Ever wondered what the true essence of a city is? What makes any city what it is? For some it’s the city’s culture, for some it’s the food, but if you ask the team behind Humans of Hyderabad (HOH), they say it’s the people themselves.
HOH, a non-profit group, brings to readers through its website and social media platforms the ‘extraordinary stories of ordinary people’ – the people that we see every day – a tea-seller, a girl going to school, a homemaker, an accident survivor, an LGBTQ person, and several others who are part of our city. The underlying concept behind HOH is that everybody has a story and the same should be heard.
“It’s not about writing sad stories, there’s nothing to feel sorry for them. It’s more about how to learn something from them and grow. That’s what we try to do,” says Rachana Choudary, founder of HOH, speaking to TNM.
A native of Hyderabad, Rachana initially worked in various states across the country as a psephologist (one who analyses elections), for which she spoke to several people during focus group discussions. That is when it occurred to her that she could focus on the stories that people have to tell. And it’s been four years of telling stories through HOH.
Humans of Hyderabad has a presence in other cities as well – Humans of Andhra and Humans of Madras, showcasing the lives of people there.
With a small team of three to four people in each city, HOH attempts to discover people and stories that are rarely part of the mainstream. A look at the HOH website shows several real-life heart-warming stories written from the individual’s perspective.
Rachana says there is no monetisation of HOH’s work anywhere, with the team spending from their own pocket. The group has also released a book with some of their best stories recently.
The HOH team comprises Srinath, Shreya, Janani and Harini Prasad. A special mention needs to be made about their photographs, which are right now being clicked by Mahesh. The colleagues say it’s the teamwork that drives them to find the stories that matter.