Amidst the lockdown due to Covid_19 seven storytellers of Purvabhyas Theatre, India has made ‘spreading the joy of stories and reviving the tradition of storytelling’ their mission which they call ‘EBaKiBa Stories’.
They believe stories define us, create us and shape us! Every culture may not be literate, but every culture tells stories and every time a storyteller tells a story, there is moment of wonder, magic and hope.
Purvabhyas Theatre, situated in New Delhi, India, has been working in the field of Theatre in Education, joining hands with the efforts to safeguard more space for play, arts and creativity, for over 15 years now. Their philosophy has always been PLAY TO LEARN. LEARN TO GROW. GROW TO CHANGE.
Believing in the strength of stories Purvabhyas Theatre has initiated a program –EBaKiBa Stories. EBaKiBa stands for the Hindi phrase ‘Ek Baar Ki Baat Hai’ which translates to ‘Once Upon A Time’. Purvabhyas believes that in these uncertain times, where everyone is trying to hold on to every strand of hope possible, stories are the pinch of magic and relief the world needs.
The seven core team members of Purvabhyas Theatre, now also known as the EBaKiBa storytellers, used to celebrate the World Performance Week (20th March World Theatre Dy for Children – 27th March, World Theatre Day) with children, playing and performing. Though this year, the threat of Covid_19 confined everyone at their homes. But as said ‘the play must go on’ they continued to work from home and made a small effort to celebrate the World Performance Week online by uploading a story each day for the entire week. Soon, one week turned into two, and now, they continue to tell stories every weekend.
These storytellers did not stop there, as the covid_19 tightened its grip around the world, they strengthened their determination. Purvabhyas Theatre has now launched an online celebration of stories – EbaKiBa Tell-A-Tale Storytelling Festival.
EbaKiBa Tell-A-Tale Storytelling Festival gives a platform to every person out there that has a story to tell. 6 years old or 60 years young, an amateur or a professional storyteller, whether they speak English or Hindi, and no matter where they live, this festival welcomes all. These stories will be streamed online on 2nd May 2020 at 5p.m. This initiative has not only brought people together on a single platform, but also has awakened an army of storytellers ready to spread the wonder of stories into the world.
A dream once seen by seven EBaKiBa storytellers now reside in the eyes of many, isn’t it magical! The story of “Ek Baar Ki Baat hai” – Once Upon A Time…!
