Founded in 1998, TALENT - Team and Association in Learning Education & Natural Theatre that has been working in the areas of theatre and education with the children, youth and women of the resident communities of Old Delhi. TALENT has been instrumental in reviving Qissa Goi a traditional storytelling tradition native to Old Delhi. The organisation has worked with the children and youth from the lo
cal community in documenting the stories and legends of Old Delhi through numerous workshops, and has performed them to critical acclaim at various prestigious venues all over India. TALENT is associated with the Indian Mime Theatre (National Mime Institute) Kolkata and is an associated member of the National Institute of Performing Arts (NIPA) and the International Amateur Theatre Association (IATA), A Cooperate Body of UNESCO. Most of the children and youth TALENT works with come from underprivileged backgrounds with little access to opportunities to express themselves. The workshops provide these children with a creative outlet, gives them confidence, and helps them develop valuable leadership, communication and public speaking skills. By becoming practitioners of Quissa Goi the children and youth of Old Delhi also become active preservationists of their heritage, documenting and relating stories from their own community. In addition to its theatre workshops and performances, TALENT has also been organising lectures and presentations from experts in various fields, child and community development activities, and working in the area of education with programmes on creative lesson-planning, and providing computer education and facilities to local children at its centre. TALENT is also in the process of taking this forward and developing heritage walks through the Old Delhi that incorporate the Quissa Goi tradition. Visitors to the area will be taken on walks through the area by local guides who will perform stories that relate to the local sights and monuments they encounter. These walks will also be translated into Heritage Maps/guides that will be available for sale to the public. While typical heritage walks that mainly focus on the important landmarks of the area, these walks are drawn from the collective memories of the community and showcase not just the important places but also the lesser known areas that are of special importance to them. It is intended that the revenue generated from the sale of heritage maps and conducting heritage walks will help support TALENT’s activities in the community. TALENT would like to implement the following creative projects as part of the Talent Club Heritage Programme Activities & Performances MAIN OUR MARI VIRASAT
