Humans of Bombay, one of India’s most popular storytelling platforms renowned for capturing inspiring stories from diverse individuals, proudly celebrated its 10th anniversary yesterday. Commencing its legacy in Mumbai, over the past decade, the platform has expanded to cover all Indian cities and connect with people across the globe through the power of storytelling. With a community of over 5M+ followers and a diverse pan-India audience, HOB chronicles stories ranging from local tea stalls to decoding the journeys of India’s foremost leaders like Ratan Tata and Narendra Modi.
The platform is committed to capturing the brighter side of human experiences, delving into complex subjects such as domestic violence, homosexuality, sex work, and drug abuse. This milestone not only marks a decade-long strive to championing India’s exceptional stories, but also signifies the platform’s dedication to making important conversations accessible to a wider audience.
The journey has been extremely rewarding, achieving numerous milestones, including raising funds for individuals such as Ali Bhatt, a Kashmiri carpet weaver wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years, a young girl from the Kalbelia tribe, and a 14-year-old aspiring pilot. In addition to sharing inspiring narratives, HOB has collaborated with brands like Dove, Amazon, WhatsApp, OLA and Hindustan Unilever, to further showcase the achievements and success of ordinary people. The Suvidha Centre, a CSR initiative by Hindustan Unilever, collaborated with HOB highlighting stories of individuals benefiting from dignified sanitation, generating positive responses and increasing social media awareness. Beyond these online initiatives, the platform extends its influence through various channels, including a white-label agency, YouTube shows like ‘How The Hell Did I Do It’ and ‘The Humans of Bombay Show’.
Looking ahead, HOB is gearing up for its first large offline event, the ‘Bombay Storytelling Festival,’ scheduled for later this year. The festival aims to bring online stories to an offline space, offering unique experiences like the human library, panel discussions, open mics, live music performances, food stalls, and interactive installations. Alongside this HOB now has plans to diversify further into Long Form Content as well.
The platform is now diving deep alongside their storytelling approach, with ‘Realign’, a new venture that serves as an immersive experience, exploring a unique intersection of science, spirituality, and wellness. ‘Realign’ stands on three pillars, ‘listen,’ ‘learn,’ and ‘live,’ offering a podcast with insightful conversations, courses that help you align life, and creative community based experiential events, to provide a comprehensive platform and community to REALIGN.The launch of ‘Realign’ marks a new venture expanding towards diving deep into holistic narratives and guiding people towards a better life. The first leg of ‘Realign,’ the podcast, is now live. With each episode, listeners are invited to partake in transformative conversations with experts, thought leaders, and visionaries who add up to one’s personal growth. Patrons can anticipate engaging conversations with notable guests such as Shikhar Dhawan, Zepto founders Aadit and Kaivalya Vohra, and humanitarian and spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
On the 13th of January, 2024 the 3rd Pillar of Realign – Live, was launched with their
Manifestation edition. The event focused on the topic of manifestation conducted by
Karishma Mehta and specialist Dr Karishma Ahuja. The 3-hour event was a mix of conversations, a workshop and a bringing together of like-minded individuals. It saw a wonderful turn out that was a diverse range of people from 18 to 60+ years of age of whom some had flown in from different parts of the country with the vision and goal to Realign.
A glimpse of the first event is presented here. Karishma Mehta, CEO at Humans of Bombay, reflects on the journey, stating, “One thing
that binds us together is inspiring real-life stories. And in the past ten years of Humans of
Bombay, we have believed in the thought strongly. As we look back with gratitude, it’s
empowering to see how the platform has created a sense of belonging and resonated with
millions of hearts. In the future, our goal remains the same – to unify humans with authentic stories. We are also excited to introduce new avenues, the ‘Bombay Storytelling Festival,’ and much more, as we embark on the next chapter of storytelling. While these 10 years we have focused on the going wide with our stories and we continue to do that, we now bring to you Realign which is a whole venture about Diving deep into Science, spirituality & Well being”.
Celebrating a decade of impactful storytelling, Humans of Bombay (HOB) remains steadfast in its commitment to positive change. Humans of Bombay, pledges to explore new ways of storytelling that uplifts and inspires. Realign, HOB’s latest venture, is a testament to giving back and empowering the community to lead better lives. In this next chapter, Humans of Bombay continues with its mission, weaving narratives that resonate with the essence of humanity.
About Humans of Bombay
Humans of Bombay (HOB) stands as India’s largest storytelling platform, dedicated to sharing the authentic life stories of individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from ordinary citizens to celebrities. Founded by Karishma Mehta in 2014, inspired by Brandon Stanton’s
Humans of New York, HOB began as a Mumbai-centric photo blog. Today, it has grown into a thriving community of over 5 million people across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, andYouTube, transcending its Mumbai roots to encompass all Indian cities and connect people globally through the art of storytelling. For 10 years, HOB has been a conduit for narratives, shedding light on the challenges, triumphs, and journeys of individuals, breaking societal barriers and fostering empathy.
Beyond storytelling, HOB actively contributes to social causes, raising funds through crowdfunding for healthcare, education, and social justice. The community has raised Rs 16 crores so far, notably contributing to COVID-19 relief efforts during the pandemic. HOB extends its impact by collaborating with brands and co-creating campaigns with over 200 partners, including Asian Paints, TATA, OkCupid, Netflix, and others.
The platform is mediumagnostic, amplifying stories across print, digital, outdoor advertising, social media, brand films, and more. It has launched talk shows on YouTube, including ‘How The Hell Did I Do It’ and ‘The Humans of Bombay Show,’ featuring unfiltered conversations with celebrities and industry experts. Notable guests include Aamir Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Neena Gupta, Jos Buttler, among others. Founder and CEO Karishma Mehta has interviewed prominent personalities such as Ratan Tata and PM Narendra Modi, capturing and cataloguing their inspirational journeys on HOB. As HOB journeys towards becoming a comprehensive media platform, it remains committed to authentic storytelling that resonates across various channels, ensuring its content reaches diverse audiences and continues to inspire, connect, and empower.
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