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Indian Storytelling Network

 

Coimbatore

 

 

Storytellers (and other Story Experts)
(in alphabetical order)

 

 

1) Banumathy H.

2) Geetha Subramanian.

3) Rinti Sengupta.

4) Sowmya Srinivasan.





1

Banumathy H. 

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):

*** Saturday storytelling sessions for children aged 4-9.

*** Interactive storytelling sessions using puppets.

*** 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

 

80560 50606

banumathy81@gmail.com

 

https://www.facebook.com/FablesnTales

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ZvmWi3dsZB8aMbqSj_FLQ

 

Instagram: fablesntales

 

 

2

Geetha Subramanian.

Geetha is a Storyteller and Educator.  She attended a certificate course in Storytelling at Kathalaya (in Bangalore) in 2013.  For a number of years after that, she represented Kathalaya, performing and teaching storytelling for children at schools, bookstores, and libraries. 

 

Now based in Coimbatore, Geetha is also doing this work via Zoom with children in India and in the USA.

 

A photo is here.

 

Contact

 

96639 01145

shantham52@gmail.com

 

 

3

Rinti Sengupta.

Rinti has completed her Masters in Education Technology and Administration.  For the last two years (2021-3), she has been a guest faculty member at the Bombay Teachers Training College, Mumbai, teaching classes and workshops for B.Ed., Early Childhood Education Program (E.C.E.P.), and Diploma in Elementary Education (D.EL.ED.) teacher-trainees.

 

Rinti found her passion in storytelling amongst her ideal audience, children.  She was trained in storytelling by Small Tales.  She has also been trained in phonics by TESOL and has earned a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education. 

 

Rinti has been teaching pre-primary and primary classes for over 12 years, and has been a content developer for lesson plans and syllabuses.  She conducts zonal training for Kendriya Vidyalaya on topics such as Critical Pedagogy, Inclusion, Toy Pedagogy, and Applications of Puppetry and Storytelling in Education.

 

Rinti has studied, worked, and taught in the field of graphic arts for numerous years.  She is a certified Puppeteer from Kalsootri.  She creates her own puppets and muppets, which she uses extensively in her storytelling sessions.  She loves to narrate the tales of Ramayana, using traditional shadow puppets made from leather.  She received leather shadow puppet training from Padmashree Parashuram Gangawane and attended a workshop on Bunraku puppets with Anurupa Roy.

 

In her own unique style, Rinti narrates stories using guitar, ukulele, djembe, and numerous other musical instruments, in addition to puppets. 

 

Rinti conducts storytelling sessions with related activities, and puppet-making workshops, in schools, clubs, NGO’s and at her own space known as Hands'n'Stories.  She also conducts customized teacher-training workshops for pre-primary and primary teachers.

 

Photos of Rinti with puppets and children are here and here.

 

Contact info

99207 80618

rinti_c@yahoo.com

 

Facebook page.

Instagram page.

YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@Handsandstories

 

 

4
Sowmya Srinivasan

Sowmya is a Professional Storyteller, Psychologist, and Life Skills Trainer.  She has been telling stories to people of all ages since 2008.  She believes in the power of stories and storytelling, and facilitates Healing Circles of Storytelling for adults using traditional stories in an all inclusive space for reflection and conversations using stories and storytelling.  She uses storytelling and theatre techniques to help develop creative thinking in children through a venture called SoulSpace Storytell.   

 

Sowmya is a founding member of Bangalore Storytelling Society and Indian Storytellers Healing Network.  She is a Consultant and Chief Storyteller at Muktha Foundation, which works in the field of Abuse and Mental Health. 

 

Sowmya has earned an M.Phil in Psychology from Annamalai University, and a PG Diploma in Special Education from Vidya Sagar (Chennai).  She is trained in Theatre of the Oppressed and Improv Theatre techniques to better understand the imaginative mind.  She has undergone training with Dr. Eric Miller on Storytelling Therapy, and a 10-hour training program in Therapeutic Storytelling with Susan Perrow.  She has done a brief training in Biographical Storytelling with Sue Hollingsworth and also completed a course in Applied Buddhist Psychology from Arth - The Bodhi Tree (Mumbai). 

 

Sowmya is a Mindfulness Practitioner and Happiness / Positive Psychology Coach.  She is currently exploring the field of Narrative Therapy.  She wants to spend the rest of her life finding and using all genres of stories for healing and recovery.

 

Sowmya curates two blogs: a Personal Journey blog called SoulSpace, and another that captures Life Stories of Women called Reinvention Stories.

 

Contact

 

9731570615                      

sowmya03@gmail.com

 

https://www.facebook.com/sowmya.r.srinivasan

 

Instagram:  sowmya.r.srinivasan_soulspace

 

SoulSpace Storytell, https://www.facebook.com/soulspacestorytell