Golpo | Stories From Around the World

I end this season with a story that is close to me. I read this one as a young student of Literature and found it echoing through many of the things that have 'repeated' in my life! When does a task become a punishment? When does an endless loop feel overbearing? When and how do you find purpose in something that doesn't seem to end? Listen to this one... I will be back in March, until...

Here is a story that I had shortlisted many many weeks ago, but I hadn't recorded it. In ways, I am glad I waited to put this episode together. My response of the story changed after a visit to the Partition Museum earlier this week and I cannot ignore the metaphor that speaks to me. I don’t imagine you will retell Dividing the Goose in your history class, but I do hope you will read it like a...

The Peasant's Riddle is a story suggests an investment strategy that will provoke both your thoughts and emotions. At the face of it, this is a story seeped in patriarchy. It is easy to overlook it, but I chose to retell it to enable immersive conversations in the Classroom, Living Room and the Boardroom. Remember to listen to the original story so you can make out the differences. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤:...

You may have heard this one as the Talkative Tortoise or The Tortoise who Wanted to Fly. A tale so popular that Panchantra, Aesop Fables, Jataka Tales, Katha Sarit Sagar all have versions of this. A cautionary tale that warns the 'talkative' to not talk out of turn, I think we have always misunderstood this story. Listen in and let me know what do you think... ******* 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼...

This is a story about sleep. If you are listening to this at night, take a moment to listen to your body. Do you know when it needs sleep? Or have you surrendered to sleepless nights like the owl. Here is a story that will spark conversations about sleep in the classroom, living room and boardroom...because sleep is a primal need. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚...

What if you could get a route map out to wherever you want to be! That goal you have set in your life, your dream job, a promotion, better grades, that medal, award or certificate, social media growth, a sales target, or revenue…the quest for a better health, your peace of mind, happiness perhaps?  Listen to this story, it may hold the clue to "How Long Will it Take?" **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛...

This week we decided to go back to Chelm, the fictional town of fools and bring to you two stories. Are fools really fools? Or are they so wise that we don't see their wisdom...? Listen to two pretty, pithy and powerful stories that will leave you with enough to talk about. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝...

Quarrel of the Quails is the origin story behind the phrase "United we Stand, Divided we Fall", that simple phrase that we have all heard since we were young. Unity, a virtue as old as the ages, this adage has been illustrated in teaching tales and fables. They have also been retold in history, art and popular culture. Growing up as a child in India of the 1980's, this was one of my mo...

The Teapot is a fairytale with a fable-like overtones. Here is an inanimate object telling its story, personified and humanised with a distinct character and personality. The Teapot has emotions, it transforms and learns a valuable lesson through the course of the story. It is also vulnerable to sounding too didactic a story! Particularly the kinds that I am NOT very fond of. And yet, it is there...

Fables are some of the world's oldest set of stories. They stories have survived the times, been passed on orally for centuries, instructed and inspired listeners in every era. While it is easy to tell a fable and prescribe a moral, I feel its power is better utilised when it is told to invite introspection, dialogue and discovery. Listen to The Peasant and the Apple Tree in your Classroom to...

This week’s episode from Africa brings together myriad themes of #SpeakingUp #Truth #Whistleblowing #Proactiveness #ActionTakers If you want to encourage a listener to speak up, or talk, retell this story by assuring a safe space for freedom of speech and opinion. Celebrate the power of voice by sharing what happens when you speak up. Tell this story to juxtapose the need to speak up when things g...

"For want of a nail the shoe is lost, for want of a shoe the horse is lost, for want of a horse the rider is lost." You have surely heard the proverb before! Here is the story that inspired English writer and George Herbert to write it. A crisp story that will help you gently nudge conversations around procastination, be careful when retelling this story in the Classroom, Living Room or Bo...

“The Boy who wanted the Moon” is our little tribute to the scientist’s of ISRO who achieved the momentous success of Chandrayan-3. The moon has charmed humans forever, we have always tried to reach for the moon, to see what lies in the glittering and shimmering land of craters. This pourquoi tale from Africa is a living proof of that. While the world celebrated ISRO’s historical landing of Chandra...

Why Trees Stopped Moving is a fascinating folktale from Nicobar Islands that blends in ideas of forests, trees, climate change, intergenerational relationships and migration. Like always, this story resonates equally within the classroom, living room and boardroom. As a storyteller I feel deeply indebted to folklorists who have gathered these stories from authentic sources to tell them in books an...

Gopal Bhand is a legendary court jester from Bengal, India. Growing up as a child in a Bengali household the stories of Gopal Bhand filled my childhood with a lot of laughter. This one is a very popular story that may be familiar with Indian story lovers, but it may be new to listeners around the world. Here is a story that talks of measurement, science, astronomy, business and data storytelling!...

"What's the one story you remember from your childhood?" I asked a room full of IT professionals. "Emperor's New Clothes" was the story that I heard in my first corporate workshop. "Does the story speak to you today?" I asked. "More than it did in my childhood," came the reply. This was in 2014. Since then, Emperor's New Clothes has been in my story bag,...

A Story about money, negotiations, buying, selling and bargaining! Tell this at home to discuss money with your child, or take it to the math or economics classroom, or sprinkle some humour in your next sales meeting! This versatile story will make you smile. ***** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙...

Do you have the skill to turn a 'useless' thing into a valuable and useful thing with the power of storytelling? How does changing the narrative of an object change the perception of people? This week's episode takes you into this familiar and powerful use of storytelling. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢...

Rivers have a life of their own. They too have stories of their own. Listen to this snappy Russian Folktale, the story of two Russian Rivers and their dispute to which is greater? Does it matter which is the greater river, as long as they both flow into the same sea? Listen to the podcast, to see how you can integrate it into your Classroom, Living Room and Boardroom. ***** Watch stories from Gang...

The Legend of Mullah Nasruddin never fails to create magic! The stories make you laugh, make you think, and question something that you know. If told right, every story will give you something to talk about. In the previous season, we had a story, The Smell of Bread , another Nasruddin Story that opens up interesting thoughts and conversations about money and compensation. "How Far Does my Voi...

Kokras Kuni Zang is a Kashmiri Proverb that means "an adamant / stubborn person." This is one of the few proverbs that has an 'original' story attached with it. Or at least, that's how I found it and so did the writer / storyteller who wrote the book I found it in. Proverbs, idioms or Corporate Jargons are extremely popular in everyday vocabulary. By sharing a proverb, a common...

This week, we are retelling a story from Season 1 , retelling a Hindi story in English and bringing it in context of this season of the podcast. In the process of translating this story I noticed some finer nuances about the Mountain and his personality that I had overlooked earlier. Here is an example of Story Pedagogy with concepts of Geography. In the Living Room, retell this story to talk abou...

This Norwegian Folktale is entertaining wherever you choose to tell it...in the Classroom, Living Room or Boardroom. And true to every other story in this podcast, this one will trigger conversations, introspections and discussions. There is a WOLF in this one...two, in fact! And like every other story about wolves, I suspect these are NOT the bad ones. I would rather have you listen to this story...

I was listening to a podcast on the theme of Incognito when I was reminded of this story! Isn't it amazing when ONE thing reminds you of a story and then links to many concepts, themes, ideas? Here is a short, crisp Chinese wisdom tale with themes of #Perspectives #Optimism, #Pessimism, #Opportunity, #Setback and #Disguise **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝...

Papa God's Well is an Haitian Folktale that I discovered in Dr Margaret Read MacDonald's Book Earth Care I remember telling this story in a workshop with a non-profit that was working with a rural community. We were exploring stories (real and traditional) that talk about community problem solving. Right now, I am working with a multinational in India that looks at water projects as part o...