I have this vivid memory of my childhood days. By the time the evenings approached a ripening stage, she would be already tired with the day’s work. Tired and a bit sleepy too. But we, her grandchildren would be ready with our energetic and dazzling faces to have that eve’s dose of our favorite stories. In spite of all her tiredness she always showed respect to our eagerness for her stories, for her folklores and at times even her songs. she would come to us while still wiping her wet hands with her pallu and sit on the satranji ( a carpet-like thing for sitting purposes). Then we would form a half circle around her and with anticipation in our hearts, will urge her to tell us some interesting stories. Then she would begin to tell us the stories in her sweet yet powerful voice. We would be all ears, listening intently to the tales of a beautiful princess, who could hide herself inside the trunk of a tree, if she wanted (Sahada sundari), the stories of the adventurous sadhaba puas(the sons of a merchant), The hilarious story of Tuaan-Tuin or Laau dhuduki or the tale of the brave goat girl Manika, who could save herself from a tiger only because of her wit and her courage.
Sometimes we knew that she is telling us an old story. In fact many of her stories were told and retold before. Yet we never lost our interest in them. Rather we would poke her with our fingers to wake her up, if she began to doze off briefly in between her stories. Then she would wake up from her brief slumber and would continue her story in a slurry voice. If I was given the task of choosing some of the best storytellers of the world, perhaps my maternal grandmother would be one of them (in my opinion).
If I think now I feel like our childhood was full of stories. Not only our grandmaa but we used to listen stories from bapa (my father), bou(my mother) and even some other known elders whenever and wherever it was possible. My parents always encouraged us to read and read. Not only our textbooks but story books and novels too (while some parents still considered children reading novels a taboo). Bapa used to bring plenty of books for me, from those very first days, when I began to read and write. Not only that, many times bapa and bou also used to read me stories. And this habit continued in our family.
We two sisters consider ourselves fortunate to have such grandparents and parents who filled our childhood with their mesmerizing stories(sometimes they formed their own stories for us) and who introduced us to the world of books. Whatever we write today, whatever we imagine, whenever we narrate something or our love for the stories; the foundation of all those things was laid back then only. In those innocence filled childhood days.
Yes. Such is the power of a story. There are even plenty of examples of such persons whose lives took a sudden twist only because of a story. Storytelling is the oldest form of teaching. It is a creative medium for expressing someone’s imagination in the form of words. For interaction a storyteller needs suitable words and actions with required modulation in tone, to keep the listeners hooked. From the early development of kids to heal a traumatized brain and even to promote a business; almost in every step of life we need a story to flourish. A good storyteller also encourages the listener’s active imagination, letting them become the co-creators of the tale.
According to researchers, reading and storytelling with children promotes their brain development, imagination and emotional intelligence. Stories can show them many unknown places, people and eye-opening situations and help in expanding and enriching their world. Scientists have found that, the children who have fiction read to them regularly find it easier to understand other people and they show more empathy towards others. Stories Instill virtues and morales in children and help them in becoming better human beings. While stories in their different forms help the children to understand their culture in a better way, they also help in improving their listening skill and imagination power. Not only that, a story has the power to create curiosity in young minds and enhance their learning process(academic learning, included). It improves their word power and language skills as well as their ability to communicate with others. It helps in lowering the level of their stress and anxiety. And also sharpens their memory.
“Trauma, illness, and grief create frightening forests of pain with unfamiliar roads. In such a context, listening to stories suggests myriad pathways out of dark forests,” explains communications and folklore scholar SunWolf. To welcome the stories and their healing power into our lives, we need to practice both listening and voicing. That is, learning how to voice our own personal stories and hear others’. Psychologists and other mental health professionals have also embraced the power of storytelling with open arms. Narrative therapy is such an example. In this mode of practice, people are allowed to construct new stories around life events and deconstruct problematic ones. This therapy allows the concerned people to reflect on a difficult situation or something they went through(in the past), from where they are now. Then they find a sense of closure by rewriting their story from the present perspective; says bibliotherapist Bijal Shah.
While discussing stories we can’t just ignore the science behind our admiration for the stories. Stories have the power to activate hormone oxytocin that boosts trust and empathy in us, when we listen to a moving story. And different brands and businesses use this power of stories to increase their sales and to also add loyal customers for their products. When it comes to marketing, story detail can humanize brands and make them more relatable. People connect with stories on an emotional level, which in turn attract them to that brand which can motivate them to buy the products of that brand. Perhaps that’s why, almost 5.3 trillion advertisements are displayed to customers every year. And over 4 million blogs are published daily.
If we go on and on, discussing the power and effects of stories, perhaps this write-up will become a large novel in itself. But to conclude in short, we can say that our lovable stories have immense power over our psychology and mindset, over our nature and behaviour and it can influence our behaviour in almost every little part of our lives. By the way, when life seems a bit boring, at times when the future world seems bleak and friendless even; don’t we all go for the stories of hope, love and beautiful smiles to trust the world once again, to trust the flow and resilience of life once again!!!
