Martine, who specialises in narrating philosophical stories, looks back at hovrshe-got into this in the first place. And by now, you are used to her spontaneous and infectious laughter, and in fact, you begin to laugh along with her! "I was a psychotherapist by profession and often held group sessions. It was mostly held at a place where people would be working on one side and one day, a lady was narrating a story to a group. She happened to be a friend of one of my clients...So she came up to her and said, 'You don't have any regrets?' And my client said, 'Oh no! Martine is like a storyteller herself, as she often uses stories to explain things to us'. And so, that evening I was invited by this gentleman, who happened to be the man in charge for the department of stories. Sitting in front of a big fire, I narrated a few stories to a group of people. And that's how it all started."
Naturally, Martine was a huge success and for a fortnight thereafter, she was called in every evening to regale the audiences with her stories. "It became very hectic and I had to decide if I wanted to pursue psychotherapy or story telling. I, of course, chose the latter," says Martine, in her heavily accented English. Once the decision was made, it was a long journey from one art school to another. "I undertook a lot of training in stage work. I learnt from clowns, learnt to work with puppets and a whole lot of other aspects connected with being a performer."
Despite learning, say puppetry, Martine seldom uses those devices in her storytelling sessions. "One could use them, but I prefer not to. Moreover, a storyteller should be able to engage the audience within any space. At those times, it is better to just rely on yourself."
Though she narrates stories to children too, her specialisation remains an adult audience. "With children, you have to use a lot of devices. I generally don't go below six years of age, since a child below that age tends to get bored very easily"
If she has a way with words, then it isn't surprising that Martine depends on her expressions rather than an obvious modulation in her voice. "If I am playing the part of a man, I don't necessarily need to have a gruff voice. It depends on conveying that feel to the audience. So my body language, expressions, the way I behave, etc, becomes very important."
Though she draws her ideas and concepts from the huge reservoir of various philosophies, Martine is more of an innovator than an orator. "My tales are meant to make the person think about life, the problems faced and thereby arrive at an answer. So, though I know the stories I might be saying, I have to decide on how to say it depending on who my audience is.!"
Having written a few of her short stories as well, Martine diplomatically says that "both are different" and that she enjoys doing both. "When I am narrating a story, people can see my emotions. But when I write, I have to necessarily describe it." Strangely enough, her books have all been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and even Czech, but not in English!
If all the world's a stage and we are all mere actors, then Martine has got to be one of the best.

Praveena Shivram