00:00All of a sudden, I was going somewhere, and I saw a small lane on the way, and when I went there, I saw the whole world.
00:14The invisible virtues that I am talking about, like decency, being rooted, pride, all of this is lost somewhere.
00:26We know that there is a scar on the moon, but we can't live without seeing it all night.
00:32He says his own thing over and over again. I have a small city inside me.
00:39Friends, my name is Nilesh Mishra. Let me tell you a story.
00:43From Bollywood's Rupehle Parde to Netflix's Narcos, Nilesh Mishra is here with us for different reasons.
00:52He needs no introduction.
00:54His trademark is that he tells stories.
00:57Nilesh, over to you.
00:59The age of stories, storytelling, a new fashion, a new fad, and you are alive again. How?
01:05My life is a series of beautiful coincidences.
01:14I have never written or told stories in my life.
01:20I made a music band. It was a story of coincidences.
01:25There was a story that I was narrating.
01:32I was narrating it because I didn't want to get out of the band.
01:36I am not a trained singer, so I thought I would have to do something to stay in the band.
01:44I cleverly decided to narrate a story.
01:48I made a scratch out of it.
01:52I was looking for a radio partner.
01:55One thing led to the other.
01:58The show was on.
02:01Suddenly, I was going somewhere.
02:10On the way, I saw a small lane.
02:15When I entered the lane, I saw the whole world.
02:18Nilesh, the way you took from that hiatus,
02:25somehow revived the radio.
02:29In metropolitan cities, the radio culture was becoming limited.
02:34The background medium had become a car medium.
02:38In this particular show, your voice, your storytelling,
02:42Anulata Rajnayar, Manjeet Thakur, the way they revived it,
02:47did you ever feel it was necessary?
02:51I am writing a book on my storytelling journey.
02:56When I look back,
03:00it was a time for our country's audiences.
03:06We were entering a new era.
03:13In content, there was a time of ringtones.
03:20In films, there was an era of item numbers.
03:25There was a time for Munni and Sheila.
03:27Content-wise, there was a lot of innovation.
03:32But in Jaddu Jihad,
03:35the content of item numbers was disappearing.
03:39There was a time for Durdarshan,
03:41a time for All India Radio,
03:43and even today, I think,
03:45there is a lot of Manak content.
03:50The dust of urban life
03:55settled on our existence.
03:59Coincidentally, we removed it.
04:03We made people self-realize,
04:08our relationships, our roots.
04:13I had no idea.
04:16It was the first season.
04:17I had written all the stories.
04:19I couldn't even imagine.
04:22I just needed a partner for my band's CD.
04:28We just had to make the CD famous.
04:31Suddenly, people started listening to Corona.
04:36I felt like I had touched an Indian's sad rug.
04:44A rug that we had forgotten about.
04:53I got a chance to become a postman.
04:56I am very grateful.
04:59I try to keep it honest.
05:03I don't write for the market.
05:07I try to make good content,
05:10decent content, and purposeful content.
05:15You keep giving new talents a chance.
05:18It's a unique approach.
05:20You don't write for the market,
05:22but for purposeful content.
05:23You have written on your Twitter handle
05:25that decency is your business model.
05:27Many MBAs are being hired on the business model.
05:30You have invented something new.
05:32Along with that, there is a slow movement.
05:34You are part and parcel of the same thing.
05:36Absolutely.
05:37I feel that decency and invisible virtues
05:46like decency, being rooted, and pride
05:52have disappeared.
05:56Pride has become a masculine show-off.
06:09There is no authenticity of being rooted.
06:16Whether it's content or politics,
06:20whether it's the products you eat,
06:24the chemicals you use,
06:27or how you conduct your business.
06:29I feel that if we keep talking about decency,
06:34and I am very adamant about these things,
06:40then it ties up with slow living.
06:50Uncluttered, simplified life.
06:53A life with a lot of values,
06:57which you have left behind.
06:59The food you don't eat,
07:03the clothes you wear,
07:07the way you talk,
07:12sitting in cafes full of noise,
07:16where you can listen to each other.
07:18Very rare.
07:19This is turning slow for me.
07:21Slow is not about speed.
07:23This is slow.
07:24And when you do this,
07:26you get mental peace,
07:31you get mindfulness,
07:33you become healthy,
07:35and your life span increases.
07:37You live longer.
07:38So turning slow will make you live longer.
07:40You mentioned the healthy part.
07:42I follow you on Twitter.
07:44I saw that you changed your personal regimen.
07:47On the morning walk,
07:49you mentioned your daughter,
07:51who is very dear to you.
07:53She also supports you.
07:55You share stories with her.
07:57How important is the health aspect?
08:00Prime Minister Modi has also mentioned it.
08:04How important is it?
08:05Absolutely.
08:06I am very happy that
08:08it is becoming a part of the national narrative.
08:10And since the Prime Minister is doing it,
08:13there is a different kind of
08:16acceptability and validation.
08:20After COVID,
08:22I was diagnosed with diabetes.
08:27Which was probably
08:29one of the aberrations.
08:32Although I have never had
08:35such a simple meal,
08:39I think that also reminded me.
08:47I am a frugal eater,
08:48a simple eater.
08:49I try to lead a healthy lifestyle.
08:56I am happy that it is slowing down.
08:59Like I eat millets,
09:01or locally grown vegetables.
09:05Recently,
09:07I went for a blockage test
09:09of my heart.
09:13Thankfully,
09:14the result was 0%.
09:16I feel that
09:18this lifestyle
09:20has a lot of benefits.
09:24I know that your fans
09:26are waiting for you here.
09:28Nilesh,
09:29you have spent a lot of time
09:31in a big city like Mumbai.
09:33You have made your mark there.
09:35Your acceptance among the people.
09:37We often see that
09:39you give credit to the singers
09:41and the musicians.
09:43You have raised the flag
09:45to give credit to the lyricists.
09:47Which is a must.
09:49You have been to Mumbai,
09:51Delhi.
09:52Now you have returned to Barabanki.
09:54Where you are now,
09:56near Lucknow.
09:58There is a line in your song,
10:00that there is a stain in the moon.
10:02We know that.
10:04But we can't stay away from it.
10:06Do you feel that you are going back?
10:08Even if it is a stained world.
10:10Do you feel that
10:12you will be back there with a slowdown?
10:16Actually,
10:18I don't want glory.
10:22The glory I got was a coincidence.
10:24I never imagined
10:26that I would get it.
10:30It was a bonus.
10:32It was not part of the plan.
10:34Right.
10:38Being famous was never a goal of my life.
10:46Whether people recognize you
10:48or like you.
10:50More than that,
10:52when people come and say
10:54that you said this
10:56or did this.
10:58This changed my life.
11:00It helped me become better.
11:02My work has
11:04only one prism. Impact.
11:06Whatever I am doing,
11:08whether I am speaking in public,
11:10or making a song,
11:12anything.
11:16What is its impact?
11:18To have that impact,
11:20I feel good to be famous.
11:22But to be famous and
11:24live in a room,
11:26this is not necessary.
11:28I can live in a corner and watch.
11:30It has a good impact.
11:34When I left Bombay,
11:36I got down
11:38from a highway
11:40and went to Pabdandi.
11:44I thought that I am on my own journey.
11:46I was content
11:48that I have achieved a lot.
11:52I never thought that
11:54I would achieve this much.
11:56But when I looked back,
11:58I saw that
12:00lakhs of people are coming to Pabdandi.
12:02Because they also wanted the same.
12:04They were also looking for the same.
12:08Nawazuddin Siddiqui
12:10once came to our village and said
12:12that you are very stubborn.
12:14You came from Bombay and sat here.
12:16And you are saying that
12:18whoever wants to meet me,
12:20will come here.
12:22Naturally,
12:24your interviews are there.
12:26Nilesh, it was good
12:28to meet you.
12:30Amitabh Bachchan's eternal lines
12:32are in my heart and in his narration.
12:34In the same way, I would say
12:36that the second genre
12:38is your signature tune
12:40which tells you stories.
12:42For our viewers,
12:44if you could narrate it.
12:46Of course.
12:48It says its own thing
12:50on its own.
12:52My small city lives inside me.
12:54Friends,
12:56my name is Nilesh Mishra.
12:58I narrate stories.
13:00Thank you very much.
13:02I will keep this taste
13:04with you.
13:06I will keep my closing lines limited.
13:08Thank you very much for watching
13:10this special presentation of One India
13:12with Nilesh Mishra.
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