Stories have been an essential and meaningful part of human interaction and communication since the time that language was formed. They inspire, move, affect and change people in unimaginable and innumerable ways. Stories have been used to societies and communities to depict their opinions and legacies, as well as establishing a narrative for the world that they live in.
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Stories are not just a recreational activity, used for the purpose of entertainment. Rather, they can be used to question the status quo as well as inspire change in the society. The process of bringing change through storytelling begins with recognizing the current stories that exist. There are stories that have come from various origins and tell various cultural norms and traditions. There are also stories which have been forgotten and lastly, the stories that must be written now to serve a purpose.
The way through which storytelling can inspire change in India is by using stories that people are already familiar with. These include epics, mythological sagas and folklores. There is a need to challenge and change the happenings of these stories in such a way that they reflect newer and progressive understanding. The patriarchal and caste-based notions that have existed in these folklores can be replaced with alternative narratives and the characters, retaining their original, recognizable characteristics, can be made to act in different ways in the newer versions. The retelling of these stories forms an effective means of communications as these contain symbols, storylines and images that people are already familiar with.
The other way is through real life incidents and real life inspirational people that exist around us. There are innumerable instances which tell us of courage, rebellion and winning against odds. These are stories of people from their everyday lives and struggles, yet, they form the most powerful narrative there is. They are instantly relatable and the fact that they are real separates them from the element of fantasy or imagination.
The storytelling method can be used for change across different sections of people. These can be used for inspiring schoolchildren, as a fun and interactive method, where they lend their own inputs to the story. In the case of older students, helping them write alternative endings to stories and developing characters that they feel are motivating can be a wonderful exercise for them to step away from conventional ideas. Even at the office or organizational level, stories of real life resistance can be excellent for team-building exercises or in discovering new ways to overcome challenges.
What is important is that these stories must have a narrative that helps in bringing together people from all religions, cultures and economic backgrounds. Although based in the current society, these must not advance or propagate repressive gender and caste structures or instigate violent action. It is only then that storytelling becomes a peaceful, yet strong and impactful method of collective reform.
