Renowned storyteller USHA CHHABRA spoke to ANANYA SHARMA about why certain habits die hard
Can you recall those bygone days of sitting close to your grandmother and listening to the tales of kings, queens and folkloreIJ. Usha Chhabra’s story-telling session brought back the time that we have missed somewhere in the tides of a chanigng era.
A teacher at Delhi Public School, an author and a script writer, stories comes naturally to her. “I am a Hindi language teacher and as we all know that without language, there is no story. Since the very beginning, I used to tell stories to my students and that gave me confidence. Stage shows in my school also gave me self- assurance,” said Chhabra.
During a session at the Oxford Book Store in Connaught place, she said, “It was a special day. My audience was a mixture of children, teenagers and adults. It was really a challenging task but in the end I found out that everyone is a child at heart and loves to imagine despite the onslaught of digital images and irrespective of one’s age.”
She continued, “After my session, even the grown-ups were so happy and enjoyed the session thoroughly. That’s when I realised that all stories have the same values for everyone. Everyone is learning.”
Usha Chhabra has also conducted various story-telling sessions at Dilli Haat, schools, NGO’s and residential societies. “I started doing this for my own happiness. It makes me feel content and confident,” she said.
Her greatest joyIJ “Words open up the power of visualisation. So many people actually begin to read after a hearing session,” she told us.