Ekvastra

Namaste Sivtheja Ji,

Notwithstanding my little exposure to the Telugu language, I enjoyed the story. The storytelling is easy and lucid. Selection of the storyline and narration style speak of your creative bent of mind.

In my experience, I see stories as a simple yet effervescent medium to inculcate values and cultural sensitivity in our lives and as an effective doorway to broaden the horizons of our minds to the bigger possibilities of life.

As a throwback to my growing up days as a young lad … I have been an avid receptor of stories of all hues and colors. The most fascinating among them have been the enchanting stories from the scriptures, Puranas, etc. I fondly remember my childhood days when I used to wait with bated breath for the monthly edition of Jahna Mamu (‘Chanda Mamma’ in Hindi), Shishu Raija (Children’s Kingdom a rough English translation) among a plethora of other periodicals in Odia subscription. Even though I could barely read in those days and hardly interpret the simple yet intricately crafted stories, I mostly had my elder sister by my side to read the stories to me in a doting way. As I grew up absorbing the reading skills myself, my knowledge of all the great characters of our history and culture gradually cultivated through these stories. There was another weekly magazine in which there was just one page dedicated to a story (theme as Dharma), it was like a doorway for me to get a glimpse of Dharma not thorough any sermons but through enchanting stories from the life of Sri Krishna, his childhood Leela, his Youthful splendor, his life as a dedicated family man, an astute politician, an unmatched warrior and the upholder of Dharma. Each week I used to drink up each lofty story about Krishna. The writer was endowed with innate knowledge to pluck those beautiful short stories out from the scriptures and dish out for his readers. It had left an indelible impact on the impressionable mind of a young growing up a child like me and of course possibly many countless others.

These stories had in many ways set up a cultural foundation for me to appreciate and adore our ancient Hindu culture from my early childhood days and later in many ways acted as a smooth passage for me to seamlessly identify with and work along with many like-minded people and organizations working in the direction of the cultural renaissance of our Great Country.

The intent of the above background and relating to my personal experience is that stories are a powerful medium to shape the firmament of our mind, intellect, and emotions to channelize them to higher possibilities of life.

I feel your storytelling can also make a difference. Let it through young minds, do whatever little necessary to make the stories more interesting and enthralling for the young people, if possible, all age groups.

Dhanyavaad,
Sandeep Dalai