This new web series encourages participants to share stories about their lives

Roshan Abbas and Nush Lewis Pics courtesyRitwik GhoshShamir Reuben 24 spent his whole life on the move The son of a fighter pilot he recalls moving every two years since he was a child changing homes and leaving behind friends and possible relationships After his father retired the family finally settled down in Pune ldquoBeing on the move taught me a lot about the concept of home It was a strange and restless experience for me to stay in one place of so long after being a nomad my whole liferdquo says the Mumbaibased poetThe cast of the web seriesReubenrsquos account is one of the stories you can listen to and watch on the web series The Storytellers in The Living Room An initiative by Kommune a collective venture by Roshan Abbas Gaurav Kapur and Ankur Tiwari the series looks at their most interesting project storytellingMini MathurIn it a group of people is seated in what looks like a living room One by one they come to the front of the space and share stories about their lives personal intimate stories ldquoThis is not fiction These are stories filled with humour stories that will shock and surprise you or make you empathise with the personrdquo says Roshan Abbas who hosts the showThe audience listen in to a storytelling sessionThe storytellersThe tenepisode season thus has Abbas talking about poop comedian and teacher Priya Malik about suicide poetsongwriter Kausar Munir sharing a poem remembering her grandmother through her city Rabia Kapoor talking about finding and losing love Rraj Kaushal sharing stories of his son lsquoMalai Lamarsquo and the showrsquos director Tess Joseph about returning a sword gifted by an exboyfriend ldquoThese are the extremes of human behaviour and yet the essence of humanityrdquo says JosephldquoIn the series wersquove made it seem like we are sitting in Abbasrsquo living room over one long afternoon He has called a few friends over and they are sharing storiesrdquo she adds Why a living room ldquoItrsquos an intimate space one where we spill our guts talk about whatrsquos broken and whatrsquos beautiful in our lives We realised what works best in personal storytelling is intimacy It is the idea of sitting together and sharing stories with strangers who have now become friends If I had to put it romantically it is like gathering around a fireplace everyone seems closer and looks more beautifulrdquo she saysThrough all the sharing we have Nush Lewis accompanying stories on the harp while a girl is shown doodling through every episode creating a canvas for every story The stories end with a display of her images Each episode has a short interview section tooNaked art formIn one of the episodes actress and television host Mini Mathur speaks about travelling to seven countries with her sevenyearold daughter an opportunity for both of them to bond She has already received positive feedback for it ldquoStorytelling is naked as it comes It is just you standing there like a little girl in the rain completely exposedrdquo she says ldquoThis is a new art form You donrsquot rehearse and there are no scripts or cue cards It is just you and your thoughts and the audience The way you tell a story is everythingrdquoldquoThe most relatable stories are those that have humour and where people are honest about their imperfectionsrdquo says Abbas For instance Reuben found that his second story where he shares how power and fame got to his head resonated better with people ldquoI wasnrsquot an attractive kid Once I started performing suddenly a lot of women started giving me attention It went to my head and I let myself go on a power trip It came crashing down when I met a girl who had no idea who I was It shattered this impression I had that I could use my power and fame to manipulate people into liking me It taught me an important lesson about keeping my feet on the groundrdquo he saysThe beauty of storytelling is that the feedback is immediate ldquoIt helps you realise that your story connects with people because there are so many whorsquove been through same experiences It motivates them to come out and tell their storiesrdquo she addsAs Abbas mentions in the trailer ldquoLife happens one stunning story at a time We are all stories waiting to happenrdquoLog on to Amazon Prime Video