E-Paper
Storytelling on radio
When Bollywood lyricist and former journalist Neelesh Misra quit his day job last year, he suddenly had time to introspect. The writer in him was yearning for inspiration and he found it in his hometown, Lucknow.
When Bollywood lyricist and former journalist Neelesh Misra quit his day job last year, he suddenly had time to introspect. The writer in him was yearning for inspiration and he found it in his hometown, Lucknow.
Misra formed a band called Nine, with his friends from the music industry and told stories through the songs he composed. “I am a con-artiste,” says Misra smugly. “I am basically a storyteller and most of my stories revolve around my childhood in Lucknow. The band supports these stories through music. We’ve composed nine tracks and the album should be out some time next month,” says Misra.
But music did not seem to satisfy Misra, who has taken his love for storytelling to radio. He now hosts a prime time show on Big FM called
Yaad Shehar
, where he makes up stories set across the backdrop of small towns in UP and builds them around the music he plays on air. “I built up a city called
Yaad Shehar
on nostalgia. I make up characters and put songs in the show, making each episode a mini-movie,” says Misra.
The radio storyteller’s playlist mostly includes tracks by Kailash Kher, Sona Mohapatra Agni and, of course, his own original compositions. “The show is relayed in 35 cities across India and also uploaded on Facebook. It has only been a week and already I am flooded by emails,” adds Misra. The man also plans to release an audiobook of his show soon.
