A childhood without stories is a childhood lost.
In a world where nuclear families are the norm and digital media dominates, many children are losing touch with the rich legacy of Indian folktales once passed down by grandparents. These stories, integral to childhood, are at risk of disappearing from the next generation’s imagination.
Vodafone, with its core value of connectivity, saw an opportunity to bridge this gap. We sought out elderly storytellers across India—guardians of these timeless tales—and used Vodafone’s video calling technology to connect them with children who had never heard these stories before.
Through a series of auditions, training, and live performances captured via hidden cameras, we brought these storytellers into schools, where they captivated young audiences with stories from their own cultural heritage. The resulting digital video, released on Children’s Day as part of the #GiftAStory campaign, showcased both the problem and the solution, encouraging viewers to “gift a story – gift childhood.”
By reconnecting children with the magic of these stories, Vodafone not only brought the past to life but also sparked a movement to preserve childhood through storytelling.
