Grandma's Bag of Stories

"Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others."

-Peter Forbes

Hi! I'm Anagha Deepak, a 14 year old interested in science, math, and robotics!

Whenever I would visit India, my grandparents would keep me spellbound and glued to their sides by telling stories. When they started telling stories, I would be transported into the beautiful palaces of historic India, traveling alongside the Ganges River, or in the middle of the Himalayas, hearing the stories of Sri Krishna. I would swing around vines talking with monkeys in some Jataka tales. I would chat with Birbal, and go drink chai with Tenali Raman the next day. Their powerful storytelling skills always left me in a trance, transporting me to totally different and new worlds! They taught me the power words hold, and sparked my ever-growing love for reading, writing, and learning.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was keeping in touch with my grandma in India with the help of video calls, where she continued to narrate creative stories. I waited for those calls, counting down by the hour, it was a way to take my mind off of current events and be put in the warm embrace of another story. I learned so much about my culture and it was a fun way to connect with my grandma.

However, I realized that not everyone is privy to the same privilege as I am. So, I decided to create a program that bridges the gap between generations, and passes on cultures and traditions, a way for rich heritage to be passed down.

Along the same lines, I realized how people's lives are big stories that provide multiple life lessons, and how stronger we would be as a community if we could learn from the successes and failures of those before us. Therefore, I contacted old age homes here in order to interview them and learn their life stories, and what wisdom or knowledge they could pass down to younger generations. During quarantine, this proved to be a fun way to utilize time for both parties.