Sushmita Singha and Salil Bhandari, founders of the Udaipur Tales International Storytelling Festival, emphasize the importance of live, oral storytelling. They believe this format fosters empathy, connection, and preserves cultural memory, contrasting it with screen-driven narratives. The festival aims to conserve intangible cultural heritage by sharing stories from memory and personal experience, highlighting the enduring value of human connection in the digital age.