Kakoli Mukherjee By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Is storytelling a dying art? British storyteller Vergine Gulbenkian does not think so. The recent revival of the art in UK is a proof of its growing popularity, says the artiste who comes from an Armenian family. “The traditional English storytelling had died out. It was revived as a performance form by keeping the traditional format and bringing in some other theatrical elements to keep the audience engaged. Traditional tales were reworked and turned into one-hour shows.” Vergine started telling stories more than 20 years ago drawing inspiration from the Armenian tales which she heard growing up, but now, she chooses to tell any story that resonates with her. In this age of short attention spans and numerous sources of content, how does storytelling fit in? “People from every age group like a good story. Children do have short attention span, and they lose interest once you start telling facts, but if you tell them a story, they want to know what happens next. Many of the traditional tales have such nourishing material that can speak to every generation. I think that explains the revival of this art form.” “Many stories and fairy tales speak to the sub-conscious mind and help find meaning in life. They help people work through difficulties. The myths give us the feeling that there is something greater than us in this universe, and that helps see things in a new perspective,” says the storyteller. Vergine conducted a storytelling workshop at the British Council in Hyderabad recently where she narrated folk tales, myths and legends – all revolving around the theme ‘fire’.

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