From Kolkata to the World: How Ohh Folk!! Rekindles the Art of Storytelling

From Kolkata to the world, a voice has chosen a deliberate, lasting pace- the pace of stories, in a world obsessed with fast content and fleeting attention.

Meet Shilpa Das Gupta, a South Asian media professional from Kolkata. Her globally-renowned podcast, Ohh Folk!!, is an effort to resurrect the ancient practice of oral storytelling for people today.

Where Stories Transcend Time

Step into a world where stories never fade. Ohh Folk!! is more than just a podcast; it’s a bridge across centuries and cultures. Featured as one of the Top 50 Global Folklore Podcasts by Feedspot and officially recognised by the American Folklore Society, this podcast reveals extraordinary and quirky folktales from around the world. 

Shilpa Das Gupta, the show’s creator and host, reveals the lesser-known stories that travel quietly via word of mouth; the stories that may be missed in our modern popular culture. Some of the stories are creepy, some amusingly witty and wise, and others reflect a simple observation on life. What they share in common is an element of transcendence from the prevailing times that provides appreciation for human existence. 

Every episode carries listeners on an experience of history, mystery and cultural context,  magically sharing (sometimes spine-tingling, sometimes heartwarming) stories told with differing degrees of legendary manner, and ancient tales with generative layers of wisdom. Shilpa’s immersive storytelling has the rare quality of feeling like time and space travel, without ever leaving the headphone experience.

Stories That Travel Beyond Borders

Ohh Folk!! brings together a mix of eerie legends, moral tales, and heartfelt parables, all retold with care and imagination. Every episode shares an old tale with a perspective fit for contemporary ears, while staying true to the origins. In an era when social media incentivises speed and length of content, Ohh Folk!! chooses slowness: the pace that allows for a story to breathe. Shilpa’s storytelling makes her audiences feel as though they are listening to a wise elder by the fire – and where the pause, as much as the word, matters.

From Kolkata’s Stories to a Global Mic

Shilpa was born and raised in Kolkata within a home where stories were part of life, folk legends from Bengal, mythic stories from epics, and the small stories that come through every family. These stories offered her understanding of people, emotions, and history very long before a textbook did. 

That upbringing informed her worldview, along with her own inclination towards storytelling. Then, when she lived abroad, she understood how stories connect people regardless of geography. Ohh Folk!! became her way to preserve that connection while sharing the richness of oral traditions with a global audience.

“Folktales remind us who we are,” says Shilpa. “They carry lessons our ancestors left behind.”

Now living in the U.S., she continues to record and produce episodes after work hours, balancing her podcast alongside her full-time job and family life. It’s not a commercial project but a personal commitment: a way of keeping old voices alive in the digital age.

Keeping an Old Tradition Alive

The idea for Ohh Folk!! came during the pandemic, when isolation made everyone turn inward. While many people turned to screens, Shilpa turned to sound. She began recording from her living room after work, determined to give voice to stories that might otherwise disappear.

In an online world full of short clips and noise, her slow, careful storytelling feels personal. Each episode is prepared with attention, researched introductions, simple narration, and quiet background sounds that make the story feel close.

Common Threads in Many Cultures

Listeners frequently write to mention that a story from Japan reminds them of a Bengal story or that an African parable feels familiar to their own family tale. For Shilpa, this is the core of the project: uncovering what people share in the stories they tell.

Some of her recurring themes include:

• The link between South Asian roots and global stories
• Shared morals and emotions are found across cultures
• How folklore builds understanding between people
• The growing space for women in storytelling
• The role of podcasts in keeping oral traditions alive

The Voice Behind the Work

Shilpa Das Gupta is a vibrant technology influencer. She served as an education technologist, voiced over, told stories, and broadcast podcasts. The excitement of history and cultural studies is embedded in her practice and process. As an enthusiastic researcher and content creator, she boasts a long and rich history of quality project development within multiple genre platforms.

She brings over a decade of multicultural experience in both Indian and U.S. media and education sectors to her storytelling with skill and depth. Her expertise in technology enables her control over the production process, while cultural influence keeps her narrative talking in a personal and authentic tone.

It’s this mix of professionalism and heart that gives Ohh Folk!! It’s a steady, honest tone. She doesn’t dramatise her stories. She tells them simply, letting the listener do the imagining.

Final Thoughts

Oh, Folk!! distinguishes itself because it doesn’t hurry to amuse; it prefers to create connections. In every tale, from India to Iceland, there is something that is human and does not change.

With her voice, Shilpa Das Gupta restores the uncomplicated ability to listen that asks for patience and rewards it with understanding. Her work shows that stories still know how to hold their power in the digital world, simply by telling them honestly.

From the courtyards of Kolkata to a broader audience, she carries on a practice that will always have someone willing to listen.