Dastan-e- Khanabadosh
Ankit Chadha gave life to “Dastane-Khanabadosh” basing himself on a wonderful interpretation of the “Dastangoi” form. Dastangoi is a word of Persian origin, and this form of storytelling has had its own Indian career since the 13th century.
The form was revived in 2005. Ankit was a young dastango, or storyteller, and has evolved contemporary stories using the dastangoi style. The storyteller, dressed in white kurta and churidar, wearing a characteristic embroidered cap, caught everyone’s attention straight away!
The auditorium was packed, and so many of those
whose story he was about to tell – the pastoralists
– jostled to get space beside him on the stage.
So we had story teller and characters of story, all
dressed in their impressive finery, in front of us!
Hartingaram ji, a Raika herder, and ..., a Bharwad herder felicitates Ankit after his spellbinding Dastangoi in IGNCA, Delhi
Ankit told the story in fluent hindustani. Urdu words and couplets with their sonorous brilliance,
took us away from the auditorium into the wide open spaces where the nomadic pastoralist
maldharis live their lives. The drama of free movement, the spirit of shared destinies, the deep
reverence for nature, and the joyful acceptance of all that life gives – these came through as Ankit
moved from point to point in his fluent and enjoyable narration.
The story itself cannot be put in other words! The life of the people -on-the-move, moving
slowly, in search, pausing to taste nature’s offerings, was contrasted to those who live in one
place, constantly striving to reach never-to-be-reached goals. The contrast between these two
modes was sharply brought out through the imaginative metaphor of the race between the
tortoise and the rabbit! Ankit laced his tale with a humour that was without a trace of bitterness,
and effortlessly showed up the relevance of the story’s moral message to contemporary life.
The story-teller’s art lies in making the story become a mirror to the listener, while never preaching or
hectoring. And Ankit did this with great charm and captivated everyone’s ears eyes and hearts – especially
that of the pastoralists who insisted on front row seats during all his performances, finding it difficult to
believe that this 28 year old talented Delhi lad could lend such an authentic voice to their inner world. As
one of them remarked, ‘He is one of our own, a sufi saint himself!’
Ankit was a renowned story teller, oral narrative
performer, researcher and writer, specialized in the
tradition of Dastangoi. Living Lightly collaborated
with Ankit to develop Khanabadosh – a dastango on
pastoralist lives, which Ankit wrote and performed.
Sadly, Ankit passed away in a tragic drowning
accident near pune on May 9, 2018.