Artists on Tour
Cultural Centre of India
Stories and Theater from India
Cincinnati Arts Association, Education/Community Relations, 650 Walnut St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone 513-977-4116, Fax 513-977-4150
www.CincinnatiArts.ORG, [email protected]
Introduction
The earliest form of the theatre of India was the Sanskrit theatre. It began after the development
of Greek and Roman theatre and before the development of theatre in other parts of Asia. It emerged
sometime between the second century BCE and the first century CE and flourished between the
first and 10th centuries CE, which was a period of relative peace in the history of India during which
hundreds of plays were written. With the Islamic conquests that began in the 10th and 11th centuries,
theatre was discouraged or forbidden entirely. Later, attempts were made to revive India Storytelling and
Theater as a means of entertainment.
Rudyard Kipling was interested in folklore, dealing with English folklore in works such as Puck of
Pook’s Hill and Rewards and Fairies; his experiences in India led him to also create similar works with
Indian themes. Kipling spent a great deal of his life in India, and was familiar with the Hindi language.
His works such as the two Jungle Books contain a great deal of stories that are written after the manner
of traditional folktales. Indian themes also appear in his Just So Stories, and many of the characters
bear recognizable names from Indian languages. As a diverse, multi-cultural nation, the theatre of India
cannot be reduced to a single, homogenous trend. In contemporary India, the major competition with its
theatre is that represented by growing television industry and the spread of films produced in the Indian
film industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), known as “Bollywood.”
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India
Stories and Theater from India
Amazing stories from India are told using traditional theater technique, music and movement.
Participants will be engaged and fascinated as the stories provide an insight into the traditional culture
and history of India. Student learning can involve any of the following, depending on how teachers
request the program to be customized:
•
Participants will take the roles of the story characters and immerse themselves in the storytelling
and theater process. Students can play the characters from the stories by incorporating narration,
dramatic acting technique, singing, dancing, Indian makeup technique, Indian clothing, etc.
•
Students will be involved in the creative process by being theater artists, become writers to come up
with their own stories with morals and design theater setup that is quick and frugal.
•
Students will take part as they read the stories, write their versions of the stories, listen to the
narrator and student actors’ dialogs, create visuals for their own stories, create simple sets and
costumes and do research to bring authenticity.
•
Participants will be introduced to storytelling and theater styles from ancient to contemporary styles.
Parallels will be drawn with the U.S. culture and trends over time.
•
Students will learn about values and morals are very much the same in any culture. Historical
aspects and leadership styles will be introduced and discussed.
Teachers can request selected stories for the sessions based on the class level and the stories
can be tailored to meet the curriculum needs. Customization can involve any of the following: theater,
discussion, question and answer, audience participation or other types of settings to related to the
language, history, world cultures and other curriculum aspects. Teachers can either select from the list
below or discuss with the presenter which stories to select. Here are few examples of the stories, but
not limited to, from which teachers can choose from:
1. Panchatantra: Famous Indian stories quite similar to the Aesop's Fables, also based on the Animal
Kingdom, but with an Indian context, and full of fun.
2. Jātaka Tales: Stories about the various lives and life forms – man, elephant, dear, etc. – of the
Buddha, spreading the message of justice. These tales will show how good ultimately triumphs over
evil.
3. Aesop’s Fables: All children love animals. Here are over a 100 fables based on the animal kingdom
and cleverly woven around a moral.
4. Akbar and Birbal: Sharpen your wits with Birbal, King Akbar’s famous, clever and witty advisor.
5. Arabian Nights: Welcome to the world of magic lamps, wish-granting genies, valiant heroes and
damsels in distress. Discover the voyages of Sindbad the gallant sailor, the adventures of Ali Baba
and the forty thieves, and many more mysterious and enchanting Arabic tales.
6. Great Indian Personalities: Learn about the lives of great Indians such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru,
Subhash Chandra Bose, Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh, Guru Nanak...and the list goes on and on.
7. Famous Indian Legends: Famous classics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as stories of
Krishna presented simply and interestingly. These stories will provide an excellent introduction to the
Indian culture.
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India
Descriptions of the Stories
Panchatantra
The Panchatantra is an inter-woven series of colorful fables,
many of which involve animals exhibiting animal stereotypes.
According to its own narrative, it illustrates, for the benefit of three
ignorant princes, the central Hindu principles of nīti. While nīti is
hard to translate, it roughly means prudent worldly conduct, or “the
wise conduct of life.”
The Panchatantra (Five Principles) is an ancient Indian interrelated collection of animal fables in verse and prose, in a frame
story format. The original Sanskrit work, which some scholars
believe was composed in the third century BCE, is attributed to
Vishnu Sharma. It is “certainly the most frequently translated
literary product of India,” and these stories are among the most
widely known in the world.
Apart from a short introduction — in which the author, Vishnu
Sarma, is introduced as narrating the rest of the work to the princes
— it consists of five parts. Each part contains a main story, called
the frame story, which in turn contains several stories “emboxed”
in it, as one character narrates a story to another. Often these stories contain further emboxed stories.
The stories thus operate like a succession of Russian dolls, one narrative opening within another,
sometimes three or four deep. Besides the stories, the characters also quote various epigrammatic
verses to make their point. The five books are called:
1. Mitra-bheda: The Separation of Friends (The Lion and the Bull)
2. Mitra-lābha or Mitra-samprāpti: The Gaining of Friends (The Dove, Crow, Mouse, Tortoise and
Deer)
3. K ākolūkīyam: Of Crows and Owls (War and Peace)
4. Labdhapraāśam: Loss Of Gains (The Monkey and the Crocodile)
5. Aparīkitakāraka: Ill-Considered Action / Rash deeds (The Brahman and the Mongoose)
There are recorded over two hundred different versions known to exist in more than 50 languages,
and three-fourths of these languages are extra-Indian. As early as the 11th century this work reached
Europe, and before 1600 it existed in Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, English, Old Slavonic,
Czech, and perhaps other Slavonic languages. Its range has extended from Java to Iceland…In India,
it has been worked over and over again, expanded, abstracted, turned into verse, retold in prose,
translated into medieval and modern vernaculars, and retranslated into Sanskrit. And most of the stories
contained in it have “gone down” into the folklore of the story-loving readers, whence they reappear in
the collections of oral tales gathered by modern students of folk-stories.
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India
Jàtaka Tales
The Jātaka Tales refer to a voluminous body of literature native
to India concerning the previous births (jāti) of the Buddha. These
are the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha, in
both human and animal form. The future Buddha may appear in
them as a king, an outcast, a god, an elephant—but, in whatever
form, he exhibits some virtue that the tale thereby inculcates.
Aesop’s Fables
Aesop was a Greek storyteller born in
approximately 620 BCE. Tradition says he was born as
a slave, but developed a real talent for fables that were
used to teach truths in a simple, understandable way.
While Aesop was revered for his abilities, it is almost
certain that many of the fables attributed to him were
actually told by countless people over the ages.
The fame garnered by Aesop is such that some
scholars question whether he was a real person at
all. (Presumably, a slave in ancient Greece would
have been hard-pressed to attain the fame that Aesop
did.) Be that as it may, Aesop is referred to by ancient
luminaries such as Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch.
His fables (or those attributed to him) have been
translated around the world and are the substance of
numerous stories, poems, and children’s books.
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India
Akbar Birbal stories
Akbar Birbal stories are an integral part of rich Indian heritage.
These are the most popular stories among all age groups that
inculcate moral values and virtues. This collection of stories is based
on the relationship shared between Akbar and Birbal. Akbar was
a king who ruled the Mughal Empire between 1542 and 1605 and
Birbal was one among the learned people whom Akbar had invited
to his court. After the two met at the court they exchanged wisdom
and sentiments with each other that was later compiled to fascinating
stories that imparted a moral. Birbal was not only Emperor Akbar’s
favorite minister but also a minister dearly loved by most of the
commoners, because of his ready wit and wisdom.
Arabian Nights
Arabian Nights is a collection of West and South Asian stories
and folktales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is
often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English
language edition (1706), which rendered the title as The Arabian
Nights’ Entertainment.
The work was collected over many centuries by various authors,
translators and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia as
well as North Africa. The tales themselves trace their roots back
to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and
Mesopotamian folklore and literature. In particular, many tales were
originally folk stories from the Caliphate era, while others, especially
the frame story, are most probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian
work Hazār Afsān.
Some scholars have seen an ultimate Indian origin for the Arabian Nights. The collection makes
use of devices found in Sanskrit literature such as frame stories and animal fables. Indian folklore
is represented in the Arabian Nights by certain animal stories, which reflect influence from ancient
Sanskrit fables. The influence of the Panchatantra and Baital Pachisi is particularly notable.
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India
Learning Activities
•
Look and Listen: When watching the performance pay attention
to narration of the story, the dialog and music. How is each used
to express the story? Also notice the props, costumes, movement
and dance and how each is used to tell the stories.
•
Myths, Folktales, & Fairy Tales: Students explore the folktale and
folklore genres as well as the world of myths. They read myths and
folktales to increase knowledge of world cultures and traditions and
follow the writing process to create writing in different genres.
•
Different Strokes for Different Folktales: Young readers analyze
a variety of folktales and the elements of a story. They use writing,
sequencing activities, and creative art to identify the morals to
be learned from a "read aloud." They will compare and contrast
various stories and the parts of stories.
•
Reader's Theater—Presenting Asian Folktales: Students, working
in groups, rewrite Asian folktales as Reader's Theater scripts.
Depending on grade level, they visit websites and copy assigned
stories. Students then perform their versions for classmates.
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Asian Folktales: Students study various Asian folktales. They study examples of wealth other
than money, qualities needed by ancient leaders compared to modern leaders, competitive giving,
frugality and thriftiness as vices, and stubbornness as a weakness.
•
Act It Out—Dramatizing Stories from Asian American Cultures: Students read and perform
folktales, fairy tales and myths from different Asian American cultures. They define the terms
folktale, fairy tale, and myth, and in small groups create a short play or skit about a selected story.
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Enjoying Our Differences: Students explore the culture and contributions of the ethnic groups that
make up our nation. In this culture acceptance lesson students locate different countries in the world
and find unique facts about that country. Students use that information to create a power point,
shadow box, or poster about that country to present to the class.
•
Dalai Lama: Students explore philosophy by researching the Dalai Lama. In this Tibetan history
instructional activity, students discuss the influence of Buddhism on the Dalai Lama and the unique
view on life a Buddhist must have. Students read a Tibetan folktale and discuss their own opinions
on Buddhist lifestyles.
•
Children around the World: Students research the role of children in families in different cultures
outside the United States. They choose a part of the world they would like to research and use both
print and non-print resources. Once research is complete, students participate in a panel discussion
on children around the world.
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Discussion Questions:

How are the stories from India the same and different from stories from the U.S.?

Can the morals in these stories apply to contemporary life in the U.S.?

What are the take aways you can apply from Indian Culture?
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India
Resources
Print/Film/Video/DVD/Audio: Visit your school or local library to borrow books,
audio and videos on the stories from India. You can also order them via the
Public Library website and get notification on when they become available
for pickup.
Places to Visit: Students can visit local Indian Resturants, Indian Market/
Stores and Hindu Temple (Tour can be arranged – contact
http://cintitemple.com) to learn about culture, food, practices and lifestyle of
families in India.
Online Resources: YouTube.com has many of the cartoons or films on stories
and leaders of India. Parental or Teacher Guidance is needed.
Websites you could visit to find stories and to do research:
http://ignca.nic.in/jatak.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_of_India http://www.indianetzone.com/2/elements_drama.htm
http://www.kamat.org/picsearch.asp?search=Theater
http://panchatantra.org
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/jataka.html
http://www.indiaparenting.com/stories/
Cincinnati Arts Association Stories and Theater from India