When Shashi Tharoor called Neelima Penumarthy’s A Brief History of Indian Independence: From the Mughals to the Mahatma a “must listen,” she felt a sense of affirmation. The one-hour audiobook traces India’s journey from the arrival of the East India Company during Jahangir’s reign to Independence under Mahatma Gandhi. Designed as an accessible, youth-friendly take on complex history, it is part of her StoryHour initiative—an idea rooted in the belief that young voices can tell the story of a nation with clarity and confidence.
Born and raised in Hyderabad, Penumarthy grew up between science and literature. Her father, a chemical engineer, sparked her interest in biology, while her mother, an English teacher, nurtured her love for language. “Between my parents, I inherited a fascination for both how the body works and how stories work,” she says. Now dividing her time between the UK and Hyderabad, she describes herself as “Hyderabadi and Londoner in equal measure.” That duality shapes StoryHour, which she launched in 2016 (then called Puranas) to retell Indian epics and history for younger audiences through books, audiobooks and performances.
Her first major project, Ramayana: An Ancient Indian Epic, was written and narrated by her teenage sons. “Everyone loved the raw voices of teenagers,” she says. “Many listeners commented on the clarity of language and the succinct storytelling. I wanted it to be accessible without being superficial,” she explains.
StoryHour has since expanded into English, Hindi, and Telugu, with recording sessions often turning into lively workshops. During the pandemic, she collaborated with family and friends to narrate Telugu stories written by their parents—bringing generations together through voice and language. Her work also extends to a compact Ramayana puppet show that explains the story behind Diwali in just 15 minutes, performed across schools, community centres, and cultural venues in London. “Stories play a very important role in bridging cultures,” she says.
Running StoryHour, however, is largely a solo effort. “I am the founder, the administrator, the techie, the content creator, and the organiser,” she laughs. In an age shaped by AI and shrinking attention spans, she emphasises the importance of language skills. At its core, Penumarthy’s work is about connection—across generations, geographies and languages. “I see myself as a conduit between generations,” she smiles.