As the DI Classic Car Show came to an end, the excitement of the weekend wasn't over yet, especially not for the DI children. The Story-telling session by Kavita Gupta, at 4 pm on Sunday, 20 January was what children between the ages of 5 to 10 were looking forward to.  Children were excited about the session planned and all came on time.

With the large number of children participating, the venue shifted from the much loved DI library to the badminton court.

Armed with their stationery and art paper, children were made to sit in a large circle. Shoes were taken off and lined neatly as the children settled in. Kavita introduced herself and got to know a little about the children. Enthused children shared their dreams about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Devaansh wants to be an author when he grows up. From cardiologist, builder, author, the inspiring aspiration list was long.  Ishana got up and recited a poem written by her on the pitter patter of rain. Loud applause followed. Kavita, decided to start on that note and made the children use their hands to make the sound of rain, thus sharing how sounds add to a story telling experience.

The Lions Feast by Lavanya Karthik.
Hand puppets were characters in the first story about Muthu Mama played by Shaurya and Muthu Mami, played by Mishal. Little Sierra, was the littlest and strongest lion, looking cute in black and white polka dots.  Children were happy to come up and roared like lions enjoying the sound of their voices on the microphone. The children giggled and wriggled as they enjoyed the story with all its exciting twists and turns. The best part was that they could choose the ending, deciding which ending they liked the best. A DI cat walked in, also eager to hear about a much larger member of the cat family, it seemed.

The Enemy Pie by Derek Munson.
Now the children had to list the names of people they considered enemies. Kavita started the story about enemies and taught them how there are no enemies as even enemies can become friends. The Enemy Pie was a big big hit as every child drew their enemy pie. Imaginations rolled as we had pies with worms, spiders, creepy crawlies, pins, dog hair, etc.  The children were certainly very imaginative with the pies  they drew. Children could be seen lying down as they intently drew their pies, which consisted of the worst ingredients possible.

What is to be - a tale from Panchatantra.
Kavita had many volunteers for the various characters of the story, where they were wind, sun, mountain, mouse, clouds etc. The children enjoyed acting in the story as much as they appreciated the moral of the story. It was admirable the way Kavita directed the children, giving them autonomy to choose but ensuring that the children understood and performed as the story required them to. The DI children superbly rose to the challenge and performed brilliantly, considering that there had been no rehearsal.

What the ladybird heard - by Julia Donaldson. 
This story was set in a farm. A bag full of puppets were quickly picked up by the children eager to participate. Devaansh and Nitya, as Mr You and Ms Me plotted to steal a cow from the farm. A little ladybird overheard their evil plan and shared it with the rest of the farm animals who cleverly hatched a plan to save their bovine friend. 
Children were asked to draw their favourite animals. All too soon it was time to end. Chips and juice disappeared as the now hungry children lined up for their share.

The Story-telling telling session was so interactive, that every child became a part of the stories that were so beautifully shared. The eclectic stories came alive with Kavita's brilliant story telling and our DI children's eager participation. Children munched on chips as they headed towards the kids zone to run and play, as the weekend came to an end.