India’s centuries-old tradition of story-telling is indeed a fascinating one. Village folklore, myths and legends were often passed from one generation to the next through storytelling. In the last decade or two, the tradition has been losing its charm.
Taking the age-old legacy forward with a modern twist, is Santosh Mohan, the brainchild behind the city-based storytelling club, Tale Tellers Troupe.
An aerospace engineer by profession, Santosh quit his high-paying job in the UK, and moved to Hyderabad two years ago to pursue filmmaking.
Santosh says, “When I came to Hyderabad, I thought of joining a storytelling club to overcome stage fear. But there were no clubs in the city, so I thought of starting one. We have around 1500 sign-ups in just one year since its inception. We do a lot of ice-breaking exercises and activities that make the attendees feel comfortable. Our mission is to make India stage fear free, by the year 2026.”
Reminiscing about how the club has touched many lives, Santosh says, “We don’t have any censors, so anyone can narrate a story, factual or fictional. We focus on the storytelling technique, not how to write stories. This club is helping many overcome stage fear, practise effective communication and become powerful orators and I’m glad many have benefitted.”
The former aerospace designer in Airbus UK is now a script writer and filmmaker. “In the UK, I got exposed to world cinema and was fascinated by it. I found writing to be easy and engaging. So I wrote a few stories and sent them to a few filmmakers. I met Ram Gopal Varma when I shifted my base to Hyderabad to pursue a career in filmmaking. During this time, I made a feature film Terror along with Satish Kasetty. I was one of the writers as well as chief assistant director on the project. I am working on a few other projects right now.”
Talking about his future plans, he says, “I am working on setting up an International Space Institute and International Film Institute in the country, preferably Hyderabad. It would take some time. There is a lot of talent in our country and I wish to help nurture them. I am planning to make sure that people in Hyderabad overcome stage fear by 2019, which would be the first step towards making India stage fear free.”
