A STORY OF THE STORY

“I will eat only if you tell me a story”, I would say when I was a little kid. And my mother would tell me a story while feeding me. It could be any story. Of Kings and Queens, of animals and forests, of heroes and villains. I needed a story at lunch time, dinner time, bed time, even bathing time. Now I am older but I still need a story. But now I read what I want, whenever I want. Especially at night I can’t sleep without reading, even if I have already read it. People like to carry photos, cards when they move locations. I like to carry my favorite books.

A story as defined in oxford dictionary is a noun with meanings ranging from;

An account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment.
An account of past events, experiences, etc.
An item of news.
Informally a lie.

So in effect we all tell stories sometime or other.

No one will ever be able to tell you when story telling started or where the first stories were told. If anyone claims to be sure then they will be telling a ‘story’. Story telling can be traced back even to cave man where they could have told their young ones stories of what happened to them when they went to hunt. Even the most ancient caves and results of excavations tell stories of stories being told. The drawings on cave walls, the sculptures, the buried cities, even natural disasters like volcanoes, floods and earthquakes tell stories of civilization, or stories of the individuals of the yore. And that ladies and gentlemen is His-Story.
There are various types of fictional stories we can come across. Some like short stories. Others like stories which drag on and on. Some like thrillers and some like romantic. Fiction and factual, Horror and subtle, and the most famous being fairy tales. One of the stories I remember is a story which never ended. The King of a country was very fond of stories but always complained of the stories ending too soon. He proclaimed that whoever tells him a story that never ends will be awarded. But even the best story tellers couldn’t fulfill his wish. Finally a woodcutter comes and starts his story, “Far away in a land there was a farmer who had a big paddy field. He harvested his farm and stored the grains in a huge storehouse. But in one of the wall there was a small hole. One day a bird comes in the hole and takes a grain in his beak and flies away. Then another one comes and flies away. Then yet another, and another.” The story teller continued with birds coming in and picking a grain and flying off. Over a period of time the king got frustrated and asked him what happens next. The clever woodcutter say’s: “another bird flies in and picks a grain and goes”. Finally the king realizing his folly awards the woodcutter.
So that is a never ending story for you.

Very few stories have sad endings, but most end well. Stories being mostly fiction and usually for entertainment are always made so that the listener is satisfied at the end. A good story teller is one who tells stories in a way that the listener craves for more. Bestsellers are usually page turners.
Story telling is an art. Just like a painter or a composer get inspiration from nowhere and the colors or tones flow in their thoughts, similarly a story teller gets a character from nowhere. J.K. Rowling, author of famous Harry Potter series when asked how she thought of the story, replied that the idea was conceived whilst a train trip from Manchester to London. Sometimes a story teller might base his story on real life person who influences with a particular trait of his. Like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was influenced by his one time boss Dr. Joseph Bell for creating non other than Sherlock Holmes. Most story tellers create story in a way which interests them. J.K. Rowling is quoted saying that she wrote Harry Potter for herself and her daughter. Sidney Sheldon often said: “when you write you are on your own”.
There was one time when few could read. In fact education was considered to be only for the very lowly and therefore the kings and rulers did not interest themselves in this ‘vice’. But then who can stay away from a good story. So they had royal readers or even story tellers who could read them stories written on self created. We have examples of from the BC’s like Aesop who was a story teller to the ancient Greece. Two of the most favorites are "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "The Tortoise and the Hare". Remember them?
Closer home we have stories of Vikram and Betal where the story teller was nothing other than a ghost.
According to legend, a woman named Scheherazade told stories to Sultan Schahriah to save her life. Each night she told him tales, stopping at the most exciting part so that he would have to wait until the next night to learn what happened. After 1,001 nights, the sultan granted Scheherazade her life. She became his wife, and her stories were recorded for the entire world to read. They include “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” “Sindbad the Sailor,” and “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.” Sound familiar???
The best story tellers are our own grandparents. Who doesn’t like to rest on the lap of his/her grandmother and listen to the same stories over and over again? Whenever we used to go to our native place we all gather around our grandmother and ask for a story. More often than not it used to be one told before. These days we urge our uncle to tell. He is a wonderful story teller and tells punch lines with the right effect. Usually we like ghost stories at night sitting outside in the verandah and with trees and creatures of the night provide a natural backdrop and background noises.
But stories are not meant only for kids. Its one entertainment which has only improved with time. Every generation has their own series and favorite stories. Earlier they were passed as word of mouth. When the art of writing was invented you can be sure that stories were first to be put in black and white. Remember the legendary story of lord Ganesh writing the story of Mahabharata as recited by the great sage Vyasa? And that story was recited to the world as a song.
Stories were told over all media. The serials which we all watch glued to the idiot box are nothing but stories. And with the satellite television there is a wider range of them. The computer games which we all play are stories in themselves. Movies, cartoons, forwards, news columns, one liners, punch lines; etc, etc… we can find stories everywhere.
With the on coming of other forms and the rediscovering of reading we have a great future for stories.
After all strange as it may seem everyone’s life is based on a true story…
Wouldn’t you say…?
And now that you have read till here… reflect for a sec… haven’t you finally read the story of the story???