The power of Storytelling

Vikram Sridhar is a performance storyteller and theatre practitioner based in Bangalore. He has been working with a number of theatre groups across India for about a decade. He is now the co-founder of Tahatto, a Bangalorebased theatre group.

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1) How, when and why did you get interested in storytelling?

Storytelling for me means an intersection of theatre, ethology, and connecting with people. My childhood was filled with stories and I loved reading stories as well. This is why I was interested in watching contemporary plays and later starting my own theatre group Tahatto in 2009 along with four other friends. There was a lot of stereotyping in the way animals were portrayed through storytelling. The urge to question the practice and to change it to a way that breaks stereotypes is what led me to look at storytelling deeper and begin a journey in it.

2) Is storytelling an art or a craft? Explain...

Both. It’s an art that has been passed from generation to generation and used as a strong medium to connect people. And a craft because like a basket a storyteller has to weave his/her story that’s different to another weaver. The challenge before the storyteller is to leave his signature through the patterns he weaves. A right mix of art and craft takes the story a long distance.

3) Was it hard to switch career paths from being a management graduate to pursue your passion?