Lucknow, Nov 27 (IANS): A two-day festival 'Katha Samagam' will be held at the International Buddha Research Institute from Monday, with the aim of reviving the art of storytelling and encouraging children to adopt the hobby of reading.

Organised by Katharang Foundation, the event will host storytelling sessions and discussions.

Giving this information, Nutan Varishtha, founder of the foundation, said prominent Hindi writers like Padma Shri Vidya Bindu Singh and Shivmurti from Lucknow and Subhash Chander from Delhi will narrate short stories before the audience that will include students from several colleges of Lucknow.

Folktales written in Awadhi, Kannauji, Bundelkhandi and Urdu will also be narrated by writers.

The event will end with the narration of the story 'Milan' written by Sanjeev Jaiswal 'Sanjay' which will be supported by cultural performances by artistes.

"Excessive use of social media is taking our children and youth away from our rich literary heritage. Our effort is to introduce the young generation with the art of storytelling and inculcate the habit of reading," she said.