Eight years ago, a page on Facebook called Humans of Bombay made its digital debut. The blog, complete with wholesome and moving real stories, was the voice of Mumbaikars they didn’t know they needed. The popularity of all digital platforms of Humans of Bombay remains uncontested, but it is the stories that set it apart. Founded by Karishma Mehta, the page covers a mixed bag of stories that best emulate the spirit of the Maximum city. In the process of capturing the quirk of the city, the blog has explored phenomenal stories of the people of Mumbai, formerly Bombay. The posts hit the spot, with several of them going viral. After eight years of collecting chronicles from all corners of Mumbai, Mehta is now opening up about her own journey. A gamut of human emotions — stories of love, healing, humble roots, strength, grit, shades of jugaad — all covered under one umbrella. Mehta, who strongly believes that the key to India’s soul is its people, shares that listening to their stories changed her in a way that nothing else has.

“I was 21 when I founded Humans of Bombay and through these 8 years, I’ve had what seems like multiple MBA courses simultaneously. But sluicing through the myriad of business, finance, and the whole schbang, the one invaluable skill we have honed is the art of storytelling,” says Mehta during an interview, excerpts of which are posted on her own page.

It all started when Mehta came across the uber-popular Humans of New York page on Facebook by photographer Brandon Stanton. It made sense to Mehta, who did not find any similar photo blog about Mumbai. Thus Humans of Bombay’s inception. The blog started off on Facebook, but has now shifted in its own home, humansofbombay.in.

Human of Bombay Founder Shares Her Story: ‘We Have Paid for Surgeries, Education’

Founder and first human at the popular Humans of Bombay page has opened up about her eight year journey since starting this venture.