook,
Story Train 43 Sudha Umashanker. Sudha
is a Senior Freelance Journalist with bylines in leading newspapers of the
country such as The Hindu, The Times of
India, The Indian Express, The New Indian Express, The Asian Age, and The Economic Times. She forayed into Storytelling about nine
years ago (2011). She enjoys telling
stories to children and adults and has used Storytelling to create awareness
about social issues like Gender violence, Infertility, Environment
protection, Personal safety, etc. She leads Heritage walks (sharing stories
about little known people and places) and conducts Storytelling workshops
upon request. Sudha founded Storycorner at Bookmine, an
organisation that promotes excellence in Storytelling, in 2015. She recently launched a "Read aloud
series" and a "Festival Storytelling series" on her YouTube
channel. Sudha received the Laadli Media award
for Gender Sensitivity in 2017. She
has also received the Probus Vocational Excellence Award. Her book on APJ Abdul Kalam was published
in 2018 by DK India. She served as a
Language Consultant for 1000 Useful
words Tamil- English (to learn and build vocabulary skills in two
languages), also published by DK India. Contact: 98402
47624 sudha.umashanker@gmail.com Storycorner-at-Bookmine
Facebook 44 Suriya Lakshmi. Suriya is very passionate about the environment, and conducts
storytelling sessions and workshops for children on protecting the
environment. She is currently working
on a workshop model to recreate traditional storytelling methods with
Storytrails. Over the weekends, she
conducts free book-reading sessions (in both Tamil and English) for young
children, which helps them to sharpen their listening skills and
imaginations. By profession, Suriya is
a business analyst in the banking domain. Contact info 98847 28412 suriyalakshmig@icloud.com Facebook,
Suriya Lakshmi 45 Uma Jairam. Uma is
a passionate storyteller. She believes stories are an excellent way to
connect with people quickly. Her
storytelling sessions include stories from Indian epics, folklore, and
history. A strong environmentalist and a Go-Green
practitioner, Uma encourages children through stories to grow up the Go-Green
way. Uma is an IT professional. She has done
her foundation course on storytelling from Kathalaya, in Bangalore. Contact
info umasinfo@gmail.com Vasugi Ram Manohar. Vasugi
is the founder-director of Madras Story Works. She has a post-graduate degree in
Literature, and has trained in Storytelling with Eric Miller (World
Storytelling Institute) and with Geetha Ramanujam (Kathalaya). Vasugi specializes in interactive Storytelling sessions for
children. She believes that
Storytelling can bring about wonderful changes in children, making them
creative, wise thinkers, great speakers and problem solvers. Storytelling is an excellent method to
overcome shyness, excel in public speaking and develop communication skills. Madras Story Works offers, 1)
Storytelling sessions with arts-and-craft activities. 2)
Storytelling activities at summer camps. 3)
Storytelling workshops for people of all ages. 4)
Storytelling competitions in schools, bookstores and children's activity
centers; for children, parents, teachers and early childhood development
personnel. 5)
Storytelling sessions on Saturdays for children (3-9 years). Online.
Please inquire for details. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 98401
18590 vasugi83@gmail.com Facebook,
Madras Story Works 47 K.R.
Vidhyaa. Vidhyaa
was a senior executive in a Public Sector General Insurance Company. In 2021 she took voluntary retirement to
follow her passion for storytelling. Vidhyaa has been writing a blog from
2013 -- now converted to a website, www.storibuzz.in
-- wherein she shares stories from Indian culture and heritage. Over a hundred and thirty stories have been
shared in this site till now. Vidhyaa has participated as a
storyteller in Kathalaya's Kathasangama.
From August 2020 she has been narrating weekly audio stories in
English and Tamil for an NGO for their channel in Telegram App. Earlier trained by World Storytelling
Institute in 2009, presently she is pursuing a diploma from the International
Academy of Storytelling. Vidhyaa tells stories for children and adults. The stories she works with are mostly from
Indian heritage and culture. A photo is here. Contact
info: 99405
57749 vidhyaa65@gmail.com 48 Vithya Dhanaraj. Vithya
narrates STEM stories (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and
Green Earth Stories in very child-friendly ways, along with related art and
craft activities, sing-along, music, and drama. She conducts age-appropriate science
experiments along with the storytelling, to make the whole a memorable
experience. New methods are introduced every week by
using different modes like puppets and handmade models, mostly made using
materials from everyday life. The
activities are designed to impart life-skill lessons and environmental
awareness in fun ways. These methods allow Vithya to become a
part of the learning processes the children go through. The children take home experiences they
will always cherish, while being enriched in terms of holistic learning and
development through fun and play (without gadgets). Vithya
was trained in storytelling by Mark Leach of the UK. She has 5 years of experience in IT, and is
also an MBA graduate. Working with
kids was something that always attracted her and henceforth she earned a
Diploma in Early Child Care and then stepped into storytelling. Vithya is the founder of S4Stories,
a platform for children to experiment and learn. She has performed in many places in and
around Chennai, including at schools, and has been featured in Illakiya
Darbar of Podigai TV. Vithya is also
an active member of Spring Board tales. Vithya is fluent in Tamil and
English. A photo of Vithya is here. Member, Chennai Storytellers. Contact
info 94873
38809 vithyad@gmail.com Facebook,
Vithya Dhanaraj Facebook,
S4Stories 49 Zarin M. Zarin
represents the women of Chennai who are aspiring to be self-sufficient and
who are taking challenges one at a time. Zarin has over eight years of experience
in the IT industry, specialising in Analytics. She has worked with multi-national
corporations such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Accenture, and
Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS).
She is currently pursuing a PhD in Analytics, and is looking to
venture into Educational Analytics in the future. Zarin began storytelling as an amateur
for children at home. She took a step
further to enroll in a Storytelling Workshop at the Word Storytelling
Institute, directed by Dr. Eric Miller.
She is certified as a "Professional Storyteller" by the
World Storytelling Institute. Zarin has told stories in, * Chennai
Storytelling Festival 2020 and 2021 (video recording). *
Madurai Children's Literary Festival 2021. *
Towson University (Maryland, USA) Story Fest 2020. * A
Feast Story Swap session in 2020. In addition to being a professional
Storyteller, Zarin is also a trained Artist. Zarin has now set up a centre named
Story Fills on OMR-Karapakkam, Chennai.
Story Fills provides workshops and other activities for children,
teenagers, and adults relating to, 1)
Developing English language skills. 2)
Storytelling. 3)
Puppet-making, Drawing (still life, landscape, portrait, illustration, etc),
Painting, and Crafts. 4)
Animation. A photo is here. Contact
info 99628
28065 fathimazarin12@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/tellatalecorner ______________________________________ Ongoing Storytelling Activities in Chennai Weekly
-- ReaderzForge offers Kathas by Uncle Kay
– Storytelling
performances for kids on Saturdays, 5-6 pm. At
Narthanam School of Performing Arts, Madipakkam, Chennai, and online via
Zoom. Monthly -- The
Narrative (directed by Indu Divya)
hosts monthly open-mic sessions of "Storytelling about Personal
Experiences, by and for adults".
For details, please call 98407 12328. Storytelling is at the
core of all services offered by The Narrative, including training, coaching,
and content development. World
Storytelling Institute (directed by Eric Miller)
hosts monthly open-mic sessions of "Storytelling by and for
Adults". These sessions occur via
Zoom. Links to recordings of
storytellings in session from July 2020 to Sept 2021 are here. By Organisation: *** 1 Madras Story Works (directed by Vasugi Ram Manohar)
presents A)
Storytelling Performances with Activities for Children, Saturdays,
11am-12:30pm, in Chetput. B)
Storytelling Coaching for Children, Saturdays 4-5pm, in Mylapore. C)
Storytelling Coaching for Children, Thursdays 4-5pm, in Aminjikarai. For
details, please click here,
and call 98401 18590. *** 2 The
Narrative (directed by Indu Divya)
hosts monthly open-mic sessions of "Storytelling about Personal
Experiences, by and for adults".
For details, please call 98407 12328. Storytelling is at the
core of all services offered by The Narrative, including training, coaching,
and content development. *** 3 Tale Spin (directed by Asha Sampath)
presents Storytelling performances (and activities) for children. Every 2nd Saturday of the month, at
5pm. At Odyssey, Adyar. For
additional info, please click here and call
Asha at 98408 33953. *** 4 Eloquens (directed by Sandhya
Ruban) frequently presents Storytelling Performances and Classes for --
and Dramatic Productions by -- Children.
Based in Ayanavaram. For details, please click here and
call 98401 77215. *** 5 Once Upon a Time
(directed by Kavitha Thyagarajan and Debjani Bhaduri) frequently presents Storytellling
Performances and Classes for Children, in R.A. Puram. For details, please click here and call 99400 36390. *** 6 Fables N Tales (directed by Banumathy)
offers Storytelling performances, with activities, for children. A)
Saturdays, 10:30am to 12 Noon, at Fables n Tales, No.1, Nithyanandam
Street, VGN Mahalakshmi Nagar,
Perumalagaram, Tiruverkadu, Chennai, 600 077. Admission is Rs 100. B)
Saturdays, 4pm to 5:30pm, at Virutcham Kidz Castle, 5069, Z Block, 12th
Street (near Chinmaya School), Anna
Nagar, Chennai. C) Sundays,
10am to 11am, at Sastha Tution Centre, #270, Selvavinayagar
Koil St, Co-operative Nagar,
Tiruverkadu, Chennai, 600 077.
Admission is Rs 150. For
additional info, please contact Fables
N Tales: Stories for the Soul, at 80560 50606. *** 7 Katha Kamamishu
(directed by Lavanya
Srinivas) offers Storytelling Workshops and Performances at numerous
locations, including the Gandhinagar Club, in Adyar. Katha
Kamamishu especially conducts Storytelling Workshops
for pre-primary and primary school teachers.
The "Story Mantra" series of Workshops occur in three
levels: introductory, basic and advanced. The Workshops are customised and
conducted with a restricted batch size to ensure effective communication and
training, with a special focus on the specific needs and challenges of each
individual teacher. For additional info, please click here, and contact Lavanya
Srinivas, at 98844 72301, laavanyasrinivas@gmail.com . *** 8 Kalaa
Manjari
and Alvin
"Storyteller for All" are offering Saturday Storytelling
Sessions for Children. These programs
aim at developing Oratory skills, Life skills, and Reading skills. The Poster is here. There are two batches on each Saturday afternoon: Batch 1,
for Children 3 to 6 years old, occurs 3-4pm. Batch 2,
for Children 7 to 13 years old, occurs 4-6pm. Venue: Kalaa Manjari, 6/12, First Street, Venus
Colony, Alwarpet, Chennai - 18 (near Tangerine Restaurant) For additional info, please call 044 2431 2676 , e-mail to kalaamanjari@hotmail.com , and see *** 9 Pumpkin Chariot is a Storytelling unit founded by Sai Pradeep
Indhirran. Sai is the
Storyteller. Pumpkin Chariot helps children learn a variety of aspects of
communication involving values and morals and ranging from conversational
speech to stage speech, and from team skills to leadership skills. The method is to blend storytelling with
NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and TA (Transaction Analysis) techniques. Pumpkin Chariot has its first branch @ Sa Buu
3 Kids Play School, Navaneethammal Street (adjacent to Shoba Kalyana Mandapam
in Arunachalam Road), Saligramam. Day and Time: :
Sundays 11:30am Pumpkin Chariot has its second branch @ Day and Time:
Sundays 10am . Sai Pradeep, 98412 92063, Founder - Pumpkin Chariot For additional info, please call 98412 92063, e-mail to saipradeep.indhirran@gmail.com , and see www.facebook.com/PumpkinChariot . *** 10 Geetha
Kailasam conducts a Storytelling Workshop for children at Grandma and Grandpas, Besant Nagar, on
Wednesdays, 5pm to 6pm. This includes
Storytelling with Puppets, Mask-Making, and Arts and Crafts. For info, please call 99529 57031. *** 11 Genius Factory, directed by Sheetal Rayathatha, provides arts-and-education activities for children,
including Phonics, Maths, Arts and Crafts, Dance and Dance Composition
(Choreography), Storytelling, and Event Management (specialising in Birthday
Parties). For
details, please click here and here, and call 98400
91290. *** 12 Kathalaya
(directed by Geeta
Ramanujam), based in Bangalore, is developing a "Story
Space" in Chennai. For info, please contact: 080 2668 9856,
kathalaya@gmail.com . In
Chennai, Geeta Ramanujam is collaborating with Success Manthra regarding training educators in "Using
Storytelling to Teach English Language".
Info about this training is here. *** 13 Kadhai Kadhaiyaam
(KK) is a Storytelling
group based in south Chennai. KK
believes in inspiring adults and children through stories. KK conducts monthly sessions in a
Montessori school in Velachery, and also in other activity centers,
libraries, and schools by request. KK
was co-founded and is directed by three Storytellers: Subha Hariharamahadevan, Ramya Arivazhagan,
and Subha Ramanathan. Mohan
Krishnan is mentor of KK. For
additional info, please call 90032 53726, and email to
kadhaikadhaiyaam@gmail.com . *** 14 ReaderzForge offers Kathas by Uncle Kay
– Storytelling
performances for kids on Saturdays, 5-6 pm. At Narthanam
School of Performing Arts, Madipakkam, Chennai, and online via Zoom. *** 15 The Chennai
Storytelling Association (CSA) has approx 320 members. Most CSA members have conducted and/or
attended multi-session WSI Storytelling Workshops. The CSA hold monthly meetings at 6pm on the
1st Monday of each month at Cafe Coffee Day Square (on Khader Nawaz Khan
Road), before the storytelling by and for adults sessions there. Info about these sessions is here. For additional info about the CSA, please
click here and call
98403 94282. *** 16 World Storytelling Institute (directed by Eric Miller)
offers 7-session Storytelling Workshops for adults, on Sundays, 10am-12noon,
near Nungambakkam High Road. Info is here. WSI also presents a monthly "Storytelling by-and-for
Adults" open-mic event. This
occurs on the 1st Monday of each month at 6pm, at Cafe Coffee Day Square, on
Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam.
Additional info about these events (including links to articles about
them) is here. <end>
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