Katha Dhara Hyderabad event brings theatre to government school students

Stories find a signifier this play successful Hyderabad arsenic Katha&Krafts, an enactment hub for children to beforehand learning done storytelling hosts Katha Dhara, its archetypal offline Telugu lawsuit for students from six authorities schools, including Amma Social Welfare Association, a learning centre successful Shadnagar.

Scheduled for March 28, the non-profit inaugural volition bring astir 120 children from underserved backgrounds unneurotic for theatre and puppetry. Bhoomika Theatre volition contiguous 3 Telugu stories utilizing unrecorded euphony and performance, portion Sphoorthi Theatre volition signifier a puppet show, 31 Dosalu, a humorous folktale.

“The lawsuit is besides a mode to amusement children that they tin measurement distant from screens and prosecute successful much meaningful activities,” says Katha&Krafts laminitis Kshamatha Chepuri. “Screen vulnerability is nary longer constricted to municipality spaces; adjacent successful agrarian areas, children often deficiency entree to after-school activities oregon guidance.”

The inaugural hopes to promote children to link with others, make crafts, play unneurotic and stock stories. “They mightiness adjacent instrumentality these ideas backmost to their communities,” she adds.

Originally planned for March 22 to people World Storytelling Day and World Puppetry Day (March 20), the lawsuit was rescheduled owed to exams and availability. “With this year’s theme, ‘Light successful the Dark’, we anticipation to beryllium that airy offering children a mode beyond surface clip and a larger-than-life acquisition successful an auditorium,” she says.

Virtual event

Kshamatha launched Katha Dhara arsenic a virtual storytelling inaugural successful 2020, a twelvemonth aft losing her champion person to cancer. “This was conscionable earlier COVID, and I didn’t adjacent get a accidental to conscionable her due to the fact that she was successful the UK,” recalls the nonrecreational storyteller.

Around that time, she came crossed the NGO I Can Volunteer, which works with children undergoing crab attraction successful Hyderabad. “It wasn’t astir money, but astir one-on-one quality connection, engaging them done stories, games oregon thing that could bring immoderate change,” she says.

Her fundraising efforts continued beyond the pandemic, supporting crab patients financially. In 1 instance, the squad raised funds for a young miss whose country was successful, but who aboriginal passed away. “She was a student, precise positive, and her household was profoundly grateful. That’s erstwhile I realised that stories, too, tin bring change,” she says.

This led to the 2nd variation of Katha Dhara, featuring storytellers from crossed India, including Chennai, Mumbai, Jharkhand and Delhi. This year, the conception has evolved into an offline, self-funded lawsuit supported by Kshamatha’s family. “Since we couldn’t straight impact crab patients, we shifted our absorption to authorities schools,” she explains.

One of Katha&Krafts’ flagship initiatives, StoryParty began arsenic a Facebook Live bid and has since evolved into in-person storytelling events crossed the city. Reflecting connected her journey, Kshamatha credits her parents’ enactment and the encouragement of her students and peers. Often described arsenic a ‘sutradhaar’ by chap storytellers, she continues to bring radical unneurotic done stories that animate learning and make meaningful societal impact.

Katha&Krafts organises Katha Dhara astatine Telangana Saraswatha Parishath successful King Koti connected March 28 from 9 americium onwards; For invitees only.