Mumbai: Somaiya Vidyavihar University’s Gaatha Festival Returns To Celebrate 'Timeless Art Of Storytelling'

Mumbai: Gaatha, also known as Mumbai storytelling festival has returned for its second edition with a lineup of events, including a session by award winning American author and storyteller Heather Forest. The three day event — themed ‘Mukhauta: Unmasking Narratives’ — that commenced on Friday has been organised by Somaiya Vidyavihar University in collaboration with the Mumbai Storytelling Society (MSS).

Amrita Somaiya, the festival’s chair, said, "Somaiya Vidyavihar University has always believed in the importance of preserving traditions through the arts. We encourage our students to explore culture, creativity, and innovation in equal measure. With a legacy stretching back to 1942, we are committed to providing a well-rounded education that embraces both modern advancements and age-old wisdom. Gaatha is not just a festival; it is a celebration of the human experience through the timeless art of storytelling."

“Stories hold information, cultural messages, psychological messages, spiritual messages, common sense, and wisdom. Folktales especially are heirlooms gifted to us by previous generations, but they are valuable heirlooms held not in the hand but in the heart, which allows them to travel,” said American author and storyteller Heather Forest.

“When the story travels and takes root in a new place, the wisdom follows. For generations, throughout the ages, storytellers have told stories in support of the fact that there is more to reality than meets the eye,” the award winning storyteller added.

Apart from Forest’s session that delved on ‘voice as an instrument’ of storytelling, the first day of the festival also witnessed workshops on ‘storytelling in the age of artificial intelligence’ and ‘working with myths and fairytales’, among others.

A series of events are planned for the next two days as well, including ‘queer kahaniyan storytelling’, ‘ghost stories telling’, and ‘Kerala stories and storytelling’ sessions. The Kerala storytelling session will delve into the cultural facets of Kerala with storytelling in English and Malayalam.