Journalist, storyteller
Kuldeep Mishra hosts Teen Taal, one of India’s most popular comedy podcasts. His listeners fondly call him “Sardar” , a nickname that has, by now, become almost an official designation.At The Lallantop, Kuldeep serves as Executive Editor, where he leads the editorial team and helps steer its journalistic direction. He also heads the podcast venture for the India Today Group.With nearly 16 years in journalism, Kuldeep has worked across print, radio, television and digital media; essentially, he has seen journalism evolve from ink and microphones to thumbnails and algorithms.Take away the seriousness that comes with the newsroom, though, and Kuldeep turns into a storyteller. He has a deep love for language, especially its regional flavours, and is equally fond of Haryanvi, Awadhi and Braj.For him, language is not just about words; it is about accents, idioms, memories, characters and the soil they come from. And if a good story happens to take a few entertaining detours before reaching the point, he certainly won’t complain.
Kamlesh Singh, Kuldeep Mishra, Asif Khan in conversation with Atul Tiwari