#VoicesOfIndia: Audio-fiction story with Nikesh Murali
Nikesh Murali, an internationally acclaimed spoken poetry artist, and the podcaster behind @indiannoir, talks about his podcasting journey and inspiration.
Nikesh Murali’s Indian Noir podcast was launched in early 2018 and is presently in its first season. It is a set of stories, unfolding in four to seven-minute bursts, that attempts to offer the listeners a gritty dramatic experience.
Owing to the depth of his voice and the power of the script, the Indian Noir podcast captured huge attention of the Indian podcast audience. It recently also landed among the ‘new and noteworthy’ podcasts on Apple.
In this interview, Nikesh Murali talks about this exhilarating journey, the milestones achieved, the roadblocks faced, and more. Excerpts from the interview.
The first thing that anyone can notice is, that you’ve received raving endorsements, from huge artists, for the quality of your voice. How did you hone this wonderful talent?
I always knew that I wanted to be a writer and with that came speaking. I participated a lot in school drama and other activities where I was acclaimed for my speaking abilities.
This also reminds me of how in childhood, I used to be extremely excited about listening to stories. Once I started recording poetry and building on the listener base, I worked harder. In the end, it is all about practice and passion.
What inspired you to begin podcasting? Did reciting poetry help?
I realized that writing stories in print format was winning awards but not readers. I did not want to bore people to death. Though a minority would still prefer to read, reading has taken the backside. People have lost the patience to sit and read through a book.
That’s when I started with recordings of contemporary poetry, got an amazing listener base and endorsements from some of the greatest poets of our times. This is what inspired me to move into podcasting.
“An artist wants his content to be consumed and appreciated and I believe that podcasts are a great medium for that.”
I’m sure like all other things podcasting has its ups and downs. How do you deal with that and what has kept you going?
The podcasting journey has been great but one with speed bumps.
When I started, I have had to move to a new city and did not have access to the internet, my recording equipment, and the time and space to write content. This led to the release of the episodes being irregular. But eventually, I settled in the new place and things were back into a schedule.
Moreover, I’m really happy with the support my podcast network has given me, as well as the Indian podcasting community on Twitter.
I always look forward to learning from others, improving my work, gaining more listeners and supporting other creators.
What goals do you have for Indian Noir?
Most other fiction podcasts sustain a single story throughout a season or tell one story in a given episode, but Indian Noir took a different approach. I tried to do multiple storylines in the first year to gauge listener interest for different genres.
Moving further, Indian Noir will be shifting to a single story — multiple seasons until the story is done format after the current run of stories.
Talking about goals, I hope to expand the listener base and keep the audience satisfied. You see, non-fiction podcasts are better placed than fiction podcasts. I hope to continue making space for audio-fiction podcasts.
What do you tell someone starting a podcast?
Invest in yourself, in your skills - that’s what helps in the recording department.
Pick a unique topic/genre that helps you stand apart.
Record and upload frequently. And keep improving.
Most importantly, support fellow creators. I can’t stress how important this is. They are your most important and loyal listener base.
Podcasting culture is now gaining some momentum in India. Where do you think are we headed? What can accelerate this growth?
The podcasting scene in India is in its infancy and I think for now that’s good. As the industry grows, the corporate structure will become complex. It might then not be so easy for podcasting platforms to connect with podcasters.
I believe we are headed towards the good.
We need listeners and better promotion. The podcasting platforms have to pump more money into marketing to make this happen.
Most importantly, Indian talent needs to look beyond the resounding feedback they find around themselves, one that doesn’t believe in them. We need to shut out the negativity and let creativity thrive.
