On Sunday, October 13, the Ann Arbor District Library will host the Varta Storytelling Festival, an all-day cultural and literary festival for students and families. 

“Varta comes from Vartalaap, which means conversation,” says President and CEO of Peerbagh Upsana Kakroo. 

“The festival seeks to create spaces where families can immerse themselves in South-Asia-inspired storytelling traditions. Storytelling serves as a living archive of a culture’s richness. Stories celebrate a community’s values, history, and identity.  We aim to build creative confidence in children, so they can feel that their stories matter and to explore finding a balance between preserving cultural authenticity and adapting narratives for the modern world.” 

Peerbagh’s mission is to improve teacher, librarian, and parent skills and bring the lost art of storytelling into the classroom or teaching environment through art, creative writing, theater, cultural curiosity, and oral storytelling. They conduct these South-Asia-inspired storytelling workshops, publish children’s books, story capsules (audio and video) and create toolkits for educators and families. 

The Varta Storytelling Festival has proven very successful in other parts of the world, including its inaugural event in India and earlier this year in Austin, Texas. 

“In its inaugural year, Varta engaged 3,000 residents, 100 plus artists, and over 2,000 students from Uttarakhand and other parts of Northern India sharing folk, literature, and art,” adds Kakroo. “In Austin, 120 plus community members attended the event, while 20,000 engaged with the online components of the event.” 

“South Asia has some of the most vibrant storytelling traditions in the world, and we are delighted to cosponsor an event that will share these traditions with folks of all ages,” says Madhumita Lahiri, interim director at CSAS. “CSAS continues to span the range of programming, from formal academic lectures to popular film screenings, and we're thrilled to have a South-Asia focused event for kids and families, too.”

The full agenda for Ann Arbor’s Varta Storytelling Festival, information about the various activities and speakers, and the ability to RSVP for the event can be found on their website. In addition, if you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out a form here or email namaste@peerbagh.com.