Educationist and author Coomi Vevaina has her own interpretation of the big bad wolf of fairy tales. In her version, the wolf is just a misunderstood creature framed as bloodthirsty by storytellers.
“What I am trying to do is present the classic tale from the perspective of the wolf who claims to be polite, ecologically conscious and non-violent,” said Vevaina, who heads the department of English at the University of Mumbai.
In a bid to expand young minds by encouraging children to think out of the box and become peace activists, the professor and a group of like-minded individuals have initiated a conference-cum-workshop in October.
The event will focus on storytelling as a means to create awareness about social issues such as ecological conservation and inter-racial understanding.
“Storytellers from across India and the world will be participating. Our aim is to develop linear and lateral thinking among students who would be introduced to the art and technique of storytelling and also encourage them to come up with their own tales,” said Donna Reen, a language trainer and storyteller.
Schoolchildren from Mumbai and nearby areas will be participating in the festival which will be attended by traditional and contemporary storytellers from across the world.
“There will be no preaching and the children will be encouraged to come up with original story ideas,” said Vevaina, adding that this is not a competition.
“The idea is to play with words and get more acquainted with the written and spoken word.” The stories that the children come up with will be enacted for an audience.
Vevaina and her team hope that the students’ efforts would be compiled in a book. “We are in talks with publishers and it would be great if they took up the project,” she added.
