BHUBANESWAR: Life is a story. Radio storyteller Neelesh Misra made us realise this old but true adage during the concluding session of the first day of sixth edition of Odisha Literary Festival here on Saturday.
Neelesh, who is also an author, lyricist, journalist, scriptwriter and entrepreneur, was undoubtedly the star attraction of the evening which transported the audience to a long lost world of purity which once defined our life before technology got the better of it.
Staying true to his trademark style of narrating stories that everyone can relate to, Neelesh brought to life the forgotten memories and values of a society that has been invaded by coldness instead of empathy towards fellow humans. "I have developed empathy with stories," he said. He began with 'Diwali Ki Raat', a story which describes the predicaments of the modern life. Such is the rush for materialistic pleasures and their entrapments that man forgets to spend time with family and friends until it is too late. Life has become so fast-paced that man is forced to limit relationships to phone calls and home to four walls of the hotel room.
The second story of Neelesh, 'Maut Zindagi', dealt with the irony of life. While death follows the helpless and innocent, life favours the wicked and the cunning. Misfortune stalks the virtuous and the immoral are let scot-free.'Dear Wife, Dear Husband', the third and last story of the session, was a deviation from the dark humour that pervaded the first two tales of Neelesh. The story threw light on the bitter-sweet relationship between a husband and his wife who are too carefree to acknowledge the needs of each other. In a satiric attempt, Neelesh brought to fore the deteriorating marital life in the modern world where man and wife, in their pursuit of making each other happy, forget love, the basic ingredient of a relationship.
"Writing and telling stories have made me a better person," Neelesh said. Social media and life on the internet has divided people. Hate is what we witness among people these days, he said.
"The aim of my stories is to help people understand each other," said the storyteller, who is also the founder of India's biggest rural media platform and newspaper 'Gaon Connection'.