The Hindu Lit Fest 2024 | Clowns enthrall Chennai school students at story-telling workshop

Chennai Middle School students enthralled by clowns at storytelling workshop organized by The Hindu and ACEnovation.

Students of the Chennai Middle School in MGR Nagar were enthralled when two clowns showed up at their institution on Monday, January 22, 2024, to tell a story. “Kai kudu” (give me a handshake), one of the clowns, bringing an automatic smile to the children’s faces.

The performance was part of a storytelling workshop organised by The Hindu along with ACEnovation, a Singapore based company, and involved two storytellers – Debjani Bhaduri and Mathiazhagan – who captivated the audience with interactive stories.

The children also took to the stage to tell stories of their own.

A series of storytelling workshops for children are being conducted as part of the The Hindu Lit Fest 2024, for children are being conducted at Chennai Schools in Anna Nagar, Kodambakkam, Adyar and Tondiarpet in an effort to cultivate the habit of storytelling in children.

Speaking about the initiative, Neena Gayatri, COO of ACEnovation, said, “Storytelling is for all ages and it immediately connects with people as it focuses on mid-brain learning. Storytelling also helps with memory and creativity through mid-brain learning.”

Students from classes 3 to 8 participated in the workshop. “I only liked the clown story,” said Muthu of Class III.

The children swayed to made-up tunes as Ms. Debjani enacted a crow throwing pebbles into a pot. “There is a language barrier but that’s why I decided to make it more participatory which also got the students to bond,” she said.