On January 22nd 2003, the Anand Workgroup, coordinated by Luc De Leeuw, Jef Deforche and Jerry Meuris, invited some 200 sponsors, friends, and acquaintances for what promises to become the yearly Anand Fund Raising Event.

The sponsored location for the event was the Antwerp headquarters of Dexia Bank, the exquisite Osterrieth Huis. The program announced an extended reception, followed by a brief speech on the whats and what nots of the Anand and Jeevan Deep projects, to be concluded by my own abbreviated storytelling version of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana (The Glorious Deeds of Prince Ram) by the legendary author Valmiki.

At the time of the introductory words by Agnes Van Speybrouck, the room was already loaded with sponsors and guests, anxiously waiting to hear more on the history of the Jeevan Deep projects in Bihar, on the origins of the Anand Inititiative, and on the Anand Group's philosophy.

For more information on the Anand project, click one or both of these links: http://users.pandora.be/anand , http://www.flaleman.atnaharnet.com/photo2.html.

At 9 o'clock came the time for the evening's main event. While one of Jagdish Singh's Ram! Ram! bhajans sounded through the loudspeakers, one by one, the different elements of the sparsely measured theatrical objects meant to underline the sacred undertone of the epic were put into place: incense sticks, candles, the Ramayana book by Valmiki in one of its original Sanskrit editions, a pair of cushions, and of course Ram's royal slippers (which, in the story, are symbolising his kingship on the Ayodhya throne throughout his fourteen-year-long banishment in the forest).

Of course, the Valmiki story is way too long to be narrated in one single evening for a public which is largely unacquainted with the traditional elements of Indian lore.

As a storyteller, one has to make choice: at the one hand picking those elements which are believed to be essential to the general chain of events, while at the other hand narrating one or two of the hundreds of substories here and there, whenever one feels that this or that anecdote might contain a particular charm for the audience.

For these reasons, no two versions of the non-Indian storyteller's Ramayana can ever be the same - unlike what is the case in India, where the public would not hesitate to correct the storyteller whenever he forgets to recite even a single verse.

But in whichever way you hear or read the story, the Ramayana remains a fascinating narrative, portraying an epic battle between Good and Evil, as it was conducted in the nebulae of ancient India's history and lore - and even if in India the characters are not less than common household features for all Hindus, but even for the non-Hindu population, it remains a (maybe unexpected) truism that the heroes of the Ramayana have never ceased to touch the hearts of every listener, be it a he or she, young or old, Asian, American or European. 

For the storyteller however, it may not be easy to impersonate Valmiki for two consecutive hours without faultering, but the pleasure of uncovering an essential piece of the Indian mind and culture to the Western public is simply enormous!

More information about the Ramayana: http://www.valmikiramayana.net.

If you are interested in organising a storyteller event yourself, and you are looking for a speaker or a storyteller, send an e-mail to Francis Laleman: flaleman@naharnet.com.

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