Delve into unseen worlds with these most popular Indian storytellers

Storytelling is an art that uses words and sound to create different worlds that are unseen and unexplored. Drawing from the experience and imagination, a storyteller weaves tales that are relatable and impact human emotions immensely. Aided with sound effects for relevance, storytelling often relaxes people and calms down anxiety. Here are some of the best storytellers of modern times in India who can open up a several new dimensions for you.

Sudhanshu Rai


Hailed as India’s favourite storyteller, Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai started his career over five years ago, and has since been conceiving and narrating captivating stories across multiple mediums, including leading podcasts, FM radio and even films. The most popular Indian storyteller for sci-fi, thriller, horror and detective stories, he has also penned some amazing slice of life tales and comedies. One of his recent stories,Pappan Bataa Gappan, touches upon the emotion of humour, and is a story about two friends living in a tourist town. The storyteller-actor also performs LIVE storytelling shows where the listeners undergo a theatre like experience, exploring an altogether different paradigm of storytelling. While his shows help students enhance their imagination skills, they work as a highly effective employee engagement activity in the corporate circle.

Neelesh Misra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PceL4_0VDL4


This journalist turned storyteller hails from a small town in Uttar Pradesh. And that is why his stories are seeped in the lives of small-town people. What started from “Yaadon Ka Idiot Box”, a programme on radio created a huge fan following for this Bollywood writer and lyricist. His latest story on Youtube, Who Kahi Nahi Jate is a heart touching tale of relationships. This storyteller has created a fan following where he tells stories that are written by him, but also those written by others. His opening line ‘Mera Naam Hai Neelesh Misra, Kahaniyaansunatahoon’ always garners a loud applause and cheer from the audience who await his stories. His LIVE storytelling sessions have also been a great success. The storyteller is right now busy with his latest show, The Slow Life where he wants to talk about enjoying the good things in life at a slow pace with celebrities.
Geeta Ramanujam

Hailed as the oldest storyteller of the country, Geeta is a storyteller par excellence. She intersperses stories imbibed with great lessons for children. The founder of The Academy of Storytelling, she established this art as a structured course where aspiring storytellers can learn the ropes with the best of the nation. This army of storytellers is all around us, impacting people, one at a time with their innovative stories. This way the seasoned storyteller thinks that she can influence the thinking and thought process of an entire generation and positively impact them. She also established the Kathalaya Trust where she is using storytelling as a powerful tool to bring about a positive change in the society.

Mahmood Farooqui

This Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar winner is oftenhailed for reviving the Persian art of storytelling, Dastangoi. Mahmood has worked tirelessly to make this form of storytelling mainstream where the storyteller uses the torso, hand expressions, and voice modulation. He has retold tales like Alice in Wonderland, Rajasthani Folktales, Saadat Hasan Manto’s life, Through the Looking Glass etc. His recent project Dastan e Karan Az Mahabharata retells the story of Karna from Mahabharata in Urdu and takes inspiration from Urdu, Sanskrit and Hindi literature. His book Besieged: Voices from Delhi 1857 is a translation of 1857 mutiny papers that showcase the life of ordinary humans who were caught in the times of uprising.

Vikram Bhatt



The ace film maker turned to audio storytelling with the show ‘The Audio Film Project’ which was on a popular radio channel. He has made some phenomenal thrillers and horror films, and unsurprisingly his storytelling project was an edge of the seat thriller that managed to keep the audience hooked. It is the story of Simran, who is a journalist and has been missing, and her sister Sia who comes from Kanpur to Delhi in search for her sister. On the quest to find out the chain between the incidents that led to her sister’s disappearance she herself is in danger. This thrilling tale is best enjoyed with eyes shut as the storyteller says ‘aankhein band karkesunna’ to enjoy every sound effect and impact of words.

Danish Husain


Danish Husain is well known for his efforts to bring Dastangoi back to television through the series Qissebaazi, in addition to his work on Taj Mahal 1989, Mee Raqsam, Bombay Begums, and Delhi Crime. The goal of the dastangoi storytelling technique is to preserve history and culture while also keeping language and culture contemporary so that the young audience can relate to it. The storyteller leads the audience through a sequence of fictionalised historical narratives. The theatre-trained filmmaker, actor, storyteller, and narrative director performs in Hindi and other regional languages while conserving them through movies, television programmes, and online web series. His performances for his Qissebaazi project and Qissa Urdu Ki Akhiri Kitaab Ka aresome of his popular works

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