The goals are to build a neighbourhood library in the country. The goal is to build 1000 libraries in neighbourhoods across the country. Töölö started in Bangalore. The focus is on tier 2 and tier 3 cities. In tier 3 cities the acceptance of children in reading is faster and better. We have currently 50 libraries across the country. In the next few years, we hope to reach the 100 number much faster than we have been growing in the past 5 years.
Could you talk about the storytelling events organised by Töölö? How did you create the unique Toolo brand imprint?
Storytelling is an important aspect of the exposure to books, to make children love reading. Storytelling is a form of education for children. We have partnered with Kathalaya for many many storytellers. Storytelling for us, is where the brand is. We created the brand right at the very beginning and stuck to it. We created the brand platform by templating everything. The templates are replicated everywhere, creating consistency. We operate in a template model. That has been our modus operandi in many ways for branding.
Could you talk about your favourite Töölö storytelling?
All storytelling is special for me. Everytime with every storytelling, children’s eyes go wide, wider and widest. All storytellers are special – all of them.
Could you talk about your work in Preschools?
Along with the neighbourhood model, preschools is another focus area. We have noticed from the libraries that we are not able to convert non readers into readers. That is where the preschools come in. To create readers we have to start in preschools. In our work with preschoolers – we have a reader setting up the central library and also putting together the reading program. It makes a difference when you read to children regularly every day. Through reading and storytelling we started a program to help parents nurture readers at home. We also train teachers with helping children become readers in schools. Reading is a long and secluded journey. We built a rewards and recognition system. This is a three legged program we take to preschools
Library – Setting up the library
Programs for a. Children b. Parents c. Teachers
Rewards and recognition program
Could you talk about your own journey while building Töölö?
It has been an exciting journey for me. It has been exciting to be part of this space. There has been a lot of learning for me. It is a supportive space.
On a personal note – I had been reading to my son since the very beginning, but for my daughter who was the second child I started reading late after 2 years. With regular reading, she started using long words and started by herself reading words from T-Shirts. She was featured in video using really complex words.
Sometime back, I had not been well and a friend came from Jaipur and started reading to me. I still hold on to special memories where we read aloud.
I used to read a lot – Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl etc. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl taught me about the adventure and fun that existed in reading. With the authors that are there for children today, there are new worlds for children to explore. I love picture books, which are profound and relevant for adults.
Could you talk about your favourite picture book?
Gruffalo is my favourite. It is a popular book. Most people know about this book. Why I like the book is that it is a profound standpoint on how our fears are. We see little bits of the bigger picture. It is about turning our fears around. I think the storytelling in the book is interesting. The mouse is fed with looking at fears in the beginning. The more it decides to overcome the fear, that is what happens. The book teaches about how you can face fear head on. To realise that ‘I was scared at nothing’ keeps coming back to my own life. Gruffalo is an adventure story of profound meaning.
Could you talk about your journey in Storytelling and as the Founder of Töölö?
My career in Töölö started 5 years ago. I was a voracious reader myself. When I had my first child I wanted him to help him become a reader. Books were encouraged at home and my son became a reader. When we moved to the United States my son was 7 years old and my daughter was three years old, they were both readers and liked being read to. We got exposure to public libraries in the United States. These public libraries made access to books super convenient and easy. My children were getting more motivation to read. When we moved back to India, this exposure to US libraries gave me the inspiration to build Töölö library. I wanted to give India a similar experience. I began Töölö Library by starting in my own apartment. It soon became a full-fledged revenue model.
Could you talk about the 2 Readalouds of children‘s picture books done by you in the Töölö Youtube Channel?
I do like to do readalouds myself. Have done readalouds for my own children. This is something I enjoy doing. Have been telling stories in schools for the marginalised. I love reading and do this a lot in Töölö and Töölö Library.
Could you talk about building India’s no. 1 cloud library?
There are a lot of libraries in India. After studying the library market in India, I do know that libraries spring up very quickly and they also disappear very quickly. I needed to build a model that will be scalable – to be able to build a library with what is available. The whole idea here is to use the capacity of books we have in our houses, to use our spaces in the house, the time of women who have the time but can’t be on a job etc. Could turn it into a model – to such capacity for our children who will be able to access and use it. It is a model for work from home where you can use the entire space in the home store the books and build a living.
Could you talk about your building a model to enable women to be entrepreneurs?
My own journey is that I took a break from the work force for my own children. Building such an entrepreneurial model for women was very close to my own heart. The goal is to help women build libraries and help them scale up sooner than later.
Asian and Dharmic Philosophies ultimately teach that the greatest goal of man is in renunciating the material comforts and following the path of nonviolence and self dharma to attain the goals of existence.
I started as an MBA aspirant and did an MBA with Marketing as the main subject and Finance as the minor subject. I was in the banking sector. I was doing well. However, it was not what I wanted to do. Banking was not filling my cup. We shifted from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. I was not travelling so much with the kid. I started Thinking Hearts. We would not contract with anyone. Ours is a nomadic brand. We would take our bag of stories with us and share the stories, one story at a time. I have seen the magic unfolded at that time. Someone in the audience is seeing opportunities and possibilities through the story. The audience can explore the world through stories – Korea, Japan etc,. If there is a white tiger in the story, they try to understand the white tiger. They try to see the real story. What is the real story in “Three for free” a Taiwanese tale about how a mountain was eaten. The story is about how the top half of the mountain was eaten by a group of greedy villagers when the mountain was offered as food by the Mountain deity. Such stories have different meaning for different people. The basic theme in this story is that there is nothing free in this world.
Could you talk about your organisation Thinking Hearts?
Thinking Hearts is inspired by my child’s uninhibited ability to express and identify what he would in the world. Recently I attended a theatre workshop by Micheal Chekov. During this workshop he talks about a quote, “Artists think with their hearts and feel with their minds.” From around the 1935 to 1945 a practitioner thought of the Thinking Hearts Philosophy. I had joined this workshop for learning movement, expressions etc, and found out about this older philosophy also called Thinking Hearts.
I just gave Thinking Hearts all I have. We don’t sign any contracts. We have done free workshops in Ahmedabad – NGO schools and kids events.
When I do a storytelling session the kid’s eyes just light up. They are following you like a CCTV camera. They just feel and take it all in. The moment that is most important, the aha moment – i do my best for that.
Could you talk about your storytelling mentors?
My mentors have been Geeta Ramanujam, Roger, Shiela Wee, Kiran Shah and Jeeva Raghunath.
I met Geeta Ramanujam two years in the Himalayas where she was doing a Storytelling Certification Course. I had heard a lot about her. In the first class she made a deep impression. She would mould herself to do something transformational. She has become an expert at this.
I met Roger when he visited Ahmedabad for 5 days – sharing stories and sharing how to deliver the stories to adults. It was a lot of soul food. I learnt how to connect with audiences.
Geeta Maam taught about different types of listening. She taught us about how audiences feel when they listen to a story. The heart becomes a part of the core.
I met Shiela Wee and Kiran Shah as a part of FEAST. They spoke about how to capture your story, expressions while telling a story, how you the storyteller can feel what the audience feels when they feel a story.
I am doing a mentorship with Jeeva Raghunath maam on storytelling for adults.
Could you talk about you being a mentor to your storytelling audience?
Every child comes from a different ecosystem. They all embrace different value systems, different ways of thinking. I can’t judge, I can’t mould. It is my duty to listen well. I listen to how their voice and language is changing after the story. The children do creative journalling. They do work around the story – Where the story came from? What book the story was originally from? If they can make a puppet or some prop with which they can share the story when they get home. How they see the story differently? We work together on story structure modules.
A child who has been silent through 8 sessions speaks up in the 9th session. The story in hand is of a mermaid being captured by a boat. So, the child speaks up and says put a tracking device on the mermaid. He was 5 years old and was not even able to say the words clearly. I asked him several times. Then we sat with him for three sessions to understand his perspectives on the stories and he had some much to share. My work is done.
Could you talk about your storytelling style?
My style is more participative. That’s why I attend theatre workshops too. I have learnt that even a little gesture matters. I usually end the sessions with hands on activities. In the story of the three dolls, I teach children about friendship. The Prince doesn’t know how to choose his friends. All children ask – Is she my friend? Is he my friend? Sometimes children feel left out in a group. The question was how to present such a story in front of children, I made mud dolls with the Kumhar, potter. I sat with him and made three distinct dolls with straw placed in the ear and the other end in a different location for each of the three dolls. The child can visualize which type of friend she or he wants –
One who hides all secrets
Or One who does not share knowledge with you
Or One who hears gossip about you and tells you instead of participating in this gossip
Where the straw is placed on the dolls helps the child visualize these scenarios. The question that is asked of the audience is – which doll do you want to be?
There is this story of a single grain of rice. A girl wins a bet with a Raja for getting a single grain of rice in front of five of the villagers. It is interesting how the story unfurls. The Raja agrees to double the rice, everyday for the next 30 days. On the 30th day, 56 elephants carry the rice into 4 storerooms. I had made 56 cut outs of elephants for this. By doubling the quantity of rice Brahma Bulls etc, are needed to carry the sacks of rice.
So the story goes –
32 Brahma Bulls carrying the rice.
56 elephants carrying the rice
Even a little child has some takeaway.
Could you talk about the distinguishing features of Indian stories, as compared to world folktales?
In Indian stories you find everyday life blending with the divine. There is a lot of complexity in Indian stories, moral complexity – ‘what is the truth?’ There is a lot of diversity – stories from Gujrat, Nagaland, Kerela – with different languages, different values. Food stories, different types of stories. There are a lot of sources for stories the Panchatantra, the Katha Sarit Sagara.
Could you talk about your personal favourite story?
I like the trickster spider tales – the Anasi stories. My personal favourite story is a Bantu story, “The story of the tree.” In this story, the animals get together when there is a famine and the winner is the underdog. The story speaks in 100 voices. There is wisdom and wonder.
Kundalini as an idea is that there is a serpent power residing in all humans and this when awakened and risen to the brain or sahasrar is known as Sri Vidya of India.
Kundalini or snake power practices of India are known as the basis of all forms of yoga. The dragon snake first hated in the Vedas as Vrittra goes on to be revered as the Goddess Kundalini in the Lalitha Sahasranamam.
Fishes are a way of understanding the human quest for water based lifeforce. This can be understood as in the act of swimming and in the culture of water sports. Humans wanted the immortality of water.
Story Practices 