Humans of Hyderabad: Focusing on the human element

Turning her own curiosity into a cause, one of our own kind, picked up a camera to tell the stories of real people, often unheard,  through social media. Let’s chat with Rachana Choudary Tummala, the woman behind Humans of Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A stone-carver, a former Devadasi, a homosexual couple, a buttermilk vendor, a yoga teacher, a stray- rescuer - these are people we walk past every day without realising their story, their struggle or strength. We live in the same community as them and often never have an opportunity to know the life they have lived or just how different yet similar all of us as humans are. Humans of Hyderabad, a social media channel took it upon themselves to bring out such stories which go unheard and are worth telling.

Rachana Choudary Tummala who spearheads the initiative sits down for a chat about the inspiration behind Humans of Hyderabad and what it means to her.  Rachana who is a psephologist (a person who studies and scientifically analyses elections) already was one of the few people in India who had pursued the stream professionally.

Humans of Hyderabad, however, came to her three years ago as a stroke of inspiration at random. “Humans of New York and Humans of Bombay had already gained momentum and the concept was fairly familiar to people. I wondered why we never had anything in our region in the same manner. Although we had named it Humans of Hyderabad, it focuses on the stories throughout Telangana,” explains Rachana.

The Nalgonda fluorosis issue was highlighted through the story of a young man deformed due to the contamination in the district.

So where do they find these stories? “There is no plan,” quips Rachana. She adds, “We have a general idea of the issues that some people might be facing in certain regions. We drove off to Kothagudem to find out about the water crisis and came across a tribal woman in labour writhing in pain, who was carried 25 kilometres on a cot until they reached a proper road to transport her to the nearest hospital.

Now these tribes are very conservative and like to keep their territory untouched. But they obviously have reached out to the government to ease access to their village without tampering their homes. Bringing attention to the problem in such a personal manner, led to sanctioning of an ambulance to the area. We were able to cover this story without looking for it. These are the kind of stories that are fulfilling. And you know what, all these people are just waiting for someone to listen to them.”

It has been three years since the inception of this page and it now has just under ten thousand followers. Rachana, however, is unfazed. “The intention was not to go viral or be a sensation. I have no hurry. The content is reaching the people who want to know these stories and not because it’s shoved down their throats,” she says nonchalantly.

There are easier ways to grab eyeballs and that is to feature A list celebrities so that they can feed off their following. “I am dead against featuring celebrities. It’s for a simple reason that their stories have been told and retold over and over again,” says the 26-year-old. “The few times we featured celebrities, we actually didn’t get great feedback,” she laughs. 

Rachana also points out that they are still in the phase where people are warming up to the idea of people’s stories being just that - stories. “Often if we share a happy story – say of a couple in love – there are a few who outrage over it. They have just been used to reading stories of struggle that a happy story suddenly seems like a distraction. But I think with a good mix slowly and surely our audience will understand the concept and our vision better,” she says.

Speaking of feedback, showcasing such a diverse set of struggles may lead to some nitpicking on them. Rachana makes sure she answers all of them. She admits, “That’s our job. We scroll through every message every feedback we receive and sometimes even respond appropriately. But on a happier note, we receive more positive feedback than negative. There are folks who ask us how they can help the person in the post and that’s what makes our day.”

With round table discussions, sing-along sessions and other on-ground activities, Humans of Hyderabad is on its way to connect more personally with the community. But on the administrative end, ask her what the plan is and she quips, “The plan is that there is no plan!”