What would it be like to live in an alternate universe with two suns, and a planet of fairies and dragons? A 65-year-old’s fantasy is now a weekly adventure show for children
Girish Khare launched his storytelling project during the pandemic. Pic/Shadab Khan
At 65, Mumbai resident Girish Khare has just about discovered the joys of storytelling. A grandfather to two girls, Amelie, 8, and Esme, 4, Khare’s imagination was first put to test, when the elder one asked him to spare time for “discussions”. “After dinner, which was at around 8 pm, she’d come to my room, and we’d talk about random things,” he remembers. Her favourite topic was dinosaurs. “She’d have all these questions, and sometimes, I’d have to make up stuff.” Over time, Khare had managed to string many a make-believe story set in a kingdom called Doryu, with some help from Amelie and Esme, who had introduced dragons, mermaids and fairies to the plot. “But, what would it be like to live in this kingdom?” he remembers his granddaughters asking him.
Khare with his granddaughters Amelie, 8, and Esme, 4, who inspired the fairy princesses Amelika and Esmella in The Adventures on Doryu
ADVERTISEMENT
The answer came to him during the lockdown. With his granddaughters having moved to a new home with their parents, and face-to-face interactions nearly impossible, Khare, a former corporate professional, came up with the idea of a Doryu universe. “It’s a beautiful planet on the far side of the Milky Way, in a solar system that has two suns and nine planets,” he narrates.
Here, Amelie became Amelika, the princess of the Great Seas, and Esme, her younger sister, Esmella, the fairy princess. Their best friends and classmates also had a special place in Doryu. There was the Great Sage Grandriks; King Bhimashtra of the kingdom of Pymra, and his sons prince Virann and prince Mihit An; the Queen Mother of the kingdom of the Great Seas; Abby the Gail, chief guide, and the arch enemy, Belashahar, king of the evil dragons. Relaying their story was Commander Maddox Hatter, the fictional storyteller, played by Khare, who is seen flaunting a fedora and a printed shirt. “By the end of last year, I realised it would be nice to put these videos up for everyone to see,” he says.
What began as a Zoom storytelling session for the girls evolved into an episodic fantasy saga that Khare has now titled, The Adventures on Doryu. Employing traditional, oral storytelling techniques, Khare, who has reimagined the characters of Doryu using stock images from the web, stitches his narrative, with basic animation and a background score, to give it an immersive feel. He had to spend a few weeks honing his editing skills on a software, before he decided to go live.
Aired twice a month on Paytm Insider, the show has already become a hit with Khare’s grandchildren and their many friends. “I usually advice the parents to give their child company while they are viewing, because, although I adopt simple language, sometimes a child might need explaining.” For a recent episode, he roped in a kid to lend her voice. “I sent her the lines, which she had promised to record,” says Khare, who is hoping to engage more kids into participating. Each episode, he says, is peppered with valuable information and moral lessons that can inspire them to become better people.
Khare recently also joined hands with Notion Press to launch a series of children’s books based on the show. The first book will be out later in July. “I have always wanted to write, but I have enjoyed this experience just as much. I’ve actually created a 3D image of the globe of Doryu, and the land mass on it. In this world, there are no cultural barriers, and everyone’s free,” he shares. It’s the kind of universe Khare has imagined for the future generation.
WHAT: The Adventureson Doryu
WHERE: insider.in
FOR: Rs 150
CONNECT: themadhatter 4children@gmail.com
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
