Full Circle: Lakshya Datta, The Voice of Romance
Images courtesy: Lakshya Datta
‘Storytelling allows us to explore how we can discuss who we were and could be, through narratives.’ – Lakshya Datta on writing love stories for audio narratives in India and the art and business behind creating a podcast.
Varud Gupta’s Full Circle is a regular column that dives into the arts and crafts of India through interviews with specialists around the country, discussing everything from creations to inspirations.
Lakshya Datta went to college to become a bioengineer. But, what does that really entail of? He didn’t know at the time, but he wanted a degree that would impress his parents. Upon getting to San Diego, he found the opportunity to explore fields like theatre, writing, and film. It is the love of this creative exploration that took him to a new direction, and to the creation of Launchora.
Launchora started as a place for storytellers, for those to write whatever they wished to, but has since evolved into a larger, sharing community. The website now has almost 250,000 members and over 13 million launches (unique reads on writings).
Meanwhile, Datta has shifted to focusing on podcasts, some very romantic in nature, with his most recent shows including Tumne Kisi Se Kabhi Pyaar Kiya Hai (JioSaavn) and Pal Bhar Ke Liye (Red FM).
I spoke to Datta about writing love stories for audio narratives in India and the art and business behind creating a podcast.
The Chakkar: Let’s jump right in—What is it like writing romance?
Datta: On one end, it is almost like group therapy through love stories. It feels very creative to write about emotions. Most writers create for visual or cinematic forms, but for me, romance has been a focus on the outlet that is human emotion. Everyone can relate to love, no matter the language.
The Chakkar: I have always been very curious to know, are these characters you write about you? Is it a personal reflection?
“Most writers create for visual or cinematic forms, but for me, romance has been a focus on the outlet that is human emotion. Everyone can relate to love, no matter the language.”
Datta: Oh, for sure. But I do feel like I’m writing about younger versions of Me, for younger versions of Me out there. I have gone through whatever I have gone though, I don’t want it deleted. The process of becoming you and how you feel about happiness and love is so important, that in a way I’m helping people outsource their own catharsis through the themes of romance and heart break.
It isn’t me chasing a bad experience to tell a story about, but finding those chunks of my past, wading through my past emotional stew, for nuggets to share and adapt in a broad, more universal form.
The Chakkar: Even beyond romance, how many podcasts you have written or worked on?
Datta: I’m about to start on number fifteen, which is Silsila Ye Chahat Ka, an 8-part story of a women sitting at a bar in an airport on January first. Just her and the bartender playing a game. It is not about love however, but desire. A game of power, lies, and temptation.
But my roles really vary; sometimes I am the writer, sometimes a host, and sometimes a producer. For instance, there are some like Vision-Nari which started on Launchora, but I have very little to do with. That one is about spotlighting inspirational women in India. It is very successful and gets more press than I do. On the other hand, for podcasts like with the Jaipur Lit Fest, I do introductions of interviews. For them, we’ve done almost 250 episodes.
The Chakkar: As someone who started with writing, and a form meant to be read, then moving to audio, how would you describe the differences?
Datta: Because podcasts are often a secondary form of consumption, for instance something someone listens to when doing chores, you have to think of the audience first in the creation process. I tend to imagine that the listener is and will be doing other things and not just focused on me. How do I make them have fun?
For example, in a short podcast, you are asking for 30 minutes of someone’s time. The first ten is when you have them most engaged for free; it is after this period that you need make sure that you are holding their attention but also giving them reason to continue. It is almost like I am stopping you on the street and asking for attention. Even though the listener might be secondary, they are also giving you more of a chance. I don’t use musical cues or time jumps; I just keep talking to keep that attention and entertain my listeners.
But then, on the opposite spectrum, I actually do get some people who tell me they listen to me to go to sleep. I take what I can.
The Chakkar: What about the craft, what has changed for you in the podcast world?
Datta: I actually had to write in Hindi which I have never done. That was the first challenge. Even in my studies, it was always English plays and scripts. But there is something different when you read Hindi dialogue. My first impression was that it felt silly to me. It took quite some time to get over that pre-judgment.
Which led to me now thinking also in Hindi. The first audio play I wrote was titled, One More Night with Meera. I then I re-wrote in Hindi. In English it was about 30 minutes, in Hindi it was 45. So, I found extra time in the adaptation: I found more to say, more story to tell, more feelings to express. There were things you can’t say in English that you could now in Hindi.
The Chakkar: What has the change in language allowed for you?
Datta: For example, we were talking about romance being about ‘feelings’ earlier, right? In English, the word is feeling. “I had a feeling for someone.” It feels bland. Robotic. But in Hindi, there is ehsaas, or even mehsoos. Same word, being expressed in different ways with connotations and emotions attached. Maybe it is my Bollywood inspiration, but it feels lyrical and closer to poetry compared to using English.
Even by traveling language can change the way you connect with another. As the writer, I also have started to have a different connection to my characters. I feel like I can actually say what they mean. It reminds me of a song from Rockstar: “Jo Bhi Main Kehna Chahoon Barbaad Karein Alfaaz Mere.” Whatever I want to say, my words destroy them. Even there, in the English translation it is a statement. In Hindi, it is raw emotion.
The Chakkar: With the podcast scene continuing to grow in India, what advice do you have for new voices?
Datta: Keep short dialogues. In a recording you will find that it feels like babbling. I write almost as an editor because I don’t write a second draft. I can be shrewd with word count. For me 1000 words is about 10 minutes. 10 minutes of someone’s time is a lot. People have lots of options—gaming, Netflix, etc—so make the most of that time. Respect their time.
For me, since a lot of my work is emotions, I focus on just one at a time: writing one line to say precisely one thing.
The Chakkar: One of the great things about podcasts is that it is easy to get started. What recommendations might you have for someone trying to navigate the space?
“We’re now in that phase for podcasts, that everyone can start one. It allows a lot more people find an audience for their art. However, it doesn’t always mean it is great art.”
Datta: In India, everywhere is noisy. I encounter construction near my home and office. If I can find a good half hour, that’s all I can ask. When I started, I usually recorded at night because that is when people are finally asleep.
I don’t recommend people go out and buy fancy microphones. Start basic. I’ve found that most headphone mic qualities (excluding AirPods) are actually good enough for that first episode.
Survive the first three months—only then can you call yourself a podcaster. Many tend to give up at this point, but consistency and routine is how you build a podcast. Many quit because of a lack of listeners, but editing and good production ethics is essential to keep them. We all have a hubris of thinking what I have to say is what needs to be heard. I still don’t assume after all this that one might not tune into my episode next week.
The Chakkar: What's the typical day to day of your work?
Datta: I’m recording something or the other every day. It can be an intro, or pre-recording. Like I have the next 3 months of my shows already taped. Along with that, on a good day, I’m trying to also write because I need to keep creating content. And then a lot of editing. My laptop tells me I average 8-10 hours on it.
When I can, I also try to listen. It has now become almost exclusively audio books.
The Chakkar: Tell me a bit about your thoughts on the current podcast boom in India. It often feels like every other person has one. What is the state of the industry?
Datta: Even though it feels like everyone, it still isn’t as crazy compared to international productions. Because you and I work in creative fields, maybe that is why it feels saturated. India is very different, because Apple Podcasts is a niche considering maybe only a small fraction of the population can afford Apple products. The audience is actually being built by Indian music apps such as JioSaavn.
But consider this: When Instagram came out, it made everyone a photographer. We’re now in that phase for podcasts, that everyone can start one. It allows a lot more people find an audience for their art.
However, it doesn’t always mean it is great art. People assume that because I make it, I will find an audience. But that is not the case with audio because it is being consumed differently. We interact with audio very different than a visual medium. So, you need a Youtube-ers work ethic, because production and editing are so important.
Image courtesy: Lakshya Datta
There is a statistic out there somewhere that getting 6000 downloads a month is the top 3% of US podcasts. But in India, some of mine can get 100,000 a month or more. We’re playing in a very different landscape.
The Chakkar: Which brings me towards the business of it all. Being a new space, how is this side of things shaping up?
Datta: I will go back to the initial years of Youtube. It is hard. You have to be consistent to grow an audience. I actually didn’t find that success until partnering with these Indian apps. But the business deals are shaping up in a few different forms:
There is the traditional TV model of finding an advertiser and offering them ad time in the show.
There is finding sponsor who adds a “Episode Powered By” tag to the show, and these can be multi-episode deals.
And then there is getting paid to make a show. This from the platforms or other organisations that want a specific show made.
There is a lot of testing going on, no real template exists. As much as I can, I try not to do the business stuff and focus on creative. But one has to do business to be a successful creative these days.
The Chakkar: What’s next for you and for the future of podcasting?
Datta: I have a couple ideas. But one thing specifically I have been thinking about is writing stories specifical for the medium. One of my new shows is a series of WhatsApp messages being sent by someone to his ex. That can only work in the audio format and I want to keep pushing on the innovations to stories that can happen in podcasts.
The Chakkar: And my last question, one that I ask every guest here. What is the role of art and storytelling in society?
Datta: My answer is a bit convoluted. Storytelling is essential; it allows us to explore how we can discuss who we were and could be, through narratives. But the storyteller? They are almost expendable.
What I mean, is that I don’t think we should talk too much about how important the storyteller is. In a way, calling attention to yourself as an artist takes away from that perspective. I feel like you have to be an outsider to tell stories to people on the inside. If you acknowledge that role and power too highly, and become that insider, you eventually take away from the very power of the story being told.
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Varud Gupta is the award-winning author of the graphic novel Chhotu: A Tale of Partition and Love (Comic Con India “Best Writer”) and the travelogue Bhagwaan Ke Pakwaan: Food of the Gods (Gourmand for “Peace”). His words also frequently appear in National Geographic Traveller and Mint Lounge. He received his bachelors in Finance from New York University. You can find him on Twitter: @Varud Gupta and Instagram: @varudgupta.
