The Forgotten Folklore Project
Addressing: 'Non-existent ecosystem to support entrepreneurs at the last mile across themes like access to capital, mentoring, branding, market linkage, etc.'
States
44
Villages/ Communities visited
45
Storybooks
to be created
60
Anganwadis
to be reached
About
Early childhood education focuses on children from birth to age 8, as it is a critical time for learning and development that can have a lasting impact. High-quality early education has been linked to greater success in school and life. The goals of early childhood education are to promote physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development through engaging activities such as play, art, music, and storytelling. The Forgotten Folklore project aims to bring 45 indigenous stories from the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo regions to life for Anganwadi and Primary school children in Meghalaya, contributing to early childhood education.
The storybooks developed as part of the project will essentially go back to the children from these same communities, thereby contributing to the objective of developing contextual stories for children. During the development of the stories, local artists, content creators, institutions, and resource persons will provide perspectives and local context. It aims to visit communities where these stories are rooted, authenticate them, and document more voices from these communities with the help of the local team members.
Project Partners
Approach
The team selects a subject or community of interest and conducts preliminary investigations before scheduling a site visit. Next, the team will initiate contact with members of the community to establish a sense of trust and establish a rapport.
The team transcribes and condenses the gathered information while preserving the authenticity and essential elements of the stories.
Launch the 45 curated books through Anganwadi centres and initiate activities relevant to the content of each book.
The team interviews the selected experts from the communities to collect cultural narratives and ensure that they precisely capture the essence of the community's traditions, customs, ceremonies, and lifestyle.
Authors and illustrators use condensed information and footage to create culturally accurate stories for children in the community.
Gather feedback from Anganwadi workers to monitor book impact on children's learning and enhance effectiveness.
The Meghalayan Folktale Competition
A folktale competition titled ‘The Meghalayan Folktale Competition’ was launched with the intent to collect stories from the remotest communities, about their culture & traditions, language, location and way of living. People across Meghalaya, of different age groups, submitted their stories in written and audio-visual formats, in English and local languages. The competition had prize money totalling up to Rs 40,000/-across different categories, with special prizes for children and senior citizens.
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