Every Prime Minister should know the story of Silappadikaram

Eric Miller’s fascination for India and the stories from the land began way back in 1988. The storyteller and folklore expert didn’t realize that he would soon fall in love with the country and eventually spend the rest of his life here in Chennai.
“When I came here for the first time, 24 years ago, I was quite fascinated by Silappadikaram (an epic in ancient Tamil literature).I set on a journey on foot from Madurai to Poompuhar where the story of the epic is set, to dig deeper into the story. I walked the path Kannagi walked. It was a mind-blowing experience. Even today, I believe that people should know Silappadikaram just as much as Mahabharatha or Ramayana. Every Prime Minister and king should know the story. After all, it talks about some of the current issues we are dealing with- human rights and incorrect treatment of justice. I am still working on taking the story to everyone.”
The director of a storytelling institute in Chennai, who was in the city recently for a storytelling workshop, says that Kondugadu literature has also caught his attention. “I am equally fascinated by the tale of Ponnar and Sankar (the legendary folklore Annanmar Kathai set in the medieval period of Tamil Nadu). One of my friends is trying to bring out 30-minute episodes of the tales translated in English. Tamil Nadu is a land of writers and storytelling has to be taken seriously here. After all, Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural is the foundation of this culture.”
A plethora of youngsters in Coimbatore have been testing waters in writing in the recent past and some have even managed to get their works published. When asked about the trend, Eric says, “If you have a story in mind, you should tell the world through a medium you are comfortable with- be it a blog or a book. As an artist, your thoughts have to get out there for a satisfying experience. Isn’t it wonderful that an author gets to meet and interact with the public and receive their feedback? When I am in a bookstore, I feel like I am inside a temple, a temple of knowledge and stories. Book stores are playing an active role in helping young authors.”
With technology becoming so pervasive in our lives, how challenging is storytelling and writing today? “Yes, there are lots of passive consumers out there. But you have to end the research and start writing at some point of time. One has to stop looking at YouTube or social networking sites. There is a lot of attention deficit order but it’s totally up to the individual to work on it.”
When asked about the future of folklore, a field Miller’s excels in, he states, “Folklore is dwindling but as long as people talk about the characters in the epics or grandma’s tales and they remain in the consciousness of people, it will survive. But the art of conversation will not die. After all, you cannot live in isolation, without talking to people and storytelling is nothing but another context of conversation. “