Last night, I went to see Laksh Maheshwari at the Boston Lyric Theater. He is a prominent storyteller from India, an investment banker turned storyteller who decided to follow his passion and do what he truly wanted to do in life.
He brought his show, Khushiyan.
It was amazing to sit back, listen, and absorb.
He didn't necessarily tell us anything new. We all know, in some way, what happiness means and what makes us happy. But what he did was beautifully bring together centuries of research, wisdom, and philosophy from the Vedas, Upanishads, Quran, Bible, Judaism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Different faiths, different philosophies, thousands of years of wisdom, and yet, so many common messages about what it means to live a happy and meaningful life.
It was fascinating to sit among a crowd of younger people and listen to him talk about something so universal. His way of presenting familiar ideas made me look at happiness from a different perspective. It was fun, engaging, and thought-provoking.
I was particularly fascinated by his earlier storytelling around Main Tainu Phir Milangi - Story of Amrita Pritam- Sahir and Imroz. That story had its own magic.
But Khushiyan was different. It was more philosophical, more connected to everyday life. Rather than narrating someone else's story, he was making us think about our own stories.
And somewhere along the way, I realized that this was not just about listening to a storyteller. It was about reflecting on my own life, my choices, my relationships, and my understanding of happiness.
After the show, I got an opportunity to meet him.
Perhaps we all have stories to tell. Some are about other people, some are about the world around us, and some are simply about the lives we have lived.
We don't always need to hear a new story. Sometimes we need to hear an old truth in a way that helps us understand our own story a little better.
A storyteller meeting another storyteller.
