In this episode, we speak to Danish Husain, storyteller, actor, poet and theatre director, who has been instrumental in reviving 'Dastangoi,' the lost art of Urdu storytelling. With Danish, we explore the legacies of revolutionary writers such as Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chughtai, and the importance of writing that unsettles the status quo and makes you question the way things are. Throughout the conversation, Danish invokes the poetry of stalwarts such as Ghalib and Faiz, and brings out the deeply syncretic nature of our cultural roots and everyday existence.
About the Guest:
Danish Husain is the founder of Qissebaazi, a platform that promotes storytelling in diverse languages. His love for poetry has manifested in the Poetrification project with actor Denzil Smith, and he also runs his own theatre company, Hoshruba Repertory, under which he has produced some brilliant plays like Chinese Coffee, Guards At The Taj and Qissa Urdu Ki Aakhiri Kitaab Ka. His acting repertoire includes films such as Newton, Dhobhi Ghat and Peepli Live, amongst others.
This series is hosted by Zinnia Sengupta, former literature collective associate at Belongg. Zinnia has always dreamed of making the world a kinder, more inclusive place than the one she was raised in. She has written for Pune Mirror, Verve, and other travel & lifestyle publications, and worked closely with several grassroots-level NGOs.
Books and authors in the episode:
1. Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza’s Aadha Gaon
2. Edward Said’s Out of Place
3. Attia Hussain’s Sunlight on a Broken Column
4. Faiz Ahmad Faiz
5. Ismat Chughtai
6. Mirza Ghalib
7. Saadat Hasan Manto
You can also listen to this and more by downloading Belongg’s app UnOther, spelt U_N_O_T_H_E_R which is available on both the Apple and Google app stores. To invite such experts to your organization for guest lectures or expert consultations, please also look at Belongg Circle, a platform that curates intersectional experts and makes it easy for a range of organizations to integrate such thinking in their work.
