New Delhi: Where there is a soul, there is a story, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailing the role played by modern-day storytellers in the country.
Speaking at the 69th edition of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, the Prime Minister said that the country had a rich tradition of the art and spoke about some people who are contributing in the process.
"There has been a thriving tradition of storytelling in India. We are proud that we are citizens of the country where there has been a tradition of 'Hitopdesh' and 'Panchatantra'. In the stories, an imaginary world of animals and birds was created so that words of wisdom and intellect be made easily understood," the Prime Minister said.
He said that "Kathakalashebam" was an ancient method of telling religious stories.
"Different types of folklores are prevalent in our country. There is an interesting style of storytelling in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, which is called Villu Pattu. It has a very interesting harmony between music and the story. In India, there has been a tradition of puppetry," he said.
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The Prime Minister said that in today's day and age, stories related to science and science fiction are getting popular.
He also praised the efforts being made by individuals to promote the art of "Kissagoi" (story-telling) across the country.
"I have been observing the initiative to promote the art of 'Kissagoi'. I got information about gaatha story.in website run by Amar Vyas and others. Vyas after completing MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad went abroad and then came back. Now he stays in Bengaluru and takes out time to do such interesting work in the field," Modi said.
The Prime Minister also mentioned others who are popularising stories from rural India like, Vaishali Vyavhare Deshpande (Marathi), Chennai's Srividya Veeraraghavan. He also mentioned Geeta Ramanujam's kathalaya.org and another website called Indian Storytelling Network which is doing good work in the field.
Bengaluru's Vikram Sridhar who is working on stories related to Mahatma Gandhi was also mentioned by Prime Minister Modi in his address. He also urged the citizens to share information about others who are working in the field.
'Mann ki Baat' is a radio programme, aired on All India Radio on the last Sunday of every month, through which the Prime Minister interacts with the nation.
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