Message from Festival Chair
Amrita Somaiya
In 1995, my husband Samir and I were on a road trip in the Yukon, Canada. We came across a young lady hitchhiking and gave her a ride. When we asked her where she was going she told us about a storytelling festival in White Horse Junction.. We were fascinated and stopped at the festival for the day. It was my first exposure to a festival of this type. There were tents with different storytellers and crowds of people mesmerised and listening in rapt attention. Ever since that day I have wanted to bring something like this to Mumbai.
Message from Festival Director
Usha Venkatraman
Today, oral tradition exists in Mumbai, Maharashtra because of the devotion and faith of its
practitioners in this pursuit of sharing folklore, legends and myths within communities. When Gaatha was conceived in 2022, keeping this oral recitation alive, we also incorporated form through Ragas and Kathas, Abhinaya Katha, Stitching Narratives, Tapestry Tales, Figurative Sculpting and Illustrative Storytelling to name a few.
Our theme for Gaatha - 2024 is “Mukhauta” – Unmasking Narratives.
After the success of Gaatha - 2023, where we had showcased the traditional art and folklore
from the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat, this year our focus state is Kerala.
