Kathakala, a 24-hour online storytelling marathon to mark World Storytelling Day

Join Kathakala for a 24-hour storytelling marathon on World Storytelling Day, featuring tales from around the world.

Kathakala, a Telugu storytelling group, will be organising a 24-hour storytelling marathon to mark World Storytelling Day. The marathon will see the participation of more than 100 storytellers, writers and hosts from India, USA, Canada, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, UK, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Botswana, and Ireland and will be presented in the YouTube channel BplusWithBhaskar. The 24-hour festival will feature narratives, mythological epics, modern tales, and personal journeys reflecting the 2025 World Storytelling Day theme of Deep Water – Anantha JalaNidhi.

“This year’s theme explores the depth of human experience, wisdom and imagination. There will be stories of survival, resilience, and overcoming struggles; tales of renewal, wisdom, and transformation and legends, folklore, and the hidden wonders of the deep,” says Bhaskar V Rayavaram, who will be showcasing the storytelling marathon in his YouTube channel.

The festival will begin with inaugural speeches by storytellers Addanki Srinivas, Tanikella Bharani, Satyam Mandapati, Vanguri Chittemraju, Voleti Parvateesam and Vasantha Lakshmi Ayyagari. Additionally, exclusive 12 two-hour storytelling sessions will be held in honour of legendary literary figures.

The event will also see participation from storytellers Narayana Swamy Sankagiri, Manonmani Srinivas, Lakshmi Rayavarapu, Lavanya Balantrapu, Vijay Jeedigunta, Prasad Josyula, Sree Karuna Gadiraju and Lalitha Sastry, among others.

Visakhapatnam-based storyteller Sree Karuna will be presenting the Telugu story Munigipotunnappudu Gaddi Paraka. “This is a self-written story about a woman who is trying to find a career after the birth of her two children. In the process, she feels as though she is in deep water, drowning every day in the umpteen fronts she has to battle with being there for everybody. Most women can identify with such situations where the men don’t share many household responsibilities,” she says.

The storytelling marathon will be presented at the YouTube channel BPlusWithBhaskar on March 22 from 5.30pm to March 23 5.30am and March 23 9am to March 23 9pm.