“If the frame can tell a story, then it’s a good photograph.” With a passion for photography and hence, creating stories out of them, Lokesh Todi aka Lokiish started a website called ‘www.storybaaz.in‘. A storyteller with images and words, Lokiish has created numerous stories on his website.

Born in Kolkata, a city that breathes art, Lokiish B.A. in Comparative Literature and M.A. in Film Studies & Script Writing from Jadavpur University. His passion for stories grew to an extent that he used to watch three to four movies in a day for five continuous years. Lokiish regularly writes short stories, a reflection of untold stories from the city life and further compliment them aesthetically with amazing photographs.

The Humming Notes got into a brief conversation with this engaging storyteller. Below are the excerpts from the interview.

The Humming Notes: Where did your vision for Storybaaz.in come from?
Lokiish: It started in 2006-2007. I was generally trying to experiment with web. Then I combined it with my passion for photography and storytelling and that lead to some interesting posts which has given me satisfaction.

THN: For first-time visitors, how would you describe Storybaaz.in?
Lokiish: Creative People – Creative Expressions.

THN: Your target audience
Lokiish: Everyone who enjoys visuals and loves listening to story.

THN: How long did it take to put together Storybaaz.in?
Lokiish: Eight years

THN: How difficult has the journey been?
Lokiish: The journey has been mostly interesting and absorbing. Would not like to categorize it as difficult cause it will take the charm away. The images on storybaaz has imprints of what is there in my memory so in a way it reflects some interesting coordinates of my brain, which includes people, place and things that attracted me.

THN: Five years down the line, where do you visualize Storybaaz.in?
Lokiish: Turned into a popularly read short story book or publication.

THN: What one piece of advice would you give to soon-to-be start-up founders?
Lokiish: Follow your heart and passion. Nothing else is worth following.

“Photography is a celebration of soul as it discovers life, through the mind’s lens.” – Lokiish Todi

Text by Supriya Aggarwal
Cover image by Lokiish Todi