There’s a story within every person. There is also an itch within every person making them want to share this story. And what better place to share it than at an Open Mic session, where you have an audience that is purely comprised of people in love with the art of storytelling.
Half Baked Beans held an open mic session – The Storytellers – last Sunday, 10th September at NoFilter Cafe, SDA Market, New Delhi, where participants and performers were invited to share stories. And indeed the stories tumbled out – stories of personal trysts and triumphs, inspiring stories, personal anecdotes that had the audience in splits, stories that left all eyes moist, and even one-act plays and magic shows.
The storytelling open mic was a reminder of the untapped potential and literary talent in the city of Delhi, a melting pot of literary influences from far East and central Asia, and well known for its art, theater and storytelling history. Every story presented was unique in its own sense. Storyteller Vasundhara Bahuguna had the audience enthralled with an energetic narration of the story of Randi ki Masjid – a mosque named after one of the 13 wives of Sir David Ochterlony, Delhi’s first British resident. Stories of personal struggles and triumphs by Paromita Bardoloi, Hunny’s story of how he survived cancer when he was barely out of his teens, and Aman Arora’s story of battling OCD, left every single soul in the room moved. Neha Bindal’s experiences with finding a groom in a city and culture obsessed with fair skin had everyone rolling around with laughter. There was the story of our very own ‘Queen’ – nope not Kangana Ranaut – who was supposed to have been celebrating an anniversary with her boyfriend at the cafe, but instead broke up the previous evening, yet was there to share her story with the audience. Also notable was an impromptu magic performance by Aman, otherwise known as Mr. A, a one-act story-play by Saurabh. All the stories illustrated the indomitable spirit of the people of Delhi.
The Storytellers by Half Baked Beans (HBB) is an initiative to bring out the stories within the people of a city. It’s first baby step was in Bhubaneswar. It is a platform of storytellers to gather and read out their work to the world, and as of now, it is limited to a group of other storytellers and readers. After a successful show in Bhubaneswar and now Delhi, HBB is set to kick up a storm in Mumbai on 30th September at QTube Cafe, Bandra. Check out the complete event details here.
Here are some stories shared at the Storytellers open mic in Bhubaneswar and Delhi.
Survivor Hunny shares his journey.
Our Founder, Arunima, shares a letter by a 2-year old daughter to her parents. (Read the story here)