Children Quote by Arundhati Roy
““To the Kathakali Man these stories are his children and his childhood. He has grown up within them. They are the house he was raised in, the meadows he played in. They are his windows and his way of seeing. So when he tells a story, he handles it as he would a child of his own. He teases it. He punishes it. He sends it up like a bubble. He wrestles it to the ground and lets it go again. He laughs at it because he loves it. He can fly you across whole worlds in minutes, he can stop for hours to examine a wilting leaf. Or play with a sleeping monkey's tail. He can turn effortlessly from the carnage of war into the felicity of a woman washing her hair in a mountain stream. From the crafty ebullience of a rakshasa with a new idea into a gossipy Malayali with a scandal to spread. From the sensuousness of a woman with a baby at her breast into the seductive mischief of Krishna's smile. He can reveal the nugget of sorrow that happiness contains. The hidden fish of shame in a sea of glory.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy, 1997
Kathakali treats stories as living beings, shaping them with love, humor, and reverence, moving fluidly between myth and reality.
In simple terms: Stories are alive and shaped with affection.
Key Takeaway
Treat narratives as living, adaptable companions.
Themes
culture
storytelling
performance
identity
emotion
Mood
reflective
celebratory
poetic
Type
literary
cultural
When to use this quote
- theatre rehearsals
- creative writing workshops
- cultural festivals
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
mythology
embodiment
artistic expression
Questions to Reflect On
- How does viewing narratives as children affect their interpretation?
A Different Perspective
May romanticizing stories overlook their darker complexities?
