Watch a tweaked Hinglish version of The Blue Umbrella this weekend

Binya ki Chatri will end in an interactive session with kids

In the Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes, when the fox can't reach the grapes, it calls the fruit sour and walks away. The storytellers of Secret Passages, however, aren't convinced with this ending. "The story can't be left at the problem stage, where the mind knows that the grapes are sweet but the heart falls back on a false consolation," says founder Geetanjali Shetty-Kaul. "In our iteration of the fable, the fox can't sleep the whole night until it figures out a way to reach those grapes."

Ruskin Bond

This weekend, the initiative will present Binya ki Chatri, a tweaked Hinglish version of The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond, with an ending where the lesson of letting go becomes more palpable to children. The play will be performed by 10 professional storytellers. "The props are made of recycled material, because putting to use what we already have stimulates kids' imaginations," says storyteller Ritoo Garg, adding, "The play has no recorded music. We have written limericks that we will sing to the tunes of the tambourine and drums."

In the original story, Ram Bharosa, a tea seller, is the only one who eyes the umbrella. This rendition has more than one contender. His assistant Rajaram, too, has more shades to his character. "In the course of the story, Binya discovers her true self and renews her friendship with nature," says Shetty-Kaul.

The session will conclude with a 30-minute Story Harvest workshop, where the storytellers will discuss scenes from the play with kids. "The idea is to get children to share incidents where they have let go of something in their own lives," says Shetty-Kaul.

On: September 9, 5 pm
At: Mantras, Centrium Mall, Lokhandwala, Kandivali East
On: September 10, 11 am and 2 pm
At: Kids' Club, Khar West.
Call: 9769401636
Entry: Rs 400