छान छान गोष्टी

Like all kids I enjoyed listening to the stories in my childhood. Grandfather being a great story teller, the joy was multiplied. He used to read a lot of books, just as he does still, so that his pesky grandson's unquenchable thirst for stories is gratified. Many times, he used to tell same stories over and again. At times, when I spotted the slack, I used to tell him with a wondrous face about already knowing the end. He used to grin sheepishly, pointing at his silver hair, blaming them for the amiss. We used to giggle and then proceed with a fresh tale.

As father got transferred, the routine broke. Mother discovered a fix. She bought a Marathi tell-a-story cassette. I was rather skeptical about the stories and the artists, for grandfather was the best story teller I had ever met! Luckily, the cassette came up to the expectations. Finding me happy, mother was encouraged to buy sequels of the cassettes. With time, as studies mandated to remain up in the night, while others snored, the younger kins took them over.

Occasionally, when I listen them now, alongside the new generation, I realise why I liked them. The stories were nice and the artists had delivered them well considering the prospect audience. Most of the stories were on the पंचतंत्र pattern, i.e., personification of the wild and summing up with a moral.

It may sound naive, but those stories did have a perceptible effect. The age, early teens, has a remarkable virtue of soaking up whatever is presented to the mind. As they say, one must always learn the good and befriend the good, so that the good prevails and one becomes a better individual, these stories, did their bit in imbibing good habits in the young audience. Apart from the story, the artists did play an quintessential role. A story read as a new item is hardly exciting. The cassette marketing company had diligently chosen renowned theatre icons. They all had a great command over the voice. Using gruff baritones for the negative characters, high pitched for the young, giving an impression of crying by exaggerated last syllables, et al. The complementary background music made the rest of the ambience. The sound of the sword taken out of the sheath, the swagger of horse, the beating of trumpet at victory and ilk. For the little child, it was wholesome entertainment.

Even after a hiatus of almost a decade those insignificant yet memorable moments can be rejoiced, for they offered pure entertainment in the return of smiling face. The cassettes certainly did justice to their names, the छान छान गोष्टी.