Storee Ki Boree's Staging of Sudha Murty's Play Teaches Valuable Lessons

An award-winning writer, educator and philanthropist, Murty's work has inspired numerous readers, both young and old. One of her most famous stories is 'How I Taught My Grandmother to Read'.

- NOOR ANAND CHAWLA

It would indeed be a rarity to find someone in India that hasn't heard of Sudha Murty and her famed short stories. An award-winning writer, educator and philanthropist, Murty's work has inspired numerous readers, both young and old. One of her most famous stories is "How I Taught My Grandmother to Read", owing to its valuable message of universal literacy. Another way of disseminating literacy is by spreading stories far and wide in a visual format. And this is where theatre company Storee Ki Boree comes in - by staging Murty's short story in their latest Hindi play 'क से कहानी'.

In a quiet village of North Karnataka, Vijaya's story begins - not in her youth, but at sixty. Rooted in values, nature and community, she lives a life seemingly full, yet something remains untouched. Every summer, her granddaughter Seeya visits, reading aloud stories from Kashi Yatre. Vijaya listens, dreams and lives through her words. But when left alone one day, she is struck by a truth that shakes her world - she cannot read, she cannot write. And for the first time, she feels caged in her own life. What follows is a quiet rebellion. A journey of yearning, grit and rediscovery; of alphabet at a time, guided by the small but mighty hands of her granddaughter," is how the story of is explained.

"This production celebrates the strength of the human spirit and reminds us: it's never too late to learn, to grow or to begin again," adds Shraddha Gupta, founder of Storee Ki Boree, a Delhi-based theatre collective which has crafted over 50 original productions. As Gupta explains, their plays blend storytelling, music and movement to create experiences that fuel life skills and emotional growth.

Their most popular productions include Ramlila, which has done over 200 shows, Kabuliwala, Idgah, Gopi Gyne Bagha Byne, One Christmas Eve, Akbar Birbal, Krishna Katha and more.