What comes to our minds the very moment we hear a ‘story’ are the days we used to spend with our grandparents. Those bedtime stories where we used to learn some old-new lessons, know about some favorite characters which we still keep safe in our hearts. We all have been induced with human values and love for mankind by stories. It was the stories that taught us why rabbit, being the fastest, lost the race and how the woodcutter took the three axes home. Talking of stories now feels nostalgic, doesn’t it?

Those good days may have passed, but these storytellers present the new lessons to the new generation today via social media platforms. These new stories about the fast-paced lifestyle are here to teach us the lessons of life.

“Na Yaane Na” by Neelesh Misra

A father-son relationship is the most sensitive and yet the strongest of all the relationships. Bringing forward the story of a young, college-going boy, Aditya, Neelesh Misra has narrated this intriguing story in a simple way. Written by Deepak Heera Ranganath and presented in collaboration with the World Health Organization, ‘Na Yaane Na’ is one of the stories from the audio storytelling show “Meri Pyaari Zindagi with Neelesh Misra”.

“Na Yaane Na” is a story that reflects the choices we make in our lives. With the message to the “youngblood” to quit drinking and learn to say ‘NO’ to alcohol, the video is winning hearts over the internet. Aditya is a boy who has just stepped into the world to fulfil his dreams. Will he get lost in the darkness of addictions that youth brings along with energy and passion? To check out how the story of Aditya takes a turn with his choice between his family and alcohol!

‘Alvida Lekin Kyu: Part 2’ by Rakesh Tiwari

In collaboration with ‘Half Baked Tales’, Rakesh Tiwari has written and performed the story ‘Alvida Lekin Kyu’ with a sweet smile. The two parts are performed by Krishna Singh and Rakesh Tiwari, respectively, are the two coins of the story of two lovers falling apart. The part narrated by Rakesh is of a man, reminding his lover all the hopes to not to say goodbyes when the promises and love are the same as before.

‘Alvida Lekin Kyu’ will make you realize the true meaning of love. That, relationships are not merely based on love. The story is an exchange of letters between the falling lovers. The presentation of the story as letters simply heart touching. The message it conveys to us will certainly redefine the definitions of long-distance relationships. ‘Alvida Lekin Kyu’ is a must watch for all those who yearn the presence of their lost loved one.

We all have stories within us. We have grown up with our grandparents’ late night story sessions. Our life is what if not our own story? More than just being a rendezvous, our lives’ moments turn out to be our saviours, lessons, and friends. For some people, narrating these stories is a piece of cake. We all tell our stories but storytellers know how to put their words in the correct variations, rhythms and beats. So, here are some elegant Hindi standup storytellers who narrate their records with fluency which takes all your attention and heart!

Khud Se Dosti – Helly Shah

Being victims and witnesses of the Covid-19 pandemic, we all know what this little virus did to our lives. The pandemic has been an eye opener for a lot of people, and Helly was one of them too. She narrates the chronicles of a heartbreak and testing positive for Covid in the big bustling city of Mumbai. Battling from loneliness and a crying heart, Helly in this standup storytelling, jubilantly recounts all that went through during that stage and the unparalleled gift she found for herself at the end of the journey.

Mujhe Jeetna Hai Khudh se – Rachana Patil

“I was a competitor. I still am a competitor”. Isn’t that a puzzling way to start one’s story? Rachana acknowledges that, and moves on to tell us how life is an amalgamation of small moments and instances, which teaches us irreplaceable lessons. Rachana, a skilled actor since her childhood and an even more honed story teller now, takes you on the ride of her never ending fire for competitions, and winning them. The day her 4th grade self tasted the first position in the competition, Rachana’s life became more ravenous for competitions. However, in these games of challenges and competitions, her biggest competitor was herself. A transformative event during one of her drama/acting competitions shows her the mirror to this competition, which she needed to understand and embrace. Listen to her story and find out what was that revelation which she found through the magic mirror!

Dopahar Ki Neend – Mohammed Sadriwala

The afternoon nap after a scrumptious lunch is unmatched and unparalleled. Mohammed, in this standup storytelling, narrates about the sheer relaxation and happiness the afternoon nap offers us. Mohammed’s narration is imbued with slight similes and metaphors which will make you applause. His narration is unobstructed, and filled with humour and hilarity which makes it even more likeable to listen to him. In this brief 2 minute narration, Mohammed talks about all variations of Dopahar Ki Neend, and makes you crave for it instantly!

Bus No. 222 – Rakesh Tiwari 

Rakesh Tiwari, one of the most poetic storytellers, narrates a story of a journey. It is not an ordinary journey of a starting point to a destination on the road, but an inner journey of an artist who found his beginning. A journey involving a moment to remember. Rakesh, beginning with his beautiful story of this journey, talks about how journey is really an instance or a brief moment. On a sunny afternoon, Rakesh visited his neighborhood Bus Stand to just sit there and gather some thoughts. Struggling with writing stories, Rakesh, with the help of a fellow writer discovered the solution of the obstruction he always faced while writing a story but you might want to know what Bus No. 222 has to do with this? Dive into the story then!

Poetry and stories are meant to provide you comfort in the dark. Watch Simar Singh and Vanika Sangtani get real, as they deliver performances drawn from their own experiences which are speckled with hope, even as they revolve around those universal feelings of solitude and sadness. 

“Loneliness is a Bad Thing” – Simar Singh & Hasan

“In every breath, there’s life” Simar Singh quotes a lyric from a lovely song by the Bahamas, as he writes his own song, both an ode and antidote to the much universal feeling of loneliness. There’s a lot of musicality running in Singh’s tender, compassionate creation, with Hasan’s guitar strums and vocals reminding a little something of the band Radiohead. 

Simar Singh renders the ugly, the sad, the beautiful, and the hopeful side to the heavy burden of loneliness within this poem of powerful and moving sentiments. “I did not know the value of this poem, till I almost lost it. I did not know the value of my words, till I was silent,” he says. And you will find the value of his poem and his words too and would be glad he attempted to treasure it with this performance. 

“Mujhe Mera Rahul Mil Gaya” – Vanika Sangtani

Fictional happy endings give hope, proves Vanika Sangtani with her very real story which is told with such genuineness of emotions that it is hard not to smile when she smiles, and feel tearful when she cries. “Ek si hokar bhi, har kirdaar ki kahaani alag hoti hai” she says, as she narrates a beautiful story drawn from her life. Of how she both lost and found hope when she went to live in the city of Mumbai. 

Inspired by Aisha from the film Wake Up Sid, Vanika’s dreamy expectations were met with a different reality in the city. In the story you find her sharing the piece of hope that she later found when she met Rahul and not Sid, and how her faith in the fantasies of fictional stories was revived again. Among the numbered kirdars (actors) of Vanika’s story, you will find yourself counting her innocent, warm smile too!

There is a pitch, as Kopal Khanna states, that we are all sold from a very early point in our lives. The words may differ, the manner in which it is put forward may be disguised as something else, however, the underlying foundation of it remains the same: ‘Live your life in the way we envision it.’ 

‘Besharam Ladki’, by Kopal Khanna, then, serves as a canvas for sketching out the fallacy that lies in projecting the idea of individual growth as something that needs to be structured or curated. After all, society does seem to have a vested interest in the lives of those that are completely unrelated to them.

Khanna begins her performance by beseeching her audience to keep a secret for her. As she goes on, we learn she is six months away from hitting 30 and is consistently subjected to questions and perceived opinions regarding her marriage. Ah, yes, that sacred institution that binds people together. You see, India has a fascination with marriage that most other countries cannot hope to match. For us, as a people, life has always been a series of steps that you must take. From getting good grades, to getting a job immediately after we graduate college and then, perhaps most importantly, getting married. Of course, having kids is naturally the next step. Somewhere, along the journey of attempting to build a cultural identity, we have, as a collective, begun to see life as a uniform, structured table rather than the exciting, unpredictable experience it actually is.

I digress. However, I only do so based on what Khanna builds up to in her performance. ‘Besharam Ladki’, as a spoken word performance, isn’t just another rail at societal expectations and pressures. It is, rather, a unique insight into how we, as a society, are consistently trying to maneuver the experiences and lives of others according to our expectations. Sometimes, these expectations become shackles for others, holding them back from truly ever being the person they can be.

Of course, there is a sense of acceptance on Khanna’s part. At the end of ‘Besharam Ladki’, Khanna explicitly states that if being an independent woman, in charge of her own life, leads to being viewed as ‘Besharam’, she whole-heartedly accepts the label. The word, itself, only has power due to the misconstrued perceptions that people have. Once those go, the label is just another empty word, devoid of any value other than the syllables it is composed of.

It does get you thinking, however. What about all the women who couldn’t shake off the label as just another word? The women who had to give up their own autonomy to pander to these societal beliefs and expectations. Like it was mentioned earlier, Khanna’s ‘Besharam Ladki’ isn’t just another spoken word performance. It makes you sit and think about what projecting your own expectations on another can lead to, the manner in which it can make them deviate their lives. And, for a country such as ours, that’s an incredibly important thought to be pondering over.

When you find and lose love, it is a struggle to remain rational as you drown in the complexities of emotions. The only way forward then is found in acceptance of reality as it is. We bring to you performances that are an embodiment of that. These stories of heartbreaks narrate their experience of embracing things as they are, and making the right decisions. 

In a language that is simple and easy, we have two different voices of storytelling that capture the many natures of love and the reconciliation with its loss. 

Aaj Agar Tum Saath Hote – Surbhi Pratap

As universal is the feeling of love, so is the hope and dreams that the feeling comes with. Surbhi Pratap’s story revolves around those dreams that are built with the knowledge that they will not come true. Her story, of love left incomplete, is a reconciliation with reality. That of accepting it as it has to be and moving on. The sombre feeling that it generates might resonate with many and is what Pratap’s story of unrequited love is all about.  

Saalo Baad Uski Call Aayi – Anubhav Agrawal

Love and life come with complexities, the kind that are hard to grasp let alone dealt with. Agrawal narrates a story of a phone call from a long-lost love. This story follows the steps of nostalgia mixed with sensibilities that help him make the right decisions. That of letting go and forgiving, but not welcoming back emotions that would later turn into regrets. Narrated in a language that is simple and relatable to common folks, his tale is that of the struggle that love and relationships come with.