Let’s begin with a story…
If you like my story, then you’d be tempted to know more…about my story, or the many stories I tell and perhaps a little about me.
Let’s begin with a story, shall we?
“I have a monster inside me. It tickles me to tell stories to you.”
For the longest time, I have introduced myself to children with this. I didn’t have words to explain the compulsive urge to tell stories to people. This was the simplest story to tell. A monster, a story and some tickles are enough to get children’s attention. Actually, anyone’s attention.
This is the story that made my audience open their hearts. And I soon discovered that grown-ups desire stories more than children do. In the role of a parent, teacher or caregiver, I have seen adults melt into stories, laughing, singing and dancing with childlike eagerness and grown-up awkwardness.
The stories I tell are rooted in a core belief that a story is a safe space where everyone is welcome. Within the words of a story, a listener finds themselves, navigating a territory that is familiar or unfamiliar, exploring a version of themselves that they have seen or yet to meet. If listening in a group, the story sparks conversations. These conversations help reveal more parts of themselves, leaving my listeners connected through a story they experienced together. My podcast, Golpo Stories from Around the World is a collection of such stories that spark conversations in a classroom, living room and boardroom.The monster inside me has taken me to classrooms, literature festivals, libraries, bookstores, organizations and non-profits across India.
With time, the monster in me has grown its appetite. It now wants me to write my stories down. Clearly, telling stories on the stage is not enough!
I am debuting as a children’s writer in 2026. My picture book series Let Them Be comes out with Wonder House Books in November. I also write about storytelling for adults, and I plan to keep doing both. The tickle has become an itch, and I am trying to calm it with words on my Substack, Through the Storyteller’s Glasses.
My writing is deeply inspired by my oral storytelling experiences, drawing from the LIVE interaction between a story and a listener. I love to test my stories with an audience, trying out the many possibilities in the characters, scenes, dialogue and conflict. The stories I write are like the stories I tell; they spark conversations.
I have been telling stories for more than 20 years – first as a broadcast journalist and television producer, then as an oral storyteller, trainer, consultant and coach at Your Story Bag. This website is an effort to distinguish between the creative and entrepreneurial parts of my story practice.
I was born and raised in India. My parents raised me on a steady diet of “two stories and two songs”. I grew up reading, learnt Bharatnatyam, studied Literature and dreamt of opening a bookstore! I went on to study journalism and work in television. This is where I learnt the ropes of storytelling. I left the newsroom to follow the storied path, searching for a new identity outside the idiot box. This is when the stage gave me a new home.
Orally, I tell stories in English, Hindi and Bengali. English is the language I write in. I am currently living in Princeton, New Jersey, and I am growing my storytelling practice in a new world, searching for a new listener. If you are around, you can join my monthly storytelling club, The Story Village. Stay tuned for my virtual events; you can always tune in from the comfort of your home.
India is where I will always belong. For over a decade, I have had the privilege and honour of building partnerships and patronage with incredible literary, educational, creative and artistic organisations in India. I continue to serve the Indian storytelling ecosystem through virtual programs & workshops. For all in-person opportunities, I have the amazing partnership of YSB Tribe of Storytellers.
The monster in me is always hungry for its next room to fill. If you’re an agent, a school, an events organiser, a publisher, or a fellow storyteller — come in.
There’s a story here for you too.
Rituparna is certain she has a story monster inside her. As a child, it kept her parents awake with endless demands for “two stories and two songs.”
As she grew up, the monster followed her into classrooms, libraries, parks, and festivals in India, where she told stories she had heard, read, dreamt, and imagined.
Now, it has only one demand left: that she writes her own stories.
● My adventures with stories…
Stories I tell
I am constantly tinkering with a story.
Either I am reading a story or writing one, telling it to an audience or teaching someone to tell it.
I followed the storied way to build a storytelling consultancy.
Now I am exploring the world to explore myself as a writer and performing artist.
Stage
A performance storyteller, I tell stories in schools, literary & storytelling festivals, libraries and curated shows.
Connect to commission a show.
Page
Join me as I debut as a Children’s Author in November 2026. I write long-form essays on my Substack on themes of memoir, learnings from my storytelling career and stories that I am stuck in.
Workshops
I specialise in designing story-based workshops and programs for students, teachers, parents and aspiring storytellers.
Look up Your Story Bag for more!
Communities
Stories help us stay human.
I use storytelling to build communities.
Connect to explore a collaboration.
The Story Village →
Season 2 | Ep 52 | The Myth of Sisyphus | A Greek Myth – Golpo | Stories From Around the World
- Season 2 | Ep 52 | The Myth of Sisyphus | A Greek Myth
- Season 2 | Ep 51 | Dividing the Goose | A Russian Folktale
- S2 | Ep 50 | The Peasant’s Riddle | An Italian Folktale
- S2 | Ep 49 | The Flying Tortoise | A Retelling for a Panchantara / Aesop / Jataka Tale
- Season 2 | Ep 48 | The Owl Never Sleeps at Night | An African – American Folktale