Himanshu Bajpai

Dastangoi with Himanshu Bajpai

Stories have been told since time immemorial through various forms – and one most enthralling and classic ways is Dastangoi – a 16th-century form of oral storytelling. Dastangoi is not merely telling a story but it’s an art form where the dastango (storyteller) creates a visual in the minds of listeners by his or her powerful oral narration. The tradition of dastangoi dates back to the times of Mughal Emperor Akbar. During those days, the language used for dastangoi was Persian. In fact, Dastangoi is itself a Persian word – where ‘dastan’ means story and ‘goi’ means to narrate a story.

In the 18th century, Dastangoi made its way from Delhi to Lucknow and it was here that it reached its zenith. In Lucknow, the distinctive art of Dastangoi got lost into oblivion after the death of Lucknow’s last Dastango Sheikh Tassaduq Hussain in 1918. However, nearly after a century this art form started getting back its swing, with rise of modern Dastango Dr. Himanshu Bajpai in the city. Himanshu Bajpai is considered as Dastangoi Maestro of modern times. He is often invited in festivals and shows which are being organised around the globe and in the city of Lucknow. Old forms of entertainment are making a comeback because of people like Himanshu, who have made it their mission to revive this art form that was on the verge of extinction.

Dr Himanshu Bajpai is a storyteller, a celebrated author and a journalist. He writes about the society and culture of the city of Lucknow. He is a well-known artist of dastangoi – the medieval form of oral storytelling in Urdu. He famously brings alive Lucknow through tales of its people, its history, its syncretic culture, traditions, festivals and even the famed mangoes. Himanshu performs much acclaimed dastan on Majaz Lakhnawi, Abdul Rahim Khanekhana, Amir Khusrau, Chandrakanta and Sagar Khayyami among others. Himanshu believes that stories keep alive the character of a city and he passionately tells these tales in his unique storytelling style. He is a treasure house of Urdu and Hindi poetry. He has completed his PhD on the Naval Kishore Press of Lucknow which was India’s largest printing press of the 19th and 20th century, which printed the biggest classics of Hindi and Urdu literature. Himanshu’s first book ‘Qissa Qissa Lucknowwa’ is about the stories of common people and everyday life of the old city of Lucknow which became an instant best-seller.

Exclusively for Tornos’ Private Gatherings Himanshu is happy to narrate an engaging story from Awadh and take us back in times when Dastanggoi was one of the most sort after forms of entertainment and social change.

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