(Image source from: ARI ignores traditional story tellers ?})

Story tellers of Ayodhya are in a cold war with Ayodhya research institute [ARI], an autonomous body of culture department which organizes religious events, since few days and finally broke out into words  alleging mutually.
 
The story tellers argue that the kathas are kept aside completely by the institute, for which the institute totally denied it saying that it was just a baseless argument and claimed that they were misleading the public.

Pawan shastri, a katha vachak alleged saying kathas are stopped claiming the shortage of funds in the beginning and now this time lack of processing and doubting that the recommendation might be the reason for this kind of ignorance towards the story tellers.
 
Shastri told that a selection committee was also formed which will be preparing the list of the katha vachaks by the intellectuals from Ayodhya and Sanskrit as well, and accordingly, the katha vachaks will be invited.
 
He said, from the past eight years, it had been the demand of the Ayodhya people that Katha and Ramleela should be organized regularly as 10000 to 50000 pilgrims visit the place everyday and programs like this offer a a spiritual bonding.        

Taking Ramleela into consideration, Shastri said that groups from other states were also called but now, the artists from Ayodhya formed into separate groups with different names and started to perform individually.

Lets hope that this clash ends soon and traditional story tellers gets their identity back at Ayodhya and thus our culture's significance might also be protected.  

- Phanindra