The third day of Ullas, children’s film fest was filled with enthusiasm and fervour for the little Bhopalites. The children not only learnt various art forms, but also listened to a very interesting tale in the form of Dastaan Goi.
Here on Monday, the city kids enjoyed the third day of lokrang 2018. On one hand, renowned ceramic artist Devi lal Patidar interacted with the children and also taught them to make art pieces with ceramic. On the other hand, the children also learned to make toys out of paper under the mentorship of artists Himanshu Vajpayi and Kartik Sharma.
later, it was the time for story telling for the kids at lokrang. Renowned Dastango Ankit Chaddha beautifully narrated his Urdu story, The Phantom Tollbooth.
This dastangoi presentation is based on the 1961 children's classic 'Phantom Tollbooth'. Eleven year Milo is bored. Maths is dull and words are tedious. One afternoon Milo returns from school to what looks like another long afternoon. Instead he finds a tollbooth. With an instruction manual, Milo sets off on his toy car to magical lands. In Alfaz Nagar and Numberabad, Milo finds two kings - brothers who can't agree on anything. Their sisters Rhyme and Reason live in exile far away and their kingdoms are deeply troubled. Can Milo face the ghosts in the Mountains of Darkness and bring peace back to the kingdoms that lie beyond the tollboothIJ
Ankit Chadha, a Dastango, weaves research-based narratives performed in the Dastangoi form of Urdu storytelling. His writing varies from biographical accounts of personalities like Kabir and Rahim to Dara Shikoh and Majaaz. Ankit has worked with non-profits including UN, Aga Khan Trust and Ford Foundation to weave modern tales on sustainability, technology and hunger. He has spoken on Dastangoi globally, including at Harvard, Yale and University of Toronto.
Additionally, Ankit has innovated the form of 'Musical Dastan', uniquely bringing together stories and music. Ankit has also worked on Dastangoi performances for children, adapting classics including Alice, The Phantom Tollbooth, and The little Prince. He is the author of the award-winning books Amir Khusrau - The Man in Riddles and My Gandhi Story.