Dastangoi [made up of two Persian words: 'Dastan' meaning long tale and 'goi' meaning to tell it], is the lost art form of Urdu storytelling, revived in recent years. The original Dastans were epic tales of adventure and magic, among which Dastans of Amir Hamza were most prominent. In recent years new Dastans have expanded to include folk and other tales as well and the language has widened from chaste Urdu to include Hindustani and Hindi. The beauty of Dastangoi lies in the fact that it is the purest form of storytelling, which relies heavily on just two factors: the beauty of the language and the skill of the narrator.

Dastan Miyan Azad ki

This Dastan is a carefully curated selection of 3 nuggets of different moods, from 'Fasana-e-Azad'. Authored by Pandit Ratan Naath Sarshaar, this gem of Urdu literature was hugely popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is a compilation of anecdotes and encounters of its central character- Miyan Azad and brings alive, in its word pictures, the Lucknow of the post-1857 era. The Dastan is embellished with the element of music, in carefully chosen songs based on classical ragas, highlighting the different moods.

The ageless appeal of this Urdu classic lies in its rich tapestry of colloquial language, ornamental expressions and lyrical writing peppered with occasional couplets, to describe festivals, rituals, festivities, mourning, feasts etc. It’s like a brilliant multi faceted diamond, flashing various moods and flavours. Published in book form first in 1880, 'Fasana-e-Azad' was serialised from December 1878 to December 1879 in 'Avadh Akhbar', an Urdu weekly published from Lucknow by Munshi Nawal Kishore.

The Dastangos

VALENTINA TRIVEDI is an educationist and performance artist. She has performed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Bookraroo Childrens’ Literature Festival, Malaysia, apart from performances pan India. As a Dastango, apart from performing in Urdu and Hindustani, she has also adapted Satyajit Ray’s popular film 'Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne' into a Dastan embellishing it with translations of its original songs.

ASKARI NAQVI is Lucknow based performing artist. Soz Khwani and Dastangoi are two different Art forms he performs. He is also a student of music and getting trained under Pandit Amit Mukerjee. He has performed Soz Khwani and Dastangoi to national and international acclaim.

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