Everyone has a story
Everyone has a story to tell. So believe Humans of Hyderabad (HOH) who go out and document the stories of the man on the street. It could be a story of a child, a vegetable vendor, a film star, a blind man preparing to crack the civil services exam or a 40-year-old woman fighting stereotypes to continue her swimming career.
HOH started in 2015 by Rachana Choudhary Tummala is an inspiration from Humans of New York (HONY) but with a difference. The latter tells stories of celebrities while HOH features ordinary people. "Everyone wants to talk, everyone has a story to share. It's just that they don't have anyone to talk too" said Rachana Choudhary Tummala, the founder of HOH. "It's the questions you ask there is a slight difference between empathy and sympathy" she added.
A picture can say a lot
What makes the stories unique is brevity. A picture is followed by a short write-up but the names of the people are missing. HOH team says, "most of our heroes are reluctant and we too do not insist as 'the' story is important. For instance, a transgender had to face a lot when she wanted to study as she was bullied and teased in an educational institute and also at the work place. Her name is not important, her journey is," stress the HOH team.
While there is a lot written about celebrities, there are several heroes in every nook and corner whose lives are as interesting and needs to be told, says Purnima, a team member of HOH. "Presently there are over 75000+ followers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. They have already conducted HOH round table involving five women bloggers and YouTubers, talking about their journey," she adds.
HOH has branched out to Andhra Pradesh and will soon be making its entry to Chennai. Rachana Choudhary says, "With 13 teams working in 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh, to capture inspirational stories of people the plan is to extend their project into other districts of Telangana on April 29 and take it to Chennai and other major cities further in the south by the end of 2019."
By Maina Manga