bangalore the tradition of storytelling which suffered a setback with the advent of television and cinema is once again gaining popularity this is what godfrey duncan a leading storyteller from the uk feels about the ancient practice participating in a storytelling workshop at the british library on monday duncan said in an age of digital technology people often feel disconnected from their cultural roots with the storytelling tradition on the path of revival they have no reason to worry also known as tuup duncan was born to guyanian parents and brought up in acton in west london beginning his career as a performance poet he worked with a group of fellow afrocaribbean artistes before becoming a storyteller in 1981 duncan who is here as part of the international storytelling festival in india said the country is home to some talented storytellers in india stories have a history behind them storytelling is an ancient tradition which needs to be kept alive in todays age dismissing the notion that children make for the best listeners of stories duncan said a storytellers best audiences are adults stories help them relax and forget about everyday problems according to duncan a storyteller needs to have multiple qualities to be popular he should concentrate on the best way of delivering a story his presence is also important good communication skills diction and language are other key skills a storyteller needs to possess whats most important is good vocabulary he says known to have played a vital role in reviving the art in britain duncan is fond of many indian stories too i have heard a couple of stories from the mahabharata and panchatantra but theres nothing better than the tale of vikram and betal in which over 20 stories are woven into one seema mukherjee a sitar player from bengal told me the story on ways of nurturing the art duncan said storytelling festivals should be encouraged so that the practice is kept alive