Kathakar - International Storytellers Festival 2016

"A BIG THANK YOU to all our supporters and storytellers for making the 2016 Kathakar festival such a success but more so to the audience that turned up day in and day out. Mornings were swarming with school kids and evenings with young men and women and little children along with their parents, gradmas and grandpas. Thanks to all of you for making it such a successful fifth year! It's already a wonderful start to Ghummakkad Narain 2016. Below are some of your voices, your thoughts on the festival." Rachna Bisht, Nivesh

Supporters and Storytellers

What a success!! Rachna and Nivesh Team ,many congratulations on the success of this year’s Kathakar festival . It was a real pleasure working with you like previous years ………….. Once again , wonderful efforts and I look for many more such collaborations.

Nisha Tyagi, British Council

Thank you Kathakar festival for an amazing 3 days! Thank you to all the organisers, technicians and volunteers who worked so hard to make it all happen, and thank you brilliant audiences for such a warm, responsive welcome and such deep listening. I've had such a wonderful time and will be sad to leave Delhi!

Emily Hennessey, UK Storyteller

Thank you for inviting me to perform at Kathakar International Story Tellers festival. It’s been my pleasure to tell my stories to such a captivating audience. What a splendid venue..Just the right ambience required for an intimate session. I would love to be associated with Kathakar in the future too. Thanks to Rachna and cheers to the team of Nivesh. And a huge thanks to Shaguna.

Usha Venkataraman, Indian Storyteller

I love listening to stories.. We are partnering with Nivesh for the third year now and it keeps getting bigger and better..please block your calendars for the first weekend of February for Kathakar 2017.

Mangalam Swaminathan, IGNCA

Audience Voices

“Thanks for organising the event. Though I could attend only on Sunday, I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories shared. It was like reliving childhood. I especially loved Giles Abbott. He is an amazing storyteller. I am not going to forget the different voices he used for different characters in the story, East of the Sun and West of the Moon very soon.” Kavita Jitani

“Awesome three some.. If one was a performer.. Another was a narrator and the third one was an entertainer.. Three phases of story telling experienced in one go.. Time to connect with the innerchild.” Sachin Gupta

“Such an awesome experience..looking forward to the next event! Well done team.” Sonia J Verma

“Spectacular performance.by Emily Hennessey .. Wonderful evening.. I like it..” Charu Sethi

“A cold Sunday winter evening, sipping adrak chai, watching someone swiping you off and wooosh throwing you in a world of an enchanting story, where anything can happen (once again, I wish, like kids, we could be less conditioned and a little less rational) I was swaying with your magical words and vivid visuals that were bubbling up right in front of me. Nothing can be more real than this fairy tale! Emily Hennessey, I'm telling COYOTE for the kids in my neighborhood soon, you've moved me more than I'd expected. I wish I could do a teeny-weeny justice to it, to begin with!

Giles Abbott – hats off! And off again… You’re a power-packed, extremely funny teller, you make people find themselves in the flaky snow literally riding a polar bear right as they sit on concrete…. And then back dealing with an ordeal and back again, this time sleeping like a baby on a feather-like bed.

Usha Mam….. Your stories are just as beautiful as you… the colloquial, the culture, that hint of bling with that maturity and then off to mesmerizing the audience with your beautiful voice and keep talking them into the story deeper! No, I didn’t want Meenakshi to end there, I’m following you around for sure for more.

Thank You Kathakaaron and Ghumakkadon! I’m definitely hungry for more!” Gauri Verma

“Had a mesmerising evening. Went specially for my daughter but never thought I will enjoy it so much. Giles Abbott kept us glued with his story " East of The Sun and West of The Moon". My daughter also enjoyed the story of beautiful cockroach by Usha Venkataraman. An evening to remember.” Kiran Rakesh Singh

“Kathakar International Storytelling Festival 2016. After ages I heard a story so mesmerizing that it left me speechless. And, the story teller, Giles Abbott from U.K received a standing ovation. His magical words kept the audience glued for more than an hour, which was unbelievable. He has left an impact and his stories will ring in my ears for many more years to come.” Divya Kapoor

“Well that was some performance Emily Hennessey Storyteller. Not only the pain and resolve and determination of Sati & Parvati was underlined with utmost clarity, Emily knew how does Indian audience understands, perceives and identifies with the same. Not even hundred discourses by the saints can clarify the creation from destruction as she did in one performance. And the use of subtle ghungrus made the ‘Natraj’ Shiva come alive! How well it had been rehearsed was too evident. Wowest performance.” Neel Dogra

“All the artists, especially Mr. Giles, were a treat to watch.. I was a little kid again sitting under open skies, sipping hot chai, and enjoying the various worlds that the storytellers took us to.. Thanks to all of them.. looking forward to your next edition again.” Nidhi Lohat

“As C.S Lewis said "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again". It was one such experience for me. I was completely mesmerized by the artists and got lost into the world of their stories. Thank you everyone who put in effort so that we can cherish the child in us.” Pratima Kandiyal

“Emily Hennessey, what a beautiful retelling of the Shiva and Sati story! I was thoroughly mesmerized throughout.” Shayantani Das

“We actually had a stunning time at the festival. I’m very happy that I could make it with the kids. Giles was the show stealer. Looking forward to the next year with excitement. It was indeed a great one.” Meenakshi Rathore

“Congrats Rachna for this grand festival!! Wow! Enjoyed each and every moment. Best wishes for many many more!” Vicky Arya