Every episode goes beyond achievements, headlines, and social media personas to uncover the defining moments that shaped extraordinary people. No scripts. No rehearsed answers. No highlight reels. Just real people sharing the stories that rarely make it into interviews.
Beyond achievements, headlines, and social media personas — uncovering the defining moments that shaped extraordinary people.
Violinist & Composer
In this episode of The Narrativ, we sit down with violin virtuoso @ambisub to talk about what it's really like growing up in one of India's most iconic musical families. He talks candidly about: 🎻 Life as L. Subramaniam's son — and finding his own voice within that legacy
Former Child Actor
He was never supposed to be a star. There was no audition, no grand plan — just a boy who became Swami in Malgudi Days, and overnight, became part of India's collective memory. In this full conversation on The Narrativ with Bala, Master Manjunath takes us behind the legend — what it was like working with some of the greats of Indian cinema and television, the surreal experience of growing up as a face the whole country recognized, and the years that followed once the cameras stopped rolling. He talks candidly about the highs, the quiet struggles, and the moment his own past — the role of Swami itself — unexpectedly came back to change the course of his life and career all over again.
Musician & Composer
What happens when one of India’s most dynamic performers sits down to talk about music, family, struggle and the journey behind the stage? 🎙️ In this candid and unfiltered episode of Narrativ, @vasudixitopens up about his incredible musical journey — from his experiences with @swarathma to building the Vasu Dixit Collective (VDC) and discovering his own identity as a performer. But this conversation goes beyond music. ❤️
Doctor
He's performed some of India's most complex liver transplants — but Dr. Nagesh's real story isn't in the operating theatre. It's in the years before it, when he decided that saving lives shouldn't depend on a patient's bank balance. In this episode of The Narrativ, one of India's most senior gastrointestinal surgeons and gastroenterologists opens up about building the Institute of Gastroenterology & Organ Transplant (IGOT) from the ground up — the early struggles, the skepticism, and the relentless push to make liver transplants accessible for patients who could never have afforded one otherwise. This is a story about medicine, yes. But it's also about what it costs — personally, professionally, financially — to build something that puts people before profit.
Professional Racer
Every racer's highlight reel hides a hundred falls. This is where Aravind KP talks about his. In this episode of The Narrativ with Bala, motorcycle racer Aravind KP takes us back to where it all began — the tough early days on the track, the mistakes that cost him, and the lessons that turned setbacks into strength. No filters, no polish. Just the real journey behind the racer. From near-misses to milestones, this conversation is about resilience, grit, and the price of chasing speed.
Olympic Swimmer & Founder, Nisha Millet Swimming Academy
In this episode of The Narrativ, Nisha Millet speaks with complete honesty about the story behind the story — the years of training with no government support, no funding, and no infrastructure. The devastating moment when the Indian swimming federation denied her a chance to compete at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics — despite qualifying. And the decision, at just twenty-two years old, to retire.
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