At Shikshantar as a practice, after every long break, we reconnect and rejuvenate through a collective circle time. On the first day after winter vacation, January 11, 2024, we reconnected through a collective session - "Folk Tales and Folk Songs" led by Mr. Kapil Pandey.
It was a fascinating session engaging us through his amazing art of narration and singing. Kapil Bhaiya talked about exploring the rich cultural narratives that surround us. Over a long period of time, usually several generations, stories have transmitted cultural values through an oral tradition.The music too was often around the national culture, commemorating historical and personal events and consistently brought us new insights and fresh perspectives.
Kapil Bhaiya kept us glued to his narration of a folktale. It was an interactive story where a song with rhythm and beats kept the audience involved and it also gently broke the monotony of story narration. The team enjoyed singing along with him creating rhythm through claps and beats all along.
The takeaway was a reminder on how stories serve as a window into the cultural heritage of a community, providing insights into its customs,values and belief system. Answering a question, Kapil Bhaiya shared that though every generation gets swayed by contemporary music of their times which is a reflection of the cultural connection of those times, we must continue to try and expose our children to folktales and music from time to time which often draws on the heritage and history of a particular community or region.