‘Voices’ storytelling show brings laughter, history and hope to Charles River Museum

The “Voices” storytelling show, hosted by experimental theater group Off-Kendrik in collaboration with We Are Waltham’s Chandreyee Lahiri, brought tales of laughter, history and hope to the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation last Friday.

Lahiri opened the show by asking audience members to “be participants, not just passive listeners” with “open hearts and open minds.” 

The show featured seven storytellers who shared personal stories in the style of popular podcast “The Moth.” The storytellers were cast and coached by Lahiri, Mahua Sen and Urmi Purakayastha. 

The first story was told by Shoham Bhadra, a tech professional and swing dancer. He recounted his journey of “sanding down the foreign edges” of his name to Sho in an effort to fit in and eventually finding pride in his name as it is. 

Chetan Tiwari, a civil rights attorney and writer, shared how he framed his life experience through Nazar, an unseen negative force that gets you when you least expect it, and how he eventually broke free from its grasp in an experience at his daughter’s jiu jitsu class.

Meenakshi Garodia, a multimedia artist, told a tale of how she learned to overcome the unspoken rules around female independence that she grew up with through a problem-solving trip through Iceland with her sisters.

Nidhi Lal, a family physician and clinical associate professor at the Chobanian Avedesian School of Medicine, shared the story of a client whose harrowing life experience played a part in a more holistic view of his health.

Pooja Saraff, a psychologist with a passion for dance and writing, recounted how a visit to an Indian grocery store while living in Houston for an internship created a musical community that felt like home.

Longtime Boston resident Hamida Merchant shared a story about how looking more like her father than her “beauty queen” mother turned into a gift during a period of great change in her life.

Rajesh Mirchandani, a professional storyteller and podcast host, rounded out the show with a tale of how the “magic and mystery” of a recipe passed down through generations has become a family story he continues to tell each time he makes it.

The event culminated with a panel featuring perspectives of the Iranian diaspora moderated by Off-Kendrik’s artistic director Sankha Bhowmick. Three panelists shared the uncertainty, confusion and terror of having family members in Iran amid the Iran war and internal political unrest. A panelist closed the show by singing the famous civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” and expressed hope that things would be better some day, though she said she was unsure how that change would come about.