Take a stroll in any nook and corner of the country and you will be privy to a plethora of stories that are rooted in our culture. While inquisitive minds would make the effort to search encyclopedias or just browse the internet to increase their knowledge and satiate their curiosity, there will be many who find it difficult to get answers to their questions. In fact, in today’s times, with a slew of storytelling platforms catering to distinct content across domains, it might not always be easy to find information about topics and themes that interest one personally.
This is where Saket-based Ekank Technologies can help thanks to their creative non-fiction platform ‘ThisDay’. Co-founded by city-based engineers and entrepreneurs Summit Nayak (30) and Chetan Rexwal, ThisDay is an app that attempts to make stories of Indian heritage and history accessible to masses. “Culture and heritage are not just research topics; these fascinate everyone, and yet it is not accessible to most,” shares Nayak.
The power of curiosity
After completing their graduation, Rexwal and Nayak collaborated on several projects across domains. The duo also founded Staqu Technologies—a start-up for problem-solving using Artificial Intelligence that they managed till late 2020. Over the years of working together, they have travelled across the globe and enjoyed novel experiences together. At one point, in Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh, the two found themselves wondering about the multiplicity of stories that surrounds them. “I found myself asking questions that were too simple and basic yet those that irked our curiosity, such as ‘Why is Manikaran called so?’ It is not a complex question but we still don’t know the answer, do we?,” It was while treading this course of curiosity that they decided to create ‘ThisDay’.
Tales across mediums
‘ThisDay’ leverages the power of storytelling and provides answers to questions that stem from everyday consciousness and presents them in interesting ways. Their app features countless articles and audio stories on varied topics—culture, mythology, art, culture, heritage, history, architecture, media, and more. While some are quick, bite-sized reads, there are in-depth pieces too.
The founders believe that often, we are not always actively looking for answers about things happening around us, but it is only when such stories are made accessible that we realise how little we know. Substantiating this idea, Nayak shares, “The forts of Rajasthan used to be cold and well ventilated even centuries ago. How? The answer comes from its architecture that is extremely fascinating. There are a number of similar stories, which we have no idea about.”
Teaming up for stories
With ‘ThisDay’, the organisation is also on a mission to build a unique network of creators who interact with each other. “We want to bind the users together under a single category—non-fiction storytelling—across media formats. This helps our creators collaborate with each other,” explains Nayak, sharing that their model enables writers, illustrators, voice-over artists to team up for projects.
History, however, has always been a disputed discipline and any form of factual inaccuracy in information can cause problems. To ensure that the content is credible, readable, and factually correct, the platform ensures that the creators are selected through a rigorous process—currently they have about 100 storytellers on board from across India—and accountability is maintained. Stories published on the platform are peer reviewed and edited by other storytellers. Given the pool of creators delivering these stories, one can also expect a personal touch to most narratives.