Old Deccan Tales

A storytelling performance by Gauri Raje

India in the 18th century is a British colony described as ‘the jewel in the crown of Britain’. A young English girl lives in the Deccan region of middle India with her father, who is an officer in the British army. Every summer, they travel in a caravan to the mountains to escape the heat of the plains. It is a long journey, made by horse and palanquin and too long for the young 11 year old. She has her ayah - her nanny who has wet-nursed her and brought her up since her mother has returned to England. The nanny is a ‘native’. She is ‘dakhani’ - from the Deccan region. She tells stories to the young English girl to keep her occupied on the long march. The girl never forgets them. A storytelling piece that is a journey across the world of the coloniser and the colonised to find intimacy, wonder and reckonings.

The stories are told in English, Gujarati, Urdu and Marathi - the languages of the Deccan region. The stories are told with an appliqué backdrop created by the rural women in India, my musical instruments & some mystery items related to the story for the audience to peruse. The storytelling is open to children & adults.

Free event, drop in

More info here