Attend this online workshop on the role of ethology in shaping human psyche

Murals from the Jataka tales on the walls of the caves at Ajanta

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a little girl... In the suburbs of Mumbai, this writer grew up reading Indian folklore such as The Panchatantra and Jataka Tales that began so. But while the stories have faded away from memory, what remain are the lessons they imparted. And Vikram Sridhar, a performance storyteller and theatre practitioner, believes that these stories play a bigger role in developing human psychology than we credit them for. His upcoming online workshop, Ethology in Indian Oral Literature, explores the topic and digs into the connection between humans and ethology.

An illustration in an 18th century Panchatantra manuscript. Pics/Wikimedia Commons

"This session is the first of a six-part storytelling workshop. It analyses how animals step into human spaces through these folklores. Even when we are angry, animals are used as connotations in our oral space. This workshop will look at the impact that flora and fauna has on humans and, once we are aware of it, we will create narratives surrounding ethology," Sridhar explains. Although Indian folktales have always been associated with children, adults have a greater connection to them. The storyteller says, "The word ‘Jataka' means stories of The Buddha, and they play an ingraining part in Buddhism, while the word anima denotes a human quality given to certain animals. So, The Panchatantra, which is one of the most published and oldest literature in the world, talks about human qualities in the form of nature. These are very spiritual stories that we have passed on to children exclusively because somewhere adults lost their meaning."

Vikram Sridhar

Sridhar mentions that these tales allow humans to talk about human behaviours while being apolitical. "Humans are nature. We do share behavioural similarities with the animal kingdom. Sometimes, we are lazy like a sloth or angry like a tiger. So, when we look at these animal stories, we can relate and compare without going into specifications of caste, creed or gender; are we like a hare or are we the tortoise?" Sridhar hopes that these stories will bring back the lost art of looking to nature for inspiration, since we tend to forget that literature comes from nature itself.

On: February 12; 11 am
Log on to: in.bookmyshow.com
Call: 9945799224
Cost: Rs 499