“After a few months of training the children would be able to perform in stage,” she says. Harikatha being an art form that requires intensive training, Maanasa says she gives one on one attention to each child, so they understand the style properly. Says Nageshwari, “As the children are learning stories of various gods it is also helping in educating our cultural and religious values to them.” “Bhajans, slokas, and other religious hymns are intermingled with the stories at the necessary points,” she says. Maanasa says that she first teaches the story and then trains the students to narrate it in Harikatha style. Says Nageshwari, “My son Rishi and few others got very interested in learning Harikatha after they attended Maanasa Ma’am ‘s class at a summer camp held by Teynampet based organization Tattvaloka.
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Nageshwari, a resident of this complex has offered to provide space for the same. Now, this Velachery resident is taking weekly classes at an Apartment complex in Rosary Church Street First Lane off Kutchery Road. She has been a regular Harikatha performer at various concerts in Chennai. Maanasa started her formal training in music from the age of 10. Maanasa who is also a Carnatic vocalist trained from Kalakshetra Foundation in Thiruvanmiyur is now training children to become Harikatha experts. Recently, the Harikatha artiste started home-based Harikatha classes at San Thome.
![dasavatharam stories for children dasavatharam stories for children](http://www.balagokulam.org/images/matsya.jpg)
Some express it in a comic way, and others narrate it by changing their voice modulation.” Says Maanasa, “Since the children are very interested in narration, they have developed their own ways of telling a story. And then each one went on to narrate the story in their own styles.
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Through religious hymns, Maanasa taught them the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu. A few weeks ago, an enthusiastic group of children sat around Harikatha exponent Maanasa Dhotrekar to learn Dasavatharam in Harikatha style.