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In this edition of ANI Podcast, Smita Prakash speaks to India’s first female Dastango, Fouzia Dastango, about Urdu, theatre, storytelling, women in traditional art spaces, and her journey of keeping the 16th-century art of Dastangoi alive in modern India.

She explains why people should not have any problem with her reciting the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Urdu, and how the art of storytelling must evolve with the current generation.

00:00 - Introduction

01:04 - What is Dastangoi?

03:08 - Kathavachak vs Dastango

04:37 - Real Identity of Urdu

05:32 - Ramayana & Mahabharata in Urdu

09:14 - Fouzia Dastango’s Story

15:05 - Feminist Elements in Stories

22:53 - Choosing Stories Based on Audience

28:47 - Classical vs Folk Art

33:14 - Inspiration Behind Performance

37:05 - Gen Z Connect with Dastangoi

42:03 - Hardest Emotion to Portray

46:46 - Cultural Home of Dastangoi

51:48 - Advice for Younger Generation