Sherline Pimenta has vivid childhood memories of Russia and Eastern Europe from the 1980s. The kicker? The Pune resident never stepped out of India growing up. “Travelling overseas wasn’t feasible for us back in the day. But every time my grandfather narrated European folklore to put us to sleep, we felt like we were right there,” recalls Pimenta, now an established storyteller. This weekend, when she conducts a session on palanquins — human-powered carriages from days gone by — it will be nothing short of travelling to a land far away for young city audiences.

Mejanah (Miyana), coloured etchings by Baltazard Solvyns, from Les Hindoûs, Vol. III, 1808 - 1812. PICS COURTESY/DR BHAU DAJI LAD MUSEUM