Kaahaani Ghar: Expanding India's Fabric through Folklore
Introducing Kaahaani Ghar, a space preserving and nurturing India's rich oral traditions of storytelling
Dear Reader,
As you will agree, despite the dizzying pace of modernization India has seen in the last few decades, at its heart it continues to remain that land where all traditions, customs and grandeurs begin with a story. A story that is always deep-rooted. And thus, Kaahaani Ghar is that Khazaana (treasure) where we collect all those beautiful tales that mirror the culture and values of this land. We cover not merely folktales but all forms of oral traditions – proverbs, aphorisms, anecdotes, rumours, songs, impromptu folk street plays, and more.
Edward Sapir, the prolific linguist and anthropologist (1884–1939), acknowledges language as a valuable guide to the scientific study of a particular culture, because ‘the network of cultural patterns of a civilization is indexed in the language which expresses that civilization’. It is therefore obvious that the speech of a particular community embodies and transmits its folklore, and folklore is naturally an authentic manifestation of the speech.
Kaahaani Ghar wants to grow into a bag full of Indian magic stored in the form of folklore, curated from the corners of the country, not just traversing various cultures, linguistic groups, casteist groups, religious groups, ethnic groups, tribal groups, but the whole – the whole beautiful India – because that is how we see it. We strongly believe in the power of linguistics and how it holds everything together. We want to make folklore accessible to all, especially the young generation so that it can be carried to the next and so on. Though digital is the new face of the world, folklore is barely present on digital platforms, and even if it is, accessibility and democratization are vague. Kaahaani Ghar wants to change that. Together with you.
Currently, Kaahaani Ghar is a 1200+ community (notable artists, cinematographers, IAS officers, doctors, musicians, parents, grandparents, and students from various countries like India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the US, and the UK) with 40+ subscribers to its blog posts. We curate and pick folktales every weekend for you to enjoy and take you down a nostalgic memory lane. To date, we have covered folktales from states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, Goa, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andaman, Punjab, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura, and more. We have also covered Urdu, Parsi, and tales from various tribal and marginal communities. To read these beautiful folktales, visit our website, Kaahaanighar.com and follow us on Instagram.
If you would like to share folktales from your state, region, or community, we are more than happy to feature them. We also look forward to collaborating with illustrators, animators, and folklore enthusiasts. For any query, feel free to email us at kaahaanighar@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Deepshikha Maity
Founder