Women shine at Avakai Festival

It was heartening to see many accomplished women attend ‘Avakai: Amaravati Festival of Cinema, Culture and Literature’ organised by the Andhra Pradesh Government. They came as speakers, discussion moderators, and visitors and audience members many of whom asked intelligent questions to the panelists.

We spoke to a few of these women achievers and here is what they told this writer.

Supriya Yarlagadda is an actor and well-known film personality from the legendary Akkineni film family who now plays a major role at the family-run, much-respected Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad. After an illuminating group discussion at ‘Avakai Festival’ in which she participated giving valuable insights in the process, Supriya told this writer: “Cinema, across India, is evolving in every way...in the way movies are made, exhibited and consumed. OTT platforms are one example. We, who are in the business of cinema must understand this deeply and carefully learn to move with the changing times. Also, in cinema, the story and the math are both different and yet equally important.”

Dr C.L.L. Jayaprada, professor of English and a translator, said that translated works had an important influence on cinema and through that, on the general public too. She said many of these translations inspired filmmakers who based their films on such stories. She gave examples of the Arabian Nights, Shakespeare dramas, novels from other states in a variety of languages, etc., which had been adapted to the screen i.e. Telugu films. “Since cinema is viewed by the masses, these books thereby reach the public. Thus, filmmakers play an important role in carrying books including niche literature, to the masses.”

Neelima Penumarthy is the Founder and Creative Director of StoryHour UK, a storytelling platform that brings India’s timeless tales, festivals, and folk traditions to life for today’s families. She is the sole creative force shaping every story, production and experience from concept to performance. She is now looking to collaborate with like-minded women. At the ‘Avakai festival,’ she worked with a female painter Sangeeta Kirti as well as her own mother. Neelima employs puppetry, music, spoken word (audiobooks) and immersive experiences, to share stories such as Ramayanam and Deepavali. She explains: “I try to do it in a way that is joyful and deeply rooted in Indian culture. At StoryHour we connect children and parents to heritage through imagination, emotion and meaningful storytelling.” She worked with her own sons on her first audiobook which was featured in The Times, UK as ‘One of the top 10 audiobooks of 2017’.

RJ Bhargavi Lavanya is a popular radio jockey, anchor, master of ceremonies, presenter, podcaster, and a fitness freak and marathoner. She is also the government protocol anchor for Andhra Pradesh which explains why she anchored the inaugural event of the ‘Avakai Festival.’ She has also been host at different prestigious events (altogether nearly 2,000 in India and abroad) including those where the Prime Minister, President, chief ministers and prominent spiritual personalities have been present. “For me, ‘Avakai’ was an interesting event to attend and function as the anchor.” What is the secret of her success? She reveals: “I believe in discipline and punctuality.

I am always present there before call time. Every event is a single take! Finally, I love my profession. To do the best every time is my motto.”

Anuradha Mothali is Co-founder of Mind u Read Media, a Hyderabad-based publishing house rooted in the belief that stories need to be told, in myriad voices, to document lives, cultures and changing times. At ‘Avakai Festival,’ she participated in a couple of literary discussions—The Evolution of Storytelling: The Journey of Indian Mythology, and Sundaramaina Telugu: and The Glory of Telugu Literature and Cinema. Anuradha opines: “The art of storytelling is as ancient as our Puranas and ithihasas themselves. While Vyasa spun the slokas of the Mahabharata, it was Lord Vinayaka who sat and listened and wrote them down. In the Ramayana, Lava and Kusa, the sons of Rama and Sita were the first bards to sing the story of Rama. Our mythology continues to live and inspire us, not only because they are preserved through the umpteen number of storytelling forms and techniques we have, but also because they are retold—each generation finding its own voice within timeless stories.”

Sree Karuna has been, from the past five years, engaged in the art of storytelling under the banner Chandamama Kathaa. As she said to this writer: “Stories connect us to each other. As gadgets are taking over and conversations are lost, taking stories to children of all ages and adults is very fulfilling.” What are the challenges and rewards of her work? She replies: “The rewards of my work are many: the happiness that you see on children’s faces after you narrate a story, and the joy of igniting their imagination and fuelling their curiosity. In the process of storytelling, we are also inculcating values and thinking skills. Especially when we take this to the grassroots level to girls in government schools choosing stories that inspire, empower and inculcate problem solving skills.” She says there are challenges too since many people do not realise the importance of Storytelling and think that it is only a grandmother’s job. However, she believes sin the healing power of stories and metaphors as therapy.