Best Swell Story Media Podcasts (2024)

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Season 2 | Ep 52 | The Myth of Sisyphus | A Greek Myth 16:05

5M ago16:05

16:05

I end this season with a story that is close to me. I read this one as a young student of Literature and found it echoing through many of the things that have 'repeated' in my life! When does a task become a punishment? When does an endless loop feel overbearing? When and how do you find purpose in something that doesn't seem to end? Listen to this…

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Season 2 | Ep 51 | Dividing the Goose | A Russian Folktale 11:11

5M ago11:11

11:11

Here is a story that I had shortlisted many many weeks ago, but I hadn't recorded it. In ways, I am glad I waited to put this episode together. My response of the story changed after a visit to the Partition Museum earlier this week and I cannot ignore the metaphor that speaks to me. I don’t imagine you will retell Dividing the Goose in your histor…

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S2 | Ep 50 | The Peasant's Riddle | An Italian Folktale 11:56

5M ago11:56

11:56

The Peasant's Riddle is a story suggests an investment strategy that will provoke both your thoughts and emotions. At the face of it, this is a story seeped in patriarchy. It is easy to overlook it, but I chose to retell it to enable immersive conversations in the Classroom, Living Room and the Boardroom. Remember to listen to the original story so…

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S2 | Ep 49 | The Flying Tortoise | A Retelling for a Panchantara / Aesop / Jataka Tale 13:45

6M ago13:45

13:45

You may have heard this one as the Talkative Tortoise or The Tortoise who Wanted to Fly. A tale so popular that Panchantra, Aesop Fables, Jataka Tales, Katha Sarit Sagar all have versions of this. A cautionary tale that warns the 'talkative' to not talk out of turn, I think we have always misunderstood this story. Listen in and let me know what do …

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Season 2 | Ep 48 | The Owl Never Sleeps at Night | An African - American Folktale 16:15

6M ago16:15

16:15

This is a story about sleep. If you are listening to this at night, take a moment to listen to your body. Do you know when it needs sleep? Or have you surrendered to sleepless nights like the owl. Here is a story that will spark conversations about sleep in the classroom, living room and boardroom...because sleep is a primal need. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞…

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Season 2 | Ep 47 | How Long will it Take? | A Mullah Nasruddin Tale from Turkey 9:58

6M ago9:58

9:58

What if you could get a route map out to wherever you want to be! That goal you have set in your life, your dream job, a promotion, better grades, that medal, award or certificate, social media growth, a sales target, or revenue…the quest for a better health, your peace of mind, happiness perhaps? Listen to this story, it may hold the clue to "How …

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Season 2 | Ep 46 | The Fire & The Jar of Fools | A Jewish Folktale 10:55

6M ago10:55

10:55

This week we decided to go back to Chelm, the fictional town of fools and bring to you two stories. Are fools really fools? Or are they so wise that we don't see their wisdom...? Listen to two pretty, pithy and powerful stories that will leave you with enough to talk about. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘…

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Season 2 | Ep 45 | Quarrel of the Quails | A Jataka Tale 11:42

7M ago11:42

11:42

Quarrel of the Quails is the origin story behind the phrase "United we Stand, Divided we Fall", that simple phrase that we have all heard since we were young. Unity, a virtue as old as the ages, this adage has been illustrated in teaching tales and fables. They have also been retold in history, art and popular culture. Growing up as a child in Indi…

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Season 2 | Ep 44 | The Teapot | A Hans Christian Andersen Tale 13:20

7M ago13:20

13:20

The Teapot is a fairytale with a fable-like overtones. Here is an inanimate object telling its story, personified and humanised with a distinct character and personality. The Teapot has emotions, it transforms and learns a valuable lesson through the course of the story. It is also vulnerable to sounding too didactic a story! Particularly the kinds…

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Season 2 | Ep 43 | The Peasant and the Apple Tree | An Aesop Fable from Greece 9:06

7M ago9:06

9:06

Fables are some of the world's oldest set of stories. They stories have survived the times, been passed on orally for centuries, instructed and inspired listeners in every era. While it is easy to tell a fable and prescribe a moral, I feel its power is better utilised when it is told to invite introspection, dialogue and discovery. Listen to The Pe…

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Season 2 | Ep 42 | The Talking Skull | A Folktale from Nigeria 13:33

7M ago13:33

13:33

This week’s episode from Africa brings together myriad themes of #SpeakingUp #Truth #Whistleblowing #Proactiveness #ActionTakers If you want to encourage a listener to speak up, or talk, retell this story by assuring a safe space for freedom of speech and opinion. Celebrate the power of voice by sharing what happens when you speak up. Tell this sto…

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Season 2 | Ep 41 | The Nail | A Grimms Brothers Fairytale from Germany 10:56

7M ago10:56

10:56

"For want of a nail the shoe is lost, for want of a shoe the horse is lost, for want of a horse the rider is lost." You have surely heard the proverb before! Here is the story that inspired English writer and George Herbert to write it. A crisp story that will help you gently nudge conversations around procastination, be careful when retelling this…

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Season 2 | Ep 40 | The Boy who Wanted the Moon | A Folktale from the Republic of Congo 13:53

8M ago13:53

13:53

“The Boy who wanted the Moon” is our little tribute to the scientist’s of ISRO who achieved the momentous success of Chandrayan-3. The moon has charmed humans forever, we have always tried to reach for the moon, to see what lies in the glittering and shimmering land of craters. This pourquoi tale from Africa is a living proof of that. While the wor…

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Season 2 | Ep 39 | Why Trees Stopped Moving | A Folktale from Nicobar, India 10:48

8M ago10:48

10:48

Why Trees Stopped Moving is a fascinating folktale from Nicobar Islands that blends in ideas of forests, trees, climate change, intergenerational relationships and migration. Like always, this story resonates equally within the classroom, living room and boardroom. As a storyteller I feel deeply indebted to folklorists who have gathered these stori…

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Season 2 | Ep 38 | Counting the Stars | A Gopal Bhand Legend from India 13:08

8M ago13:08

13:08

Gopal Bhand is a legendary court jester from Bengal, India. Growing up as a child in a Bengali household the stories of Gopal Bhand filled my childhood with a lot of laughter. This one is a very popular story that may be familiar with Indian story lovers, but it may be new to listeners around the world. Here is a story that talks of measurement, sc…

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Season 2 | Ep 37 | Emperor's New Clothes | Danish Fairy Tale 17:50

8M ago17:50

17:50

"What's the one story you remember from your childhood?" I asked a room full of IT professionals. "Emperor's New Clothes" was the story that I heard in my first corporate workshop. "Does the story speak to you today?" I asked. "More than it did in my childhood," came the reply. This was in 2014. Since then, Emperor's New Clothes has been in my stor…

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Season 2 | Ep 36 | Half of That | A Sheikh Chilli Legend 15:26

9M ago15:26

15:26

A Story about money, negotiations, buying, selling and bargaining! Tell this at home to discuss money with your child, or take it to the math or economics classroom, or sprinkle some humour in your next sales meeting! This versatile story will make you smile. ***** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖…

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Season 2 | Ep 35 | A Useful Donkey for Sale 10:49

9M ago10:49

10:49

Do you have the skill to turn a 'useless' thing into a valuable and useful thing with the power of storytelling? How does changing the narrative of an object change the perception of people? This week's episode takes you into this familiar and powerful use of storytelling. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖…

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Season 2 | Ep 34 | Volga & Vazuza | A Russian Folktale 9:54

9M ago9:54

9:54

Rivers have a life of their own. They too have stories of their own. Listen to this snappy Russian Folktale, the story of two Russian Rivers and their dispute to which is greater? Does it matter which is the greater river, as long as they both flow into the same sea? Listen to the podcast, to see how you can integrate it into your Classroom, Living…

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Season 2 | Ep 33 | "How Far Does my Voice Go?" | A Mullah Nasruddin Tale | A Turkish Legend 13:52

9M ago13:52

13:52

The Legend of Mullah Nasruddin never fails to create magic! The stories make you laugh, make you think, and question something that you know. If told right, every story will give you something to talk about. In the previous season, we had a story, The Smell of Bread, another Nasruddin Story that opens up interesting thoughts and conversations about…

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Season 2 | Ep 32 | Kokras Kuni Zang | An Indian (Kashmiri) Proverb 13:49

10M ago13:49

13:49

Kokras Kuni Zang is a Kashmiri Proverb that means "an adamant / stubborn person." This is one of the few proverbs that has an 'original' story attached with it. Or at least, that's how I found it and so did the writer / storyteller who wrote the book I found it in. Proverbs, idioms or Corporate Jargons are extremely popular in everyday vocabulary. …

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Season 2 | Ep 31 | A Mountain & A Hill | An Indian (Sikkimese) Folktale 11:39

10M ago11:39

11:39

This week, we are retelling a story from Season 1, retelling a Hindi story in English and bringing it in context of this season of the podcast. In the process of translating this story I noticed some finer nuances about the Mountain and his personality that I had overlooked earlier. Here is an example of Story Pedagogy with concepts of Geography. I…

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Season 2 | Ep 30 | The Sheep and The Pig Who Went Into The Woods To Live By Themselves | A Norwegian Folktale 17:11

10M ago17:11

17:11

This Norwegian Folktale is entertaining wherever you choose to tell it...in the Classroom, Living Room or Boardroom. And true to every other story in this podcast, this one will trigger conversations, introspections and discussions. There is a WOLF in this one...two, in fact! And like every other story about wolves, I suspect these are NOT the bad …

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Season 2 | Ep 29 | Blessing in Disguise | A Chinese Folktale 11:18

10M ago11:18

11:18

I was listening to a podcast on the theme of Incognito when I was reminded of this story! Isn't it amazing when ONE thing reminds you of a story and then links to many concepts, themes, ideas? Here is a short, crisp Chinese wisdom tale with themes of #Perspectives #Optimism, #Pessimism, #Opportunity, #Setback and #Disguise **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 …

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Season 2 | Ep 28 | Papa God's Well | A Folktale from Haiti 16:36

11M ago16:36

16:36

Papa God's Well is an Haitian Folktale that I discovered in Dr Margaret Read MacDonald's Book Earth Care I remember telling this story in a workshop with a non-profit that was working with a rural community. We were exploring stories (real and traditional) that talk about community problem solving. Right now, I am working with a multinational in In…

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Season 2 | Ep 27 | The Happy Man's Shirt | An Italian Folktale 18:18

11M ago18:18

18:18

Are you happy? What makes you happy? Who makes you happy? How does happiness impact your life? Here is a story that will take on a journey to find happiness. Here is a story that will help you talk about happiness and why it's critical to our wellbeing. To me, staying in the realm of story-verse gives me immense happiness. Working on a story, telli…

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Season 2 | Ep 26 | The Mayoress | A Russian Folktale 10:27

11M ago10:27

10:27

Folktales are unkind to women and female characters. You cannot pick up a folktale to tell without passing it through the gender lens. At the face of it, this is a story that I wouldn't tell. But today I am. There are many things about this story that's disturbing. I have included it in this podcast, just because it IS an important story that we sh…

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Season 2 | Ep 25 | The Sun | A Chinese Tale 10:23

11M ago10:23

10:23

How far is the Sun from you? When is it the farthest? When is it the closest? Does it seem close and far at the same time? The Sun, is a Chinese Tale that is versatile in the classroom. From Primary, to Middle to Senior School, this ONE story can be told and retold to introduce, teach and reinforce concepts of Sun, Latitude - Longitude, Solar Energ…

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Season 2 | Ep 24 | If you Don’t Like It, Don’t Listen | A Russian Fairy Tale 18:07

11M ago18:07

18:07

This is a story for YOU, the Storytellers (closeted, learner, aspiring, amateur, professional) who listen to this podcast. The ones who tell stories to children, to families at dinner tables and colleagues & clients at business meetings. The ones who I imagine are spreading the story dust gathered from this podcast across classrooms, living rooms a…

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Season 2 | Ep 23 | Truth & Falsehood | A Folktale from Greece 14:40

12M ago14:40

14:40

Which is the one story that teaches you about the dangers of lying? Was it The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Teaching someone to say the truth is a tricky task. Understanding what is a lie and when is it okay to lie and when not is even tougher. Have you ever wondered when and how did you learn to lie? Yes, I am assuming that like me, you too have sinned and…

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Season 2 | Ep 22 | The 8th Donkey | A Folktale from Turkey 13:03

12M ago13:03

13:03

The 8th Donkey is MY story! I am the protagonist and I have lived like him for years, feeling ashamed of my weakness with numbers. I have struggled for years with mathematics, find it difficult to remember numbers, count, manage money and talk about it with people. I have lived for years telling myself that I am a DONKEY when it comes to numbers! T…

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Season 2 Ep 21 | 2 Goats on a Bridge | A Russian Fable 15:02

12M ago15:02

15:02

I am sure you have heard this story in some form or the other. Two Goats on the Bridge is a popular fable that has been used to reminder listeners about conflict. I have been telling it to trigger conversations and stories. Earlier this week in a #BusinessStorytelling Training, we simulated this story with an intimate listening and storytelling exp…

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Season 2 | Ep 20 | The Right Way 13:50

1y ago13:50

13:50

When standing at the crossroads, which is the right way? If you ask me, I will always tell, it's "The Storied Way"! What do I mean by that? Well, here is a story just for that! The Right Way is a story that I have pulled out from my workshop & training content material. In my business / organisational / corporate trainings I often use tales such as…

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Season 2 | Ep 19 | The Flying Contest | A Folktale from Suriname 14:04

1y ago14:04

14:04

A little bird enters a flying contest, flying against the mighty falcon. What do you do when you are in a competition & you know that the odds are against you? Would you strive to win, play fair, or find any means to end up as winner? What you choose is YOUR choice. The Flying Contest is a story that throws up interesting conversations on contrasts…

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Season 2 | Ep 18 | The Knee-High Man wants to get Sizeable 13:50

1y ago13:50

13:50

The Knee-High man took me back to school when I first heard the word Pygmy. I am not sure if I heard it in a good way, or did someone use it as an insult. You see, I didn't grow up beyond 5 feet. But that didn't stop me from winning a beauty pageant at 18! This story from the African-American tradition of stories has travelled with the people acros…

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Season 2 | Ep 17 | A Drop of Honey | A 1001 Nights Tale 11:15

1y ago11:15

11:15

This is one of those stories that is a riot to perform before children. It's a clever tale that is both hilarious as is serious. If told well, this story will fit in to business conversations where risk is a topic of discussion. Listen to A Drop of Honey and tell me what do you think! A small word of caution for the stories in the podcast. In no wa…

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Season 2 | Ep 16 | The Stone Soup | A European Tale 16:33

1y ago16:33

16:33

For the longest time, I didn't tell this story because its so popular. The Stone Soup is every storyteller's favourite and listeners had heard this one somewhere or the other. I told this story for the first time in 2018 at a corporate event. I was invited to tell a story and bring the employees together in a dialogue. Listen to my version of The S…

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Season 2 | Ep 15 | The Squirrel & The Forest Gecko | An Indigenous Tale from Brunei 14:14

1y ago14:14

14:14

Where and how you hear / read a story is an excellent way to interpret a story. Take this story for example: I read this first in an anthology of food tales. When I read the story in context of food tales, I was reminded of the significance of food and it being a cultural indicator. When I went looking for another version of this story, I discovere…

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Season 2 | Ep 14 | The Shorter Line | An Akbar Birbal Legend from India 10:47

1y ago10:47

10:47

I remember this story from a long time ago. Back in the day our favourite sport was doing better than a classmate. How can we outdo the other, a competitor on the sports field, in the classroom or on stage. We were all trying to draw our lines longer to make the others shorter. I think the memory of that life triggered the thought behind this story…

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Season 2 | Ep 13 | Anansi & the Drum of Common Sense 16:24

1y ago16:24

16:24

What's common about common sense? How do we acquire them? Do we inherit or learn them? Do we share a set of common sense? Or does each one of us develop a sense that is most common and obvious to us? If these questions baffle you then today's story is for you! In this episode I retell the Jamaican version of Anansi & the Drum of Common Sense We all…

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Season 2 | Ep 12 | The Fairy Shilling | An Irish Legend 16:24

1y ago16:24

16:24

I love the mystery and suspense in this story. It almost runs like a thriller! Make this a companion story with Hans Christian Andersan's Shilling and here you have a story that can trigger conversations about money, its history, its purpose and its management. What's the value of money, how we earn it, spend it, share it, grow it and preserve it. …

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Season 2 | Ep 11 | Master Karshush's Tarbush | A Folktale from Syria 12:47

1y ago12:47

12:47

Today's episode is a gentle tribute to the people of Syria and Turkey who suffered one of the greatest disasters of the century. The news and sights coming in the aftermath of the earthquake are devastating. This story comes from Aleppo in Syria, one of the parts worst affected by the earthquake. A few weeks ago we had a Turkish story on the podcas…

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Season 2 | Ep 10 | Educated Frogs & Martial Ants | Chinese Anecdote 11:43

1y ago11:43

11:43

The title of the story drew me to it. This story spoke to the story trainer in me. When I started my journey as a storyteller, I had no plans to become a trainer, a facilitator or a story coach. But here I am, working with school teachers, businesses, not-for-profits and corporations helping them ‘learn’ storytelling. **** 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣…

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Season 2 | Ep 9 | The Language of the Birds | A Turkish Tale 12:17

1y ago12:17

12:17

The Language of the Birds takes me back to my 9th grade Physics class where I first studied Sound. If you are a science teacher, you would love this one! You would also like this story if you are a Language teacher! Or someone who has a patient ear for languages & linguistics. Listen more closely and this story would remind you of endangered langua…

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Season 2 | Ep 8 | When Humans had Tails | An Indian Myth 10:16

1y ago10:16

10:16

Tails is an interesting story that triggers conversations in the Science & English Classroom. If you are a teacher looking for stories, here is one! Are there people, habits, practices that are tailing you down? What kind of a tail would you like to shed today? Or is there is a discussion waiting to happen between the old and the new? Let this clas…

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Season 2 | Ep 7 | The Magic Pear Tree | A Chinese Fairy Tale 13:12

1+ y ago13:12

13:12

This story will compel you to the think of the phrase 'fruits of labour'. Rooted in the native philosophy of Taoism, this Chinese Fairy Tale will ask you to consider the question who bears the fruit and who enjoys it? This story, like every other story in this podcast is a conversation starter. It touches upon complex ideas likes haves versus have-…

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Season 2 | Ep 6 | The Twelve Months | A Greek Folktale 18:16

1+ y ago18:16

18:16

A New Year could mean different things to different people. For you a new year may be your birthday, the turn of the calendar year or the financial year, a new beginning or a day when you leave the old to begin the new. This week, I have the perfect new year story that you can listen & share in the classroom, living room or the boardroom. The Twelv…

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Season 2 | Ep 5 | The Story of the Earth & Sky | A Nature Myth 12:33

1+ y ago12:33

12:33

Creation Myths are an important reminder that we exist for a reason. It is a special kind of story that binds our existence with the place where we belong. It helps us validate that the balance between the earth and us is sacred for all times. The Story of the Earth & Sky at one level is a Creation Myth, a Nature Tale that tells us about how the wo…

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Season 2 | Ep 4 | The Legend of Marianna | An Argentinian Legend 17:47

1+ y ago17:47

17:47

As I watched Lionel Messi lift the FIFA World Cup after 36 years, I couldn’t help but think of the stories that he grew up listening to! Did the stories of his childhood shape him to be the player he is? I realised that I don’t have an Argentinian Story and so I went looking for one. And this is the ONE that instantly spoke to me. The Legend of Mar…

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Season 2 | Ep 3 | The Legend of Gwashbrari | A Kashmiri Folktale 15:42

1+ y ago15:42

15:42

The Legend of Gwashbrari is a very interesting story. If you surrender to the charm of a love story, you will see this one as a story of love & deception. A story about about the bold & the beautiful. But there are other ways to listen to the story. With themes of #love #deception #trust #rejection #gender #conflict #hierarchy #superiority #challen…

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