bengaluru shes a youngish 32 but inspires teachers bankers and corporates the world over through the art of storytelling emily parrish performance poet and storyteller from the uk connects with india through her mythology here on tuesday at the invitation of the british council bengaluru emily shares her passion for storytelling and says the art is being revived in urban india you started working under vayu naidu and was inspired by indian mythologies like the ramayana indian gods and goddesses fascinate me theyre so universal shiva vishnu and rama and most of all durga impress me theyre changing forms every minute which makes these mythologies so energetic vibrant and human also because religion is not something i was born with so it fascinates me more what fascinates you more in these stories which other characters inspire you right now im working on a story on the birth of ganesha the story of parvathi transforming into kali and fighting the evil rakta beeja is also very dramatic and inspires me a lot i look for a story that deals with questions i battle in my life i dont want to teach anyone through any of these stories everytime i perform and explore many questions the audience wouldnt even know whats going on within me storytelling in india is as old as the mythologies but the art has died particularly in urban india how does one revive it i think the disconnect is in urban india but rural india still practises the art subtly in temples and with grandmothers telling stories at home the television and internet have replaced storytelling in cities but the trend is changing people have realized that technology cannot satisfy their souls theyre missing the shared experience of telling and hearing stories this morning bankers and teachers came for my workshop and they wanted to connect with me to improve on the art and on stories theyd like to tell their children and peers in order to revive the culture one must make the story ones own try to connect to a specific incident in that story and take it off the page storytelling gives you the artistic license to fill pictures with life flesh and skin never memorise a story you take parts you would like to tell you have spoken about how this art improves literacy levels and helps power a curriculum look at whats taught in schools and the jobs students get into after they leave school theyre two different worlds they simply dont understand how to solve professional problems storytelling is a way of seeking to know more from a picture you see or a verse you read it gives you the inner skills to ask questions to handle problems but creatively it broadens cultural horizons too indian adults and children show positive energy in this art and are reinventing themselves