'Humans of Bombay' is quite a popular page on social media with more than a million followers on Facebook and over 2 million followers on Instagram. Karishma Mehta, who founded 'Humans of Bombay', was just 21 years old when she first started the page, featuring stories of Mumbaikars about their life and love.
Karishma, recalling the time she started 'Humans of Bombay', said that the first time she asked a stranger to speak to her, only one woman agreed to do that.
Karishma said, "She was in her mid 50's and recently widowed. We sat there, two strangers, with the city lights twinkling behind us, knowing that we'd connected far beyond the 'stranger' tag. At the end of it, she said, 'Thank you, it feels like a burden has been lifted off my chest.' We parted ways, but I knew I was onto something special."
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Since the first-ever interview that Karishma conducted, 'Humans of Bombay' has grown manifolds, documenting the stories of the people of the city and their struggles - gradually also including businessmen, celebrities, among others.
Speaking about the page's success, Karishma said, "We have thus far raised over 15 crores, paying for surgeries and the education of the lesser privileged, rehabilitating women in the sex trade and in one case, justice for a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for a bomb blast."
Karishma also revealed what she and her team have learned in the 8 years of their journey and said, "Sluicing through the myriad of business, finance, and the whole shebang, the one invaluable skill we have honed, is the art of storytelling," further adding that conclusively, "everyone wants to be heard".
