Bangalore: Kathalaya Trust conducted a storytelling and puppetry session, "Head over Heels," at Oxford Bookstore here on April 18. Geetha Ramanujam and Kavitha Kannan from Kathalaya team entertained tiny tots and adults with their engaging mimicry, thrilling storylines and sleight of hand.

The children were treated to simple animal stories that began and ended happily in true fairytale style. Several children aged between two and 12 sat mesmerised through 90 minutes of magic, while chipping in with responses and suggestions from time to time. Even the parents showed no signs of getting bored. Many of them admitted that they enjoyed such sessions a lot.

Giti Mishra, mother of three-year-old Prateek, said: "These sessions give us a much-needed break from the daily grind and, more importantly, the woes of admission that are such a harsh reality for toddlers. Also, my child gets a chance to interact with children of his age here. This being a career-oriented world, parents do not get to spend quality time with their children. Such sessions add excitement to their life and help them catch up with what they are sorely missing out on."

Geetha Ramanujam, director of Kathalaya, discussed the importance of storytelling in daily life. "Our organisation believes that the universe is made up of stories and not atoms. Education is not all about mugging up lessons and pouring them out by rote. Through storytelling and puppetry, we aim at making a positive social change in education. We have organised many training programmes where people from all walks of life come to learn the ropes," she said.

All said and done, the children had the last word. They had a gala time after the session when they went backstage to meet their friends, the puppets. They All of them had just one thing to say: "We love you a lot. Come back soon."

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