Usha Venkatraman

Usha Venkatraman is a Mumbai-based award-winning storyteller, author, classical vocalist, puppeteer and radio show host, who believes in the power of stories and keeps the ancient art of oral tradition alive with stories that transform and inspire. Usha is the founder of Mumbai Storytellers Society, an initiative born out of her zeal to keep the oral tradition alive in India. 

She curated the first international storytelling festival in India and is the creative director of Mumbai International Storytelling Festival – MIST 2020 and Festival Director of Gaatha Mumbai International Storytelling Festival 2023

A versatile teller with a wide repertoire of folk, traditional, literary and beguiling mythical tales, Usha adapts her craft to suit young and older audiences, sometimes using other arts, like puppetry, dance and music.

Usha continues to be fascinated by the world of stories – ancient lore, legends both written and told. She loves to bring different voices together, weaving threads of untold stories of women heroes stitching together forgotten folklore, fragments of myth, songs and music.

Usha has directed and performed in storytelling ensemble shows for the past several years and during the past two years took her shows virtually to San Francisco, Bangkok, Malaysia, Florida and Purdue, Indiana.

Usha has been storytelling at national and international festivals, events and conferences in India, Singapore, Thailand, Sydney, Malaysia, Iran and the United States.

Visit Website: https://ushavenkatraman.com/