This podcast is designed to make you take 3,000 steps

From solving maths problems to finishing green veggies as a child every unpleasant activity seemed easier when stories were spun around it Itrsquos a trick wersquove often used to hack our way through the perils of adulthood too mdash remembering birthdays decoding personal finance and now to get ourselves out of bed for morning walks Or at least take a few steps during mini work breaks while listening to The 3000 Step Stories Podcast Created by Londonbased storyteller and mythologist Seema Anand with music by Mumbai stalwart Merlin DrsquoSouza the audio series packs in tales from true crime and mythology that encourage the listener to take 3000 steps towards their fitness journey one story at a timeMerlin DrsquoSouzaThe exploits of lsquobikini killerrsquo Charles Sobhraj and gangster Ashwin Naik the gritty anecdotes of sexworker Gangubai Kathiawadi and stories from the rmadBhgavatam and Brihad Katha mdash 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 hersquod 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 Indianorigin senior citizens residing in her neighbourhood ldquoIt 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 watchrdquo she looks back adding it prompted her to string together a few stories that would lighten up the days for her elderly friendsCharles Sobhraj right a statue of Gangubai Kathiawadi in Kamathipura the gangster and the sex worker feature in Anandrsquos podcastSince a lot of the content created for senior citizens tends to be ldquodharmik kahaniyardquo Anand decided to tap into something more thrilling mdash 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 oftheard ones from The Ramayana and The Mahabharata ldquoI 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 3000 stepsrdquo shares the creator who took lessons to ace storytelling in the audio format New stories more thrilling are in the works ldquoIrsquove had a lot on my plate but yes more episodes are in the pipeline so watch this spacerdquo she promisesLog on to seemaanandstorytelling or SpotifyTest DriveldquoTake a deep breath and begin your 3000step journey towards fitnessrdquo Anandrsquos deep husky voice warms us up mdash a pleasant change from the hyperactive loud fitness motivation videos Although the series leads with the story of Gangubai Kathiawadi we choose to tune in to Charles Sobhrajrsquos 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 wersquore hooked to how Sobhraj manages to charm women from all over the world in his inimitable style We enjoy the way DrsquoSouzarsquos music complements Anandrsquos storytelling mdash elevating it in most parts although sometimes overshadowing itItrsquos Anandrsquos balanced storytelling that keeps us engaged shersquos 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 halfanhour walk without checking the watch even onceWe like that Anand sets aside 30to60 second breathers for the listener in each episode mdash 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 Gangubairsquos story she interjects asking the listener to pause breathe and understand the concept of ldquonath utarnardquoWhile each episode is meant for you to cover 3000 steps listeners can also take mini breaks between work take a few hundred steps and complete the episodes in parts mdash the anticipation will keep you on your toes