About the story - Legend of Joymala

This legend is captured in a folk song from Assam (I sing a line at the end of the tale, so do watch till the end!) and tells us of a woman who is transformed into an Elephant Girl! I came across a retold version in a collection of folktales First Sun Stories published by Katha and I further reimagined it as an eco-feminine narrative! I love telling tales like these, where humans and nature are interwoven and interdependent. 

In this tale, the woman's response to freeze and then cry, may seem very passive, but it is the lived experience of many women. When we see this with new eyes, we notice that silence gives time and space to build courage and even crying is a release, cathartic, and becomes an act of resistance. Here her allies are in Nature and she steps away from injustice, to embrace the new community (of Elephants) and is truly transformed!

About Sowmya

Sowmya Srinivasan has an Mphil.in Psychology (HR) (Annamalai University), working in the field of Professional Storytelling for over 14 years. She uses storytelling and creative techniques to develop imagination through a venture called SoulSpace Storytell. Sowmya facilitates circles of reflective storytelling called Soul Story Mandala for adults to engage deeply with stories for self-development and wellbeing. She is an associate at Muktha Foundation, Bangalore.  She is one of the founder-members of Bangalore Storytelling Society. She also collaborates with 3 storytellers from across India to form the Story Circle of Love that has a vision to spread stories for renewal and hope in the Community.

She has completed training from Narrative Practices India (online) and a training in Eco therapeutic Practices from Tariki Trust UK (online). She has undergone training in Storytelling therapy from the World Storytelling Institute (Chennai) and is a certified Mindfulness practitioner and Happiness coach (Happitude; India). Also completed a fellowship with Parity Lab to include a lens of trauma and gender informed care into her circles.

She has facilitated training programmes and workshops on Therapeutic Storytelling for many institutes in Bangalore. She has designed and co – facilitated a course with Meenu.S (another FEAST Storyteller) on Storytelling for Effective Communication for the IPM programme offered at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She has designed and delivered an online 3-week MOOC (self-learning course) for the OER4BW™ (Open Education Resource for a Better World) project, integrating Storytelling and Positive Psychology in 2020.

In Dec 2024, she was invited by Dr. Evrim Olcer as a Special invitee Storyteller at the Bursa Storytelling Festival, Turkey. In June 2025, her workshop on Storytelling & Wellbeing called Story Mandala was selected for the Sydney Storytelling Conference and received heartwarming reviews.

She has published a children’s picture book on Pratham Storyweaver (When Crocodile Craved Chocolate and Chips), and an anthology of poems called “Dragon of Hope and other poems from my life”. She records her personal journey in the blog called SoulSpace (www.ssstoryteller.blogspot.com). Curates a blog that captures stories of women who reinvented themselves www.reinventionstories.wordpress.com.

She has received the Yuva Shakti award (2021) from Rotary Club Kria Shakthi (District 3232) & Ladies Special Magazine,Chennai. A Vocational Service award from Rotary Club Bangalore West and RC Spandana (2022) Bangalore.

Having shifted base to Coimbatore, she is keeping herself busy holding reflective and mindful storytelling circles, that includes art and ecotherapy, along with travelling to many lands with and through the stories she tells! 

You can reach out to her at sowmya03@gmail.com

Rebecca says...

(About the story)

"This tale from the Serer people of West Africa is the first story in Stories of the Heart, a book I co-authored with Jim Brulé. It feels especially close to my heart at the moment, as it reminds me that art, creativity, poetry, and storytelling are true medicine in times of grief and difficulty—not only when someone physically dies, but whenever we experience loss. I don’t usually tell stories from cultures I do not know deeply. I make an exception with this one because I find it profoundly healing and believe it carries an important message for our times. I share it with humility and gratitude."

(About Rebecca)

"I am a Belgian-British storyteller currently based in the South of Spain. I tell stories in English, Spanish, and French, wherever the wind takes me—Spain, India, Little Tibet, the Middle East, Morocco, Belgium, and online, to name just a few places. My passion lies in looking into people's eyes and travelling with them through stories, whether in a prison, a yoga school, a Tibetan monastery in the Himalayas, a festival, a theatre, a library or online with Palestinian children and young people.

My repertoire includes mystical and healing stories, humorous tales rooted in my Belgian and British heritage, magical stories from the time of Al-Ándalus, and stories from India and Arabia, where I lived for several years. I have studied music since childhood and often weave sound into my storytelling, using flute, tampura, kalimba, voice, and drum to add depth and atmosphere.

I also lead groups exploring death and grief through storytelling, conversation, creativity, and meditation. I have co-written and published a book on this subject titled Stories of the Heart – A Journey into Dying and Living.

I also offer introductory courses in storytelling skills for teenagers and adults, and coach beginner and intermediate storytellers one-to-one online or in person.

I hold a BA in French and Indonesian Literature and an MA in Anthropology. While these disciplines may seem worlds apart, storytelling brings them together—storytelling is the literature of the people. I studied El Arte de Contar Cuentos with Numancia Rojas in Barcelona for three years and have taken shorter workshops with storytellers from diverse traditions, including Jan Blake (UK) and Martha Escudero (Mexico). I continue to learn from fellow professional storytellers whenever I have the opportunity.

For me, storytelling is a form of communication that goes far beyond words. It is a heart-to-heart encounter—and that is why I love it."

Contact Rebecca at:

www.rebeccalemaire.com

Insta: @rebecca.storyteller

Facebook: Rebecca Lemaire

Youtube: Rebecca Lemaire

About the story 

Niharika says..."

Mei and the 7-headed dragon is a Chinese folktale about a young girl who faces an evil dragon. Mei's presence of mind and bravery immediately spoke to me when I read it in the FEAST anthology. I was very taken by her character and wanted to explore her mind! So I decided to adapt this story to reimagine the source of her bravery and spotlight her wit. Hope you enjoy this new take on the traditional tale. This was my first time performing a folktale, and I am so grateful for the mentoring and encouragement from FEAST."