Sandiya Gangadaran

OT: What is your background?
Sandiya Gangadaran: I’m an electronics and instrumentation engineer, who later qualified to become an interior designer, and now I work as a storyteller with Story Trails.

OT: What exactly is Story Trails?
Sandiya Gangadaran: It’s an organisation that conducts story-based walks and short tours in and around Chennai. We try to dig out stories behind ordinary sights and tailor walks around customs, dances, jewellery, rural life and bazaars, to name a few.

OT: From engineer to storyteller…what made you change gears?
Sandiya Gangadaran: It happened by chance when I responded to an ad in the papers. I wanted to do something creative. And I’ve always loved chatting with and meeting new people, and being a presenter for shows. This seemed like an opportunity to do both. A chance to do everything I had always wanted to do.

OT: Did you grow up in Chennai? Has the way you see it changed over the years?
Sandiya Gangadaran: Yes, I was born and brought up in Chennai. And the way I see the city has definitely changed a lot. As a child, I felt at home here and thought of it only as a very big place with lovely parks and a super beach. Today, as a storyteller, I have greater respect for the city and the historic journey she has had so far.

OT: Your favourite spots in the city…
Sandiya Gangadaran: Have to be the beach, the bajji stalls and Mylapore! And here’s a little city secret: the view of the city from St Thomas Mount on a moonlight night is fantastic.

OT: What kind of stories do you tell usually? How do you manage to hold the attention of your listeners?
Sandiya Gangadaran: The stories focus on everyday life and are framed by history, folklore, mythology, architecture and food. Often, we write the stories ourselves. We do our research, pick the most fascinating titbits and trivia, script it and practise it in the appropriate style for the relevant audience. Our stories are also interspersed with a relevant site visit, an appropriate activity or an experience.

OT: Where do you find inspiration and material for your stories?
Sandiya Gangadaran: Our inspiration could come from fun places we visit, the people we meet, the food we eat, people who join our trails, the symbolisms we see… Any of these is a potential source for an interesting story.

We scour the Internet and books for material, and talk to experts who know certain aspects of the city well. We also visit the places many times before we settle for what we have found and draw up the storyline(s).

OT: Who comes on a trail with you?
Sandiya Gangadaran: Our guests range from very senior and high-profile visitors to teenagers here on a gap year, expats and even locals who have lived here all their lives but want to rediscover it. They are all equally fascinated by the stories we tell. Once one of our guests loved our Bazaar Trail so much that he came on it as many as four times.

OT: Which of your stories are the most popular?
Sandiya Gangadaran: Everybody has their favourites. But the story I enjoy telling most is about the tiny peppercorn and the history-altering yarn it spun.

OT: Could you tell us a really, really short story about Chennai?
Sandiya Gangadaran: In 1746, the French defeated the British in Chennai and took over the city. And the British never actually won it back from them. If it were not for a treaty signed elsewhere in the world between these two colonial powers, all of us in Chennai might have been speaking French today!

Sandiya Gangadaran, Assistant Manager (Trail Scheduling) Story Trails, Chennai, 044-42124214