The bi-monthly podcast will gather stories of love across avenues that break stereotypes and conventions, whether of self-love, platonic love, work bestie or love within a community. The author explains, “I wanted to explore a broader understanding of love and what it can be. Mostly, love is a term thrown around casually or reserved for a heightened experience with someone special; also, romantic love is given so much importance in society that if you don’t have it, you are lacking something. But I wanted to open it up and understand what are the various ways people love, where they go to find love, and what is love.”

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Avoiding marital and parental love, the stories will include epic romances as well as investigating different areas and ways in which love manifests itself. The first episode, released last week, holds two love stories — one that transcends religion and another that speaks of friendship. These stories have been gathered from contributors and read by volunteers. A few will be documented through 
animated illustrations shared on Instagram.

Explaining how stories are carved, the author notes, “As someone who has worked with personal stories, I have some idea as to how they can connect [with the reader]. To bring this out, I often ask people to explain how something made them feel because that is a window for others to be a part of your story.” This way, the podcast helps us to be sensitive to a love we might otherwise overlook. “As humans, we learn from each other’s experiences; it also gives us an entry into someone else’s life, while also [helping us connect to our] own or similar experiences,” 
Harikumar concludes.

Log on to: Handmade Love on Spotify