Founder of the Indian Kamishibai Association and co-founder of Katha Corner, Ramya Srinidhi writes about how storytelling Boond, one of Ramendra Kumar’s most popular picture books, began with a set of 10 Kamishibai cards and went on to become a pan-India movement.
Ramya Srinidhi performing Boond at a government school
In the bustling streets of Japan back in the 1920s-1930s, a storyteller would clack two wooden sticks (Hyoshigi) together, signalling children to gather around a wooden stage mounted on a bicycle (Butai). This was Kamishibai (Paper-Play). Today, this beautiful street-storytelling format has found a new purpose in India, not just to entertain, but to share stories that could heal our planet.
Started in 2021, the Indian Kamishibai Association is a collective of storytellers who have embraced this art form to spread the joy of stories. To celebrate World Kamishibai Day (7th December), the Indian Kamishibai Association (IKA) launched the “Be a Kamishibai Champion” initiative. Our goal was to take a powerful story and share it with storytellers across the country, who in turn will reach out to a larger audience.
Ramendra Kumar with Boond Kamishibai
We chose the story “The Little Drop’s Big Adventure,” inspired by the book Boond authored by the renowned Ramendra Kumar and published by the National Book Trust (NBT). With the story’s soul provided by Ramendraji and the visuals hand-painted by the talented Shreemathi Hebbar, we created a set of 10 Kamishibai cards that were as visually stunning as they were educational.
The journey began in December at a small government school in JP Nagar, Bengaluru. Alongside storyteller Seema Karanth, I shared the story of Boond with children from grades 5 to 7. We watched as the students were mesmerized by the sliding cards, following Boond the droplet from her home in the clouds to the polluted rivers of Earth.
But it didn’t stop there. Over the last two months, this initiative became a PAN-India movement. Storytellers registered, printed their A3 cards, and took Boond to schools, hospitals, and old-age homes and many more places, reaching over 3000 people so far. From metropolitan cities to rural community spaces, the message of water conservation and the devastating effects of pollution travelled through the unique “sliding” rhythm of the Kamishibai stage.
Seema Karanth and Ramya Srinidhi during the ‘Be a Kamishibai’ initiative
STEAM in Storytelling
While Boond is a touching narrative about environmental responsibility, it is also a powerful tool for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) education.
In my sessions, the story became a gateway to discuss:
The Water Cycle: Visualizing Boond’s journey from evaporation to precipitation.
Germination: Understanding how a single “drop” brings life to a seed.
Ecology: Observing the impact of human carelessness on aquatic ecosystems.
By combining the Art of Kamishibai with the Science of the environment, we moved beyond passive listening. We invited children to become guardians of our natural resources. Several after-session activities were also given by the storytellers, which invited the audience to reflect on the story and create their own water conservation ideas.
Various storytellers across India sharing the story of Boond
Kamishibai is a communal art form. It requires the storyteller and the audience to share a physical space and a focused moment of “Kyokan” (shared feeling). Through the “Be a Kamishibai Champion” initiative, we have seen storytellers, spread love, peace, and harmony.
As Grandpa Megh (the cloud) teaches humanity in the story, nature is a gift that requires our care. Through these wooden stages and hand-painted cards, we are making sure that the next generation doesn’t just hear the story of water, they feel its heartbeat.
Post-session drawing activity and students interacting with the author over the phone
Boondis one of Ramendra Kumar’s most popular picture books, having notched up sales of more than 3.8 lakh copies in just the last five years. It has been translated into several languages including ‘Parhaiya’ which is a vulnerable and lesser-known Indo-Aryan tribal language of Jharkhand, spoken by a relatively small and socially marginalised community. It has been printed many times and selected for Government of India’s Samagra Shiksha programme.
Ramya Srinidhi is an acclaimed performance storyteller, actor and educator. Known for her panache of animated and theatrical storytelling style. She has been trained in the ancient art of Japanese Street storytelling - Kamishibai and now coaches fellow artists. A gifted voice-over artist, puppeteer, and painter. She wrapped up her 15 years HR corporate career to dedicate herself to the art of storytelling. She is the Founder of the Indian Kamsihibai Association and Co-founder of Katha Corner. She has recently performed at the Kamishibai Conference in Osaka, Japan.
All Posts of Ramya Srinidhi
Hope you enjoyed reading...
... we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading and supporting our creative, informative and analytical posts than ever before. And yes, we are firmly set on the path we chose when we started... our twin magazines Learning and Creativity and Silhouette Magazine (LnC-Silhouette) will be accessible to all, across the world.
We are editorially independent, not funded, supported or influenced by investors or agencies. We try to keep our content easily readable in an undisturbed interface, not swamped by advertisements and pop-ups. Our mission is to provide a platform you can call your own creative outlet and everyone from renowned authors and critics to budding bloggers, artists, teen writers and kids love to build their own space here and share with the world.
