The exploits of ‘bikini killer’ Charles Sobhraj and gangster Ashwin Naik, the gritty anecdotes of sex-worker Gangubai Kathiawadi and stories from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Brihad Katha — the podcast that dropped last year comprises six interesting episodes. Speaking to us from Delhi while on a trip to India, the storyteller and Kama Sutra scholar recalls that the podcast began taking shape after her journalist friend, Yasser Usman, handed her a script that he’d written for a Hindi show, Gangsters ki Girlfriends. However, before work began on it, the pandemic struck. During the first wave in March 2020, Anand was looking after a few Indian-origin senior citizens residing in her neighbourhood. “It was a scary time. I would check in on them often to ensure they go out for walks. One of them shared that she felt that she was going into depression with nothing to do or watch,” she looks back, adding it prompted her to string together a few stories that would lighten up the days for her elderly friends.

Charles Sobhraj (right) a statue of Gangubai Kathiawadi in Kamathipura; the gangster and the sex worker feature in Anand’s podcast

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Since a lot of the content created for senior citizens tends to be “dharmik kahaniya”, Anand decided to tap into something more thrilling — true crime and mythology. While the script for the true crime tales are written by Usman, the mythologist dug into her archives for stories from Indian mythology, beyond the oft-heard ones from The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. “I wanted to tell stories that give people something to look forward to and put a smile on their faces. It had to be something they could just plug in and walk on. As it was designed for the elderly, we created the stories in a way that each spans 3,000 steps,” shares the creator who took lessons to ace storytelling in the audio format. New stories, more thrilling, are in the works. “I’ve had a lot on my plate, but yes, more episodes are in the pipeline, so watch this space,” she promises. 

Log on to: @seemaanandstorytelling or Spotify

Test Drive

“Take a deep breath and begin your 3,000-step journey towards fitness.” Anand’s deep husky voice warms us up — a pleasant change from the hyper-active, loud fitness motivation videos. Although the series leads with the story of Gangubai Kathiawadi, we choose to tune in to Charles Sobhraj’s fascinating escapades from one jail after another first. We do this between work, taking a mini break to get out of our seat, down to the main gate of our office, and back again. We clock around 500 steps in 10 minutes, by which time we’re hooked to how Sobhraj manages to charm women from all over the world in his inimitable style. We enjoy the way D’Souza’s music complements Anand’s storytelling — elevating it in most parts, although sometimes overshadowing it.

It’s Anand’s balanced storytelling that keeps us engaged; she’s a master at knowing when to spill what. While we had been using the excuse of the summer heat to ditch our morning walks, her engaging narratives push us to put on our sneakers and step out. Ranging between 30 and 35 minutes, the stories are quite breezy, prompting us to finish a half-an-hour walk without checking the watch even once.

We like that Anand sets aside 30-to-60 second breathers for the listener in each episode — time that she cleverly uses to pack in context or additional information. For instance, in Deception is a Skill, she urges the listener to take a minute to stretch, while she explains who is Kama Dev; in Gangubai’s story, she interjects, asking the listener to pause, breathe and understand the concept of “nath utarna”.

While each episode is meant for you to cover 3,000 steps, listeners can also take mini breaks between work, take a few hundred steps and complete the episodes in parts  — the anticipation will keep you on your toes.