New Delhi, January 20, 2025: Kathakar, an International Storytelling Festival, is back with its 18th edition in Delhi. The festival returns to Sunder Nursery, Nizamuddin from 31st January to 2nd February. The festival is organized by Nivesh, HHACH and Babaji Music in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India and Delhi Tourism, Govt. of Delhi. Kathakar is India’s first and Asia’s biggest oral storytelling festival. It has revived the traditional art of oral storytelling in a world where people are glued to gadgets and digital media. In the three-day festival storytellers from five countries will share their captivating stories with the people of Delhi. The charm of sitting out in the open on a cold winter night brings back the age-old tradition where people gathered to hear tall tales from the travellers who shared stories from faraway lands.
People of Delhi will get to enjoy stories, conversation and music by artists from the United Kingdom, Estonia, Israel, Sierra Leone and India. Union Minister of Culture, Govt. of India, Shri. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate the festival on 31st January. The festival is created, curated and organised by the Gahilote sisters – Rachna, Prarthana and Shaguna.
Mohit Chauhan, who is the chief patron of the festival and also the Cultural Ambassador of Mongolia in India, said, “I am pleased to share that this year Kathakar will be on a tour to four cities. We will be organizing the storytelling festival in Delhi, Jodhpur, Jaipur and my home state Himachal. We will not just tell stories but also talk about the importance of storytelling in everyday life, cinema and music. We hear stories passed down to us by generations of literature, mythological scriptures and folklore. Every year at Kathakar we bring in stories from different land and hope the performers this year will leave behind an unforgettable experience of storytelling among its listeners.”
After 14 years and 17 editions, the festival has become synonymous with the celebration of Indian and international storytelling in India and the rest of the world. Kathakar remains the first and only Oral Storytelling festival in India, which is organized every year in Delhi. The festival till date has reached out to over 1,50,000 adults and children.
The Kathakar festival gets a diverse set of storytellers from India with Pandvani || Dastan-goi || Qissebazi || Powada || Allah-Udal || Kesar-saga || Kerala shadow puppetry & even from other countries which includes Caribbean stories || Ghost stories || Greek mythology and many others. The festival provides a platform for the unique yet dying oral art forms of India and helps them find new audiences and financial means to survive.
The festival reaches out to a large number of under-privileged and disadvantaged children including the differently abled and ailing. In the past special sessions have been organized for children undergoing treatment in Cancer ward of leading hospitals.
Prarthana Gahilote, the Festival Director says, “As we celebrate 15 glorious years of Kathakar we take a tour of the festival to four cities. Our journey began in 2010 when the festival was started in memory of Thakur Vishwa Narain Singh, the first Braille Editor of India. He was an avid reader and writer who brought light into the lives of 10 million blind of the country. Performers are travelling across continents to be a part of the festival and through stories showcase their culture and social life. Every city will get to meet artists from different countries, hear different stories, listen to varied musical acts and meet celebrities who are known names in their field of art. We look forward to your presence and wait to hear how you enjoyed the festival.”
In the storytelling sessions; this year in Delhi, we have Nell Phoenix from United Kingdom, who is known as the ‘rockstar of British storytelling’. Her energy and joy when telling stories are infectious! Her repertoire is ever expanding as she hungrily collects myths, folktales, fairy tales and urban legends to re-tell and share with modern audiences. Nell is a passionate advocate for storytelling as a contemporary performance art. She picks through the syllables and pauses of her tale like a mountain goat skipping up a cliff face. Nell Phoenix is a mercurial and captivating storyteller who will be performing at Kathakar. Then we have Polina Tšerkassova, Estonia, a storyteller, musician and cultural anthropologist from Estonia. She comes from a lineage of storytellers and was raised in a family where stories were told every day. Polina combines her stories with the sound of rare musical instruments that she gathered during her extensive travel from around the world. Polina performs extensively in Estonia and regards the sound of music as a strong medium of storytelling.
Usifu Jalloh, Sierra Leonne, the Cowfoot Prince will be telling stories from his hometown Kamakwie, in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He is a highly experienced, talented award-winning storyteller, performer and educator who has been working in the area of Arts Education for over 25 years. He carries with him a wide range of cultures which has helped him develop a style that encompasses international languages, music, dance and themes. He has delivered transformative learning and delved into cultural exploration, leadership and social cohesion in communities and organizations around the world. The fourth international storyteller is Naama Tel Tsur, Israel, a storyteller who brings nature and narrative in her unique approach to performance and teaching. As the developer of the tribal playback method and a member of an Arab-Jewish theatre ensemble, she performs both in Hebrew and Arabic, reaching diverse audiences throughout Israeli society.
In the Indian storytellers, we have Bharat Lal a former civil servant with over 3 ½ decades of distinguished public service. He is the Secretary-General and CEO of the National Human Rights Commission. His career is defined by pioneering initiatives in good governance, human rights, and environmental conservation ensuring protection of the marginalized and vulnerable communities including women and the tribal population. Beyond developmental work, Bharat Lal has been involved in writing a book titled “Tigers & Tribes – A Silent Conversation”. Tiger, the largest of the big cats, is both feared and revered. They have experienced threats to their survival across the world however, in India, there has been a remarkable increase in the tiger population due to sustained efforts of the government. Today India hosts 70% of the world’s tiger population. At Kathakar, he will be talking about the book, relation between man and the big cat and the role of tribals in preserving nature and animal life.
Shaguna Gahilote, a performance storyteller, is the co-creator and curator of Kathakar International Storytellers Festival. She worked as an education, peace and culture specialist and helmed the Ghummakkad Narain Travelling Literature Festival. She is co-author of the Curious Tales series, a collection of folktales from different regions of India. The Curious Tales from the Himalayas has a collection of 11 folktales from the entire Himalayan belt starting from Ladakh and going right up to Arunachal Pradesh with stories from Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Curious Tales from the Desert has 16 folktales from the desert region of the Thar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Multan & Sindh which are now in Pakistan. It was on the WHSmith list of recommended bestsellers and remains a Penguin bestseller. The folktales have been retold by the authors to preserve the ancient folktales for future generations. The Gahilote sisters are also storytellers and perform their stories live for their audiences. The folktales have been handpicked to bring alive the stories of the common folk and interwoven with the language, food, and cultures of the regions.
This year at Kathakar, will include sessions by renowned Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali, renowned music composer and singer Mohit Chauhan, and eminent singer Lucky Ali. The session Kissey, Kahani aur Cinema will be moderated by Prarthana Gahilote, followed by Kissey Kahani aur Ganga –Prarthana Gahilote In Conversation with Shantanu Moitra with a Sufi musical night with Hargun Kaur and Rajasthani folk music by Kutle Khan.
For the first time, Kathakar brings the Animal film ‘Arjan Valli’ fame Bhupinder Babbal to talk about Punjabi folk music and sing along with you. Kathakar also presents Sajid Ali and Imtiaz Ali Retrospective: Film Screening of Laila Majnu and Chamkila, to be inaugurated by Writer and Film Director Sajid Ali.
Amidst all the extravaganza at Kathakar, another attraction will be the conversation between musicians Lucky Ali and Mohit Chauhan who started their musical journey 25 years ago. The friendship and musical journey of both the artists who started their journey with Indi-pop music and then made their mark in Bollywood music will present a unique experience in itself. They will also share their experiences on various aspects of songs, music and storytelling and adjustment in the changing times.
“We travel to different countries and back of beyond to gather the essence of the land, lives, and surroundings to understand the character and present the same before you. The silver screen often takes direct and indirect inspiration from the very stories we gather throughout our lives says acclaimed filmmaker, writer and producer Sajid Ali, who will be part of the evening session Kissey, Kahani aur Guftagu at Kathakar.
- Event: Kathakar International Storytelling Festival 2025
- Dates: January 31st to February 2nd, 2025
- Location: Sunder Nursery, Nizamuddin, Delhi
