Before the emergence of print media or structured schooling, people safeguarded their beliefs, experiences and shared memories through storytelling. Narration is one of the oldest and most powerful tools humans have. It has kept the link between the past and the present and brought people of different ages together. Stories have always been an important part of culture, whether they were told around campfires or at community meetings, or they are told today in movies and on computers. It’s not just about transferring the information from the past to now but reliving the experiences and forming a sense of belonging.
The Roots of Cultural Continuity
We can understand culture continuity as how our traditions, values and how we perceive certain events are preserved and carried forward. While of course the artefacts, the language and many more have contributed to the continuity, storytelling is more unique as it links one’s personal memory with the collective heritage. People can forget dates or facts that are historically relevant, but they remember stories and, for sure, the ones that have personal relevance to them, the ones that inspired them, moved them, and warned them. Stories can often serve as “cultural DNA.”
They encode guidance on our behaviour, our moral framework, the social expectations and group identity. Psychologists have often argued that humans are “storytelling animals,” which means narration is just merely a form of entertainment; it goes beyond that, it is a cognitive and social necessity that we NEED. Stories help one understand the social norms, help us regulate our emotions and create and make meaning out of any complex experiences that we face, both first-hand and second-hand. This evolutionary function is one of the core reasons storytelling remains a resilient cultural tool even as our societies keep on evolving.
Read More: Mastering Emotional Regulation: Techniques to Manage Stress and Improve Mental Health
Historical Roots of Storytelling in India
We can trace back India’s storytelling culture to the Vedic period, when knowledge was transferred orally. As we already know, before the advent of writing, memory and recitation formed the backbone of cultural education. The shruti (heard) and smriti (remember) traditions were the earliest and most prominent systems of storytelling, where people narrated philosophical ideas, rituals, and moral codes to their disciples. The Vedas, the Upanishads and the later epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata were not just simply literary works; they were tools that shaped our collective values and identity.
They are more than just historical writings; they serve as our history. These narratives have embedded ethics, metaphysics, and our cultural norms with stories that enable us as listeners to absorb the complex ideas through our imagination. The use of dialogues and metaphors with moral dilemmas makes these stories more understandable and easier to remember for us. This was the first education system we had in India. The Mahabharata is often known as the “world’s longest conversation,” which serves as a perfect example of how storytelling becomes a teacher. And as they are stories and not a set of rules, each listener interprets them differently; the perspective changes from person to person, and each generation extracts new wisdom. The beauty of storytelling has evolved without losing its roots.
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Storytelling can Shape Identity
You can travel kilometres of distance and find a story that shifts the myths, the names change, and the morals in it weave themselves into the local customs. That is because every corner of the country treasures its own chest of tales, among which some are yet to be discovered. Children around the country grow up with stories like-
- Birbal and Tenali Raman, whose wit challenges power
- Akbar’s court tales, blending history and humour
- The Panchatantra, where animals are wiser than humans
- Jataka stories, which carry Buddhist values in the simplest narratives
These were not just bedtime stories for them; they have formed the very subconscious of Indian childhood. These stories have taught children to emphasise, to listen and to be more human to fellow beings. The tribal stories connect you more to the environment and give you a warm hug from nature. As they are narrated by people, from their own perspective, they carry a flavour that is unique to each storyteller. This personalisation gives stories a more living quality.
Storytelling as a Performance: Where Art and Narrative Merge
Storytelling doesn’t always necessarily have to be a book read or narrated; sometimes it just needs a stage with some drumbeat and some burst of colours. Let’s think of Kathakali, where we see characters speak through painted faces and elaborate gestures. Yakshagana, which happens with its booming voices and dramatic costumes. Baul singers, who pour philosophy into their songs. Therukoothu, where transforming village streets into theatres happens. Rajasthani puppetry, where one makes wooden dolls dance life into forgotten tales.
These are not just “performances.” They are events where narrative, values and memories are shared and reenacted. It does not involve mere “watchers.” It lets those “watchers” emotionally participate and be a part of the act. Such art forms have kept the myths alive for centuries, especially in places where literacy has been low, but with no compromise to one’s imagination. They remind us how storytelling is not just about words but about experiences.
Read More: Indigenous Performance Arts in India: A Glorious Past to Colourful Future
Grandmother’s Magic, Most Endearing Storytellers
You can ask any adult you know about their childhood, and chances are they will 90% crack a smile and start talking about the stories that their grandparents narrated to them. These stories may involve more whimsical characters along with scary ghosts as well as some funnier plot twists, but more than the plot, it’s the memory that stays, the feeling of that warm bed, the monsoon shower outside, with the soothing voice guiding you to sleep.
These wholesome moments do something special that our digital screens these days are not able to: they build that emotional security and strengthen our family bond while transmitting the cultural memory in the most personal way possible. Whereas with the rapid urbanisation and digitisation, along with the busy modern life, these traditions might seem to fade. But their influence remains deep in our consciousness.
Storytelling as a Bridge Between Communities
India, being one of the most diverse countries, has stories here especially help us understand one another. For example, a Gujarati child learning more about Onam, a Maharashtrian child hearing tales about Guru Nanak, or a Punjabi child watching a Tamil folk performance, such exchange creates more empathy between us and make us realise how different we are as humans and help us understand and find beauty within these differences. Stories humanise our communities; they form bridges to connect us and discover more about our fellow humans.
The New Age of Narration
We saw how ancient India had sages and folk storytellers, but even now, as well in modern India, we have filmmakers, screenwriters, animators, and other digital creators. For decades, Bollywood has shaped our emotional vocabulary. The stories revolve around our everyday instances like family bonds, love, loss, festivals, duty and one’s identity, which are some of the concepts that are central to Indian culture. Even the simplest plot can often echo an ancient narrative pattern of good versus evil, love versus duty. Movies like Lagaan, which taught us community resilience, Tarre Zamen Par, which highlighted how empathy is needed in education, and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which showed how humanity exists beyond borders, show us how cinema mirrors cultural values while reaching millions.
Other new age sources like digital storytelling, which consists of podcasts that narrate forgotten legends, animation channels retelling folktales, and even some Instagram reels, help youths learn about history through more visually appealing edits. We can also find YouTube creators making content focused on analysing mythological folk traditions and regional tales. This digital rebirth ensures that even though lifestyles change and advance. The art of narration continues to find a way to remain within us.
References +
https://shakatribeshop.com/pages/the-power-of-storytelling-in-preserving-cultural-heritage
Chakrabarty, U. (2025). Performing the Divine’s Narratives: An Exploration of the Kathāvācaka Tradition of Storytelling. Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society, 1(aop), 1-18.
Ladzekpo, G. K., Amekor, C. K., & Davi, S. K. (2024). The Power of Storytelling and Narrative in Literature and Cultural Identity: A Review Article. British Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(1), 20-31.
Stephenson, C. Storytelling: A Vehicle for Cultural Preservation.
Fang, D. (2014). Stories Lost, Stories Known: Promoting Cultural and Historical Continuity through Storytelling.
