Hippocampus’ carnival of stories ‘Hoo’s Tales’ was a great experience for kids and adults alike. Organised at Bal Bhavan, the event had a carnival-like atmosphere with the gazebos and amphitheatre filled up with kids. Each gazebo featured one artist who told stories through the day. It was certainly exciting to move from one gazebo to another and see a different form of story-telling. Kirtana Kumar and Theatre Lab brought a show based on the book, ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This had various theatrical elements and it was unfortunately performed only once.

 There was a wide variety of forms present starting with Koutuka who performed using elements from traditional Kannada theatre. Their puppet performance of ‘Punyakoti’ was not just entertaining but also managed to captivate the kids. Deepthy Shekar presented tales through ‘Kamishibai’ or ‘paper stories’, a Japanese art of story-telling that uses illustrations as a tool. These were a favourite with the much younger children who loved the pictures and simple stories. NSS Sharma, a ventriloquist was another major attraction - his humourous pieces kept the audience in splits. Nicky Bingham, an actress and storyteller from the UK, who is in India for story-telling sessions was also a part of the event. Her rendition of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ was thoroughly enjoyed by the children. Her expressions and intonation certainly brought the stories alive. Aadyantha added an interesting touch to the event by bringing in mime. With simple stories, their performances revolving around children and families, they made sure that the audience had a good time. The day was filled with fun for the children and parents who came along. Getting the young ones interested in reading was the objective of ‘Hoo’s Tales’ and it certainly seemed like it was achieved. A praiseworthy effort indeed.