Traditionally, India has produced great storytellers who wrote marvels such as Mahabharata and Ramayana, among others,which went on to become the most widely read epics. The best part, however, is that modern India too has some exceptionally talented storytellers, whose work has touchedthe lives of many. These works of art can be seen in printed stories, audio stories, films, or in the form Dastangoi – a way to orally narrate a story to the live audience. A good story can fascinate and bind the readers or listeners and take them into a world that was earlier unknown to them. Here are some new age storytellers whose work has enthralled story lovers across the nation.
Sudhanshu Rai
Popularly known as ‘Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai’, he shot to fame initially with his stories on different social media anddigital platforms, before launching his own storytelling show, ‘Kahaniyaan, Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai Ke Saath’ on a leading FM radio channel. A couple of years ago, he debuted as an Actor and a Director with Chaipatti, following which he played the lead in Detective Boomrah and Chintaa Mani. Notably, Detective Boomrah, the web series, is based on an immensely popular fictional character conceived earlier by the storyteller-actor himself. His is next expected to play the protagonist in an upcoming Bollywood feature film. While hehas penned stories from across varied genres & subjects such as inspiration, emotion, romance etc, his most popular ones have been his sci-fi, mystery and detective thrillers that are ahead of their time.
Neelesh Misra
Neelesh Misra hails from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, and started out as a journalist. This writer by passion loved writing and narrating stories. He landed up at a popular FM station where his show ‘Yaadon ka Idiot Box’ became a fan favourite. His stories touched many hearts and he soon became a household name. His favourite line to begin any story- ‘Meranaam hai Neelesh Misra, Kahaniyaan sonata hoon’ creates euphoria, where the audience goes into never ending response. He has also worked as a writer and lyricist in severalBollywood films such as Barfi!, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, Shamshera and the upcoming Tiger 3. He is the man behind the lyrics for soul touching songs like Jaaduhai nasha hai (Jism), Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai (Woh Lamhe) andBanjaara (Ek Tha Tiger), among others. The versatile man is always trying to promote storytelling through his own work and also tells stories written by others.
Geeta Ramanujam
The renowned storyteller has been entertaining story lovers for more than two decades now. She is rightly the senior most storyteller of the country. And she didn’t just start out as a lone storyteller, she founded The Academy of Storytelling which is the globally recognised training ground for aspirational story tellers. The veteran storyteller believes that every story can impact the young minds differently, and forever, as the way they think can influence their creativity. A firm believer of being a good listener first, her stories have anecdotes picked up from everyday people. Geeta Ramanujamfounded a trust named Kathalaya where they try to bring about a change in society through the fine art of storytelling. And her belief is not entirely wrong.
Himanshu Bajpayee
Himanshu is a noted author of the book titled QissaQissaLucknowwa, that was published by RajkamalPrakashan. It contains stories of common people of Lucknow and how they live their lives in the old city of Lucknow, the city of Nawabs and Tehzeeb. This once upon a time journalist turned to storytelling through the medieval form of storytelling- Dastangoi. His performances titled MajazLakhnawi, Abdul Rahim Khane khana, Amir Khusrau, Chandrakanta and Sagar Khayyami shot him to unprecedented fame. What is most amazing about his stories and performances is the fact that all his tales have the history, culture, traditions, dialect and also festivals of Lucknow interwoven in the stories. His passionate way of storytelling is unique, and can be matched by none. He is considered as a walking treasure of Urdu and Hindi poetry.
Mahmood Farooqui
He is the winner of Ustad Bismillah Khan YuvaPursakar in 2010 for his work done in the field of storytelling through Dastangoi. Working on this mesmerizing but ancient Persian form of storytelling, Mahmood has been working relentlesslyon reviving this art form since 2005. He hasn’t just brought alive an old classic like Dastan e Amir Hamza, but reinvented the art form by telling stories like Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, Rajasthani Folktales, Saadat Hasan Manto’s life and works amongst the many works. Dastan e Karan Az Mahabharata is his latest work where he retold the story of Karna from Mahabharata based on Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Sanskrit work. He also authored a book- Besieged:voices from Delhi 1857, which is a translation of the mutiny papers of 1857 and an insight into lives of ordinary people stuck in the times of revolt. This one was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Award in Non-fiction category.
