Vernacular storytelling platform ‘ThisDay’ endeavours to tell lost stories about communities

Ekank Technologies is committed to ushering in a new-age of storytelling which makes history, art, culture, and heritage accessible to the masses through regional content. Co-founded in 2020 by Summit Nayak and Chetan Rexwal, the startup is deeply invested in the idea of democratizing non-fiction by bringing history to the forefront and making culture and heritage-led storytelling mainstream through a combination of design, gamification, and creator-led content that empowers creators to share engaging stories and connect with a wide audience base while simultaneously monetizing their content. Ekank Technologies’ vernacular storytelling platform called ‘ThisDay’ enables storytelling in text, illustrations, and comic format. With over 100 storytellers sharing more than 4000 stories, the platform has built a user base of over 15 million since its inception.

As a Co-Founder, Summit Nayak is responsible for overseeing the business and partnerships at Ekank, Technologies. An alumnus of Delhi Technological University (erstwhile Delhi College of Engineering), Nayak has experience in building consumer internet and AI products. A serial entrepreneur, he also co-founded Staqu Technologies, a leading AI startup in the field of video analytics. “Despite being one of the most diverse countries with a rich heritage and culture, India lacks a platform to share these human-interest stories with a larger audience. Thus, Ekank Technologies was launched to plug this gap with the mission to become a global player in the storyteller economy with something for the storytellers as well as the audiences,” asserts Nayak who wants to lead the brand so that it becomes synonymous with culture-led startups in India.

Chetan Rexwal, the other co-founder of Ekank Technolgies, is responsible for driving technology and product innovation. He completed his graduation in Engineering from USIT, IP University. “We launched ‘ThisDay’ in 2020 to fulfill our desire of telling lost stories about communities, globally,” explains Rexwal who has a decade long experience in the field of technology and product innovation.

At the recently concluded edition of the Jaipur International Festival, ‘ThisDay’ presented a session on the topic ‘Is Hindi the New Cool’ wherein Divya Prakash Dubey and Nishant Jain were in conversation with Aditi Maheshwari-Goyal. In addition to the on-ground experiences, the platform also conducted online competitions to give an opportunity to storytellers, both narratives and designs, from all over the country to tell their tales around history, art, and culture. The top entries received a cash prize and were also showcased by ‘ThisDay’.

“For ages, India's history and culture have been inextricably linked. We anticipate that Indian novelists, filmmakers, singers, and chefs will have a huge impact on Gen Z in the next years. We were thrilled to join the Jaipur Literature Festival as a session partner as it allowed us to display the diversity and richness of India's culture, history, and traditions,” adds Rexwal.

(Inputs from the co-founders of Ekank Technologies, Summit Nayak and Chetan Rexwal)