Finding Joy
Amid the distractions of modern life, an ancient folktale still commands the room
A story told aloud changes each time it is told. Its endurance is a comforting reminder that the shared experience of listening cuts across different generations.
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Even when societies modernise, people continue searching for narratives that help them make sense of themselves and one another, says the writer.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
Nasirin Abdillah
The old storyteller did not begin with the princess, but the mountain.
It was a humid afternoon in Danga Bay, Johor. A group of us were sitting at a small, coastal coffee shop, with motorcycles passing in uneven bursts. A football match flickered silently on a mounted television in the background while several elderly men argued over tea.
