Storytalking with Lakshya

Motion capture technology has given us movies such as Wonder Woman and Beauty and the Beast, television shows such as Game Of Thrones, and realistic video games such as Assassins Creed and FIFA. In episode #70 of Storytalking, Lakshya sat down with Parth Shah, director of Centroid Motion Capture (who are responsible for the tech used on all the titles mentioned above) at their Mumbai studio to talk about how his company has been pioneering motion capture and performance capture technology for the last two decades to give consumers seamless experiences.

I’m not going to lie (because I’m bad at it) - this is a weird one. Weird, but 99% fun. In this first-time-for-me episode (#69), I (Lakshya) talk to you, my listener, about not one, but two stories that I’m going to write - together. But just like my stories, the entire episode is made up on the go, as I think through story and writing decisions pretty much live and in the moment. I talk about what exactly are ‘dual stories’, how the two stories will be connected, character traits choices, world-building, character back stories, where to start a story - while also exploring several tangents because that’s where the best ideas come from. If you want to hear the controlled madness  that consumes a storyteller, this episode is for you.

How would you describe your 2018 - a year of happiness, or a year of learning, or something else entirely? In episode #68 of Storytalking, Lakshya talks about the many, many things that happened in 2018 with Launchora, how he had a creative epiphany the other night, and where he hopes to take the platform (and this podcast) in 2019. There’s also a major surprise announcement near the end of the episode that you wouldn’t want to miss - hint: it involves a city famous for its color and one giant festival every January.

Sarita wants to help create and nurture more storytellers. In episode #67 of Storytalking, Lakshya chats with Sarita Shukla, co-founder of Kalamanthan, about what drew her to writing poetry, how she started Kalamanthan, and why she thinks stories help people.

Charu Madan (@ecstatic_being) wants you to find comfort and confidence in your own words. In episode #66 of Storytalking, Charu tells Lakshya about how she got into writing poetry, what got her on the stage, why she finds herself writing poetry about women empowerment and social issues, and what advice she has for young girls who want to express themselves creatively.

Aditi Agrawal wants to make our students - the future leaders of business, arts, social service - future-proof. And she has a plan in the form of 'School Of Future' that will surely get us there. In episode #65 of Storytalking, Lakshya speaks with Aditi about what drew her to the education sector, why she wanted to start School Of Future, and she hopes to give students the skills of the future.

Mehek (@giggling_monkey) is a visual artist, spreading joy, positivity, and truth with her work… with a dash of giggles. In episode #64 of Storytalking, she tells Lakshya about her creativity-fueled childhood, how she found art and her distinctive voice, what her creation process is like, and what advice she has for budding artists.

What happens to a person when their entire childhood, their 'bachpan', is storytelling? Tales of kings, martyrs, heroes, a lantern, a storyteller, and a child... that was Faizi's upbringing. Listen in as she talks to Lakshya about how that childhood shaped her, and how and why she started creating her own stories as an adult.

“Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness.” That quote by Samuel Beckett just about sums up Lakshya’s conversation with Karuna Ezara Parikh on this week’s episode of Storytelling (#62). Listen in for some writer-to-writer discussions about where our words come from, and why we choose to put pen to paper. You can check out Karuna’s poems and other works by following her on Instagram @karunaezara or visit her website at www.ezarawrites.com.

In episode #61 of Storytalking, Lakshya speaks with Aditya Gautam, author of ‘Pornistan: How to Survive the Porn Epidemic in India’. Aditya shares stories of how he was drawn to stories as a kid, how he found himself volunteering for the Aam Aadmi Party as the assistant editor of their newspaper ‘Aap Ki Kranti’, and why he decided to write and publish a book about sexuality in India.