Storyteller Devi Chitralekha rose to fame at a very young age. You must have seen his reels on social media. He has followers all over the world. Your journey has also been very interesting. It is said that when Devi Chitralekha was just 4 years old, her father Tukaram Sharma sent her to Girdhari Bapu’s ashram to study the scriptures. At the age of 6, when Chitralekha was participating in the program of renowned saint Ramesh Baba of Brij, she suddenly handed over the microphone to Goddess Chitralekha. Gradually, Chitralekha became one of the famous storytellers. Devi Chitralekha answered many questions about her on the sets of ‘Sahitya Aaj Tak 2024’.
Devi Chitralekha has become a great storyteller at the young age of 26 years. Some people like the way he reads stories, while others consider his reels and social media activities as the basis of his success.
Regarding this, Devi Chitralekha says, “We estimate success by looking at your activity on Instagram reels or social media platforms, which is not correct.” This is the wrong scale to measure success. Even today, people do anything to increase views or followers. I believe that if you are happy and satisfied with your job then you are the most successful person in this world.
Don’t consider the narrator a saint.
Devi Chitralekha says it is important to understand the difference between a saint and a storyteller. We live in a family of storytellers. They are home people. But history bears witness to the fact that the wise men who narrated the scriptures and mythological stories were themselves heads of families. People expect storytellers to behave like saints. It’s wrong to think like that. The narrator is like a postman, conveying to people what is said in the Scriptures in simple language.
This is a new era and we have to accept the changes that occur over time. In the past, both the narrator and the listener were older people. But nowadays the craze for listening to stories is also increasing among the youth. And all this has been possible through social networks.
How true is the narrator’s penchant for luxury things?
Recently, there was a lot of controversy on social media over Jaya Kishori’s luxury bag. The user said: Why does a narrator need such an expensive luxury bag? Regarding the change in lifestyle and appearance of the narrators, Chitralekha said, ‘I cannot make any personal comment on this. But we impose no restrictions on anyone’s material happiness. We’re just saying don’t dive into that stuff.
He further said: ‘Today I have the Apple Watch in my hand. When that doesn’t happen tomorrow, I will still have the same smile on my face. Today I have success and the support of so many people. When he’s gone tomorrow, I’ll still be just as happy. We do not ask people to abandon worldly pleasures. We simply say that the purpose of your life is not to achieve material happiness. In fact, it is much more than this.
—I’m not a saint either. But I always say that if there is someone who really deserves all the luxury in this world, it is a saint because his dedication to society is extremely high. People may wonder why a monk is sitting on a flight. But I say he should get all the happiness in the world, because he has dedicated his life to the world. It is changing the lives of thousands and thousands of people.
Why respect those who promote gutkha tobacco liquor?
Devi Chitralekha made a very scathing comment and said, ‘A man on television promoting things like gutkha, tobacco and liquor. You’re giving him a lot of respect. You are wishing material happiness for him. As for the narrator and the luxury items, understand that God has given them to us to enjoy freely.
‘Some people say that nowadays young people have taken up the story-telling business. These people use the word ‘Baba’ a lot, which sounds very dirty. I want to tell those people that they should try to become Baba once. You will understand how much hard work is involved in becoming Baba and being Baba. Baba is not made by clothes, but by his nature and his thoughts.
