Our Vision

"To establish Storytelling as an effective Educational and Cultural tool in all spheres of education"

• Research and revival of storytelling traditions and ancient knowledge systems.
• Empowering school teachers,NGO’s and communities by creating innovative techniques of teaching and learning.
• Influencing policy makers to inculcate storytelling as a methodology in education.
• Positioning the traditions of storytelling in their correct social and historic perspective.
• Establishing an international institute for storytelling research and training.
• Establishing an Academy for storytelling with certificate and diplomo courses.

Kathalaya Trust

Trustees:
Ms.Nirmala Sethuraman
   Founder Kanila home for the Aged, Chennai.
Mr.G.Viswanathan
    Philanthropist
Mr.H.Kumar
    Industrialist,Mumbai.

Advisory Board:
Ms. Premalatha Paneerselvam
    Principal, Mahatma Montessoru School, Madurai
Mrs.Geeta Krishnan
    Academician
Dr. Jimmy Neil Smith,
    Director, International Institute of Storytelling,Tennessee, U.S.A.
Ms.Cathy Spagnoli,
    Storyteller, Author, U.S.A.

Executive Director:
   Ms.Geetha Ramanujam

Team:
   Ms. Vinatha Rao
   Ms. Ambica Chandrasekhar
   Ms. P.Nagalakshmi
   Ms. Neema Cherian
   Ms. Neeta Lalwani
   Ms. Nidhi Mehrotra
   Ms. Nidhi Gupta
   Ms. Jahnavi Mohan
   Ms. Chandrika Badrinath
   Ms. Priyanka Gupta
   Ms. Manjula Suresh
   Ms. Manjula Dwivedi
   Ms. Dhanya Krishnan
   Ms. Cynthia D'Mello
   Ms. Nupur Jain
   Ms. Rukmini G R
   Ms. Soumya Srinivasan

Our Programs

Story telling: Using stories as an educational tool in schools using the techniques of narration, story reading, picture Stories, toy theatres, clay modeling, puppetry, shadow play, role play and craft activities. Owing to Kathalaya's efforts, a number of schools in the urban and rural areas of India have adopted storytelling as a teaching methodology. Kathalaya conducts classroom support programs in over 50 rural schools around Bangalore.

Teacher Empowerment: Orientation & Training programs on integration of storytelling and folk arts into the curriculum. Kathalaya has developed more than 10 training modules and certificate courses for teachers to strengthen their teaching skills to use storytelling in classroom transaction.

Stories on wheels: Extending story telling tp "out-door experiences" through Folk Trails, Nature Trails, Village Visits, heritage centers, industrial visits, art centers and Museums with stories of people and places.

Consultancy: Curriculum planning & implementation, setting up Libraries & Educational Resource Centers, Staff Training, Project/program evaluation for Institutions.

Resource & training center: Kathalaya has established a Resource & training Center for Storytelling and Education in Bangalore city. The center serves as a reference center for teachers and those interested in storytelling. Soon we propose to establish an international institute of story telling and a research center to evolve programs for integrating story telling techniques into teaching methodologies. Our dream is to include story telling into educational policy and to spread awareness of oral traditions in all walks of life. The proposed facility will house a research center, library, training hall, art & activity center, open air theatre, show room, meditation and yoga center and guest cottages, project office and dormitory with canteen.

Story performances: Members of Kathalaya perform stories for schools and in story reading corners at bookshops, libraries and public places.

We can be reached at the following::
Kathalaya
#88, BHBCS Layout
2nd cross, 3rd main
BTM II stage, Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore - 560076.
Phone:26689856
Email: kathalaya@gmail.com