DAY 1 Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Law and Justice Inaugurates Kathakar 2022, Storytellers Mesmerize Audiences

New Delhi: Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law and Justice inaugurated Kathakar 2022, the sole celebration of India's rich oral storytelling tradition, today on 25 November, 2022, being held at Sunder Nursery, a heritage park in Delhi and at Central Vista, India Gate. This year Kathakar is partnering with Ministry of Culture under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and G20.Actor and Powerhouse performer, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, noted music composer and singer Mohit Chauhan were also the part of the sessions and joined the lamp-lighting ceremony to inaugurate the event. Also present at the inauguration were dignitaries such as President ICCR, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and other storytellers from India and abroad.

Kathakar was started under the umbrella of Ghummakkad Narain Travelling Literature Festival in 2010 with an intent to revive the age-old tradition of oral storytelling in India. The National Capital has been a witness to a warm welcome of Storytellers from all across the globe over the years by audience of all ages.

Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law and Justice, during his address at the inauguration said, “I applaud the organisers of the Kathakar for providing a platform to storytellers from around the world. Our society has forgotten the importance of our storytelling tradition, so we need to encourage platforms like these. Our government will further contribute to Kathakar in the future”.

The four-day marquee which started today and will conclude on November 28, 2022. The festival will showcase in its pristine physical form, amazing stories and music by Indian and International storytellers from seven countries: United Kingdom; Australia; Mongolia; Israel; Sierra Leonne; Korea; and India.

• Day two of the event, Nov. 26 will feature Kissey, Kahani aur Cinema with Prarthana Gahilote in conversation with Sanjay Mishra at Central Vista, India Gate, Delhi followed by Sufi musical night by Satpal Wadali at Sunder Nursery, Nizamuddin, Delhi

• Day three of the event, Nov. 27, is going to host feature Kissey, Kahani aur Mausiki with Prarthana Gahilote in conversation with Imtiaz Ali and Mohit Chauhan, and Kabir Vani by Prahlad Singh Tipanniya.

Among International artists this year, Kathakar is hosting Niall Moorjani (United Kingdom), Lilian Rodrigues Pang (Australia), Baatarjav Erdenetsogt (Mongolia), Alim Kamara (Sierra Leonne), Sarah Rundle (United Kingdom), Seung Ah Kim (South Korea) and Yossi Alfi (Israel).

Kathakar 2022—a marquee event to revive the traditional style of storytelling in a world dominated by hi-tech gizmos and gadgets—will thus feature professional and passionate storytellers from the country and abroad who will showcase their mesmerising craft to underscore the fact that storytelling transcends all boundaries of language and culture.