HYSTA to promote oral form of storytelling in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Stories have the power to change people’s perspectives and they have the power to heal and educate. This was the earnest belief of like-minded storytellers that came together in 2019 and formed the Hyderabad Storytellers Association (HYSTA) to promote the oral form of storytelling in the city.
Throughout the pandemic, the group was active through their online sessions Story Swap, Master Class, Story Connect, and others. They are now actively involving themselves in organising and participating in various storytelling sessions.
Speaking of why she started HYSTA, Swapna, the founder, says: “Initially when we started, it was to have a collective representation for all the storytellers in the city and create a platform for anyone interested in the craft. We conducted sessions for people to teach and learn storytelling.”
Today, various organisations are using storytelling as a tool to send across a message to the masses. Both corporates and NGOs are actively indulging in this oral art form to create awareness about different issues.
A member of HYSTA during an event to promote the concept of storytelling.
Talking about one such narration, Saujanya Yelisetty says, “I was once invited by the Horticulture Department officials who were trying to convince farmers to grow lemongrass instead of paddy. I went there and told them a story, listening to which they, fortunately, agreed to grow lemongrass. This just shows how impactful stories are.”
Though the image of storytelling has changed from a grandmother telling stories to a professional telling them, some believe that society is yet to adopt storytelling as an actual profession. Members at HYSTA say, “There is a need for common people to attend more storytelling events as an audience, support artists, pay for their craft and popularise it. There is also a need for government involvement in organising a storytelling festival.”
The biggest concern for storytellers today is said to be the audiences’ hesitation to pay for their craft. Understanding the effort they put in to research their characters and the long hours of practice required, audiences need to show support for the craft to flourish. Storytellers interested in joining or learniung the craft can email at hysta2021@gmail.com.
