- The Puppet Show in British Sign Language (BSL) is live. Click here to view the trailer | StoryHour UK is working with the Blind Relief Association in Delhi for the Hindi version of the Indian Independence Audiobook | Our Ramayan Puppet Show is available for the hearing impaired in British Sign Language | Listen to our song previews on Mirchi 98.3 FM | Check out the interview with our founder Neelima Penumurthy by Jayashree S Bhake from VidyaDaan | StoryHour UK is working with the Blind Relief Association in Delhi for the Hindi version of the Indian Independence Audiobook | Our Ramayan Puppet Show is available for the hearing impaired in British Sign Language | Listen to our song previews on Mirchi 98.3 FM | Check out the interview with our founder Neelima Penumurthy by Jayashree S Bhake from VidyaDaan | StoryHour UK is working with the Blind Relief Association in Delhi for the Hindi version of the Indian Independence Audiobook | Our Ramayan Puppet Show is available for the hearing impaired in British Sign Language | Listen to our song previews on Mirchi 98.3 FM | Check out the interview with our founder Neelima Penumurthy by Jayashree S Bhake from VidyaDaan | StoryHour UK is working with the Blind Relief Association in Delhi for the Hindi version of the Indian Independence Audiobook | Our Ramayan Puppet Show is available for the hearing impaired in British Sign Language | Listen to our song previews on Mirchi 98.3 FM | Check out the interview with our founder Neelima Penumurthy by Jayashree S Bhake from VidyaDaan |
Author & Columnist | Director of The Nehru Centre in London
Member of Parliament | Historian & Author | Former Under-Secretary General UN
An Ancient Indian Epic
A Brief History Of Indian Independence
in British Sign Language (BSL)
Author & Columnist | Director of The Nehru Centre in London
Member of Parliament | Historian & Author | Former Under-Secretary General UN
An Ancient Indian Epic
A Brief History Of Indian Independence
in British Sign Language (BSL)
Want to organise a puppet show?
Welcome To
StoryHour
At StoryHour, we connect cultures through timeless stories from across the world – in small bytes. At just one hour long, our audiobooks are perfect for the daily commute or a short flight, for the young and the old. We tap into the potential of teenagers and the elderly through our work. They are our authors and narrators, and it sure has been a brilliant experience!
Featured Songs
In 2019, Puranas commissioned two brilliant singer-songwriters to write songs on the Ramayana. They both have composed incredibly beautiful songs that capture the essence of The Ramayana.
Opening Song Preview
The Opening song conveys Ram’s enduring love for Sita, composed and sung by Saachi Sen.
Closing Song Preview
The Closing Song conveys the triumph of Good over Evil, and Light over Darkness, composed and sung by Avi Simmons.
From The Founder
I moved to London in 1996 to pursue M.Sc in Chemistry at Imperial College and was awarded the prestigious British Chevening Scholarship. I worked as a Java developer for five years and then took on the role of a full-time mother. While growing up in India, I was always fascinated by stories both mythological and folk. I loved sharing these wonderful stories with my boys. They were intrigued by some stories, amused by others. For them, these stories provided a connection to India, the country they visit every year. Amazingly, at their schools in London, my sons did skits, storyboards and plays on the Ramayana, as part of Diwali celebrations! Yet, they could not find a single book on the Ramayana right for their age. That’s how our journey into the world of audiobooks started.
Shreyas and Ayur co-authored and narrated their one-hour audiobook, “Ramayana: An Ancient Indian Epic”, which we published on Audible. The audiobook received acclaim from The Times, UK, British Airways and the RNIB to name a few!
I enjoyed the experience and became a full-time publisher/producer. In 2018, I put together a small team of puppet designers, puppet makers and puppeteers to convey the Ramayana audiobook visually. The show has captured the imaginations of the young and the old alike at Trafalgar Square and Nehru Centre, London. Nitin Palan and The Palan Foundation kindly sponsored our shows in 2019 and 2020. Kesh Morjaria and Nil Kumar gave immense support and encouragement.
Mr Palan graced our show at the Nehru centre.
During Covid, our virtual puppet show was featured by Amish Tripathi, noted author and director of The Nehru Center London, as their flagship show for Diwali 2020! It was absolutely delightful to see our virtual puppet show featured by the Indian embassies in Berlin and Paris, and at the Italian Hindu Union in Rome for Diwali 2020.
– Neelima Penumarthy