Dr. Himanshu Bajpai is a well-known name in the world of Dastangoi. He has played a major role in taking this art form to the masses. He is also known as the author of Qissa Qissa Lucknowa. But his biggest contribution in the field of Dastangoi is his numerous Dastans on the Indian freedom movement. In this mission, he is being equally supported by Dr. Pragya Sharma, one of the leading female Dastangos in the country.

Dastangoi, which was once known for its tales of magic and sorcery, embraced many modern subjects when it was revived. These included film personalities, Urdu-Hindi litterateurs, mythological stories, folk tales and so on. The duo of Himanshu Bajpai and Pragya Sharma has done something special in Dastangoi. They have adapted the stories of the Indian freedom movement into Dastangoi and infused this art form with the colour of patriotism. For the last several years, they have been travelling across the country and abroad, narrating various stories related to the freedom struggle in the Dastangoi style. Among these, the Dastans on the Kakori Action of 1925, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Mahatma Gandhi, Wajid Ali Shah, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Subhash Chandra Bose, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Girmitiya Mazdoor, Birsa Munda, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru and other subjects have become very famous.

Folk singer Padma Shri Prahlad Singh Tipaniya is a great admirer of Himanshu and Pragya's Dastans based on the national movement. Tipaniya says, "Himanshu and Pragya have narrated many Dastans filled with patriotism. Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Birsa Munda and others... Whatever Dastan these two artists narrate, it has two greatest qualities. Their research is very deep and the images of the British era start flashing before the listeners' eyes."

On making the national movement the subject of Dastangoi, Himanshu Bajpai says, "We, as storytellers, narrate these stories so that the story of our country's independence remains ingrained among the people, remains close to their hearts, and does not remain just a distant tale for them. It is a well-known saying that we never know the true value of our moments until they have passed the test of memory. Storytellers have an important role in preserving the national memory of a nation. These memories alone inspire a nation. Subhadra Kumari Chauhan heard the tale of Rani of Jhansi from the Harbolas of Bundelkhand and then Hindi literature got a timeless poem. Bhagat Singh wrote the poignant life-story of the revolutionaries of the Kakori Action under the pseudonym 'Vidrohi' in Kirti magazine, so that its readers could be bound together by the thread of national sentiment."

Himanshu and Pragya have more than 45 Dastans on different subjects in their repertoire. Out of these, 15 Dastans are based solely on the freedom struggle. Many of the Dastans have had more than 100 performances. Both artists are narrating them at prestigious literary and cultural festivals. They are also presenting them in small and big schools in villages and cities, so that the new generation can understand the importance of the freedom struggle. Pragya says, "Reading the history of the national movement, one comes across hair-raising stories. It is very important for children to know them. The impact of childhood stays with one's personality for a lifetime. That is why we never miss an opportunity to narrate Dastans in schools."

Himanshu's first presentation related to the national movement was 'Dastan-e-Tamanna-e-Sarfaroshi', which was based on the Kakori Action of 9th August, 1925. Himanshu had done three years of intensive research to prepare this Dastan. For this very Dastan, he was also honoured by the then President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Narrating the story of how this Dastan was created, Himanshu says, "When I was a journalist, I had written a report on the neglect of the Kakori Martyrs' Memorial. But that day, a feeling got permanently etched in my heart that I wish I could have done something more on this subject. Then, many years later, when I started doing Dastangoi, I felt that now the story of Kakori could be told in a better way through this medium. Someone has said that telling stories is the most beautiful way of preserving the things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose."

In the journey of Dastangoi, Pragya Sharma joined with the Dastan of Rani of Jhansi. About this Dastan, Pragya says, "Earlier I used to help Himanshu in research work, especially in reading English books. Then when it came to this Dastan, Himanshu told me that there must be a female voice in the Dastan of Rani of Jhansi. Will you do Dastangoi? It won't work if we narrate it alone. I joined him, we rehearsed a lot and narrated the Dastan. People liked it very much. From there, one Dastan after another started coming." Pragya and Himanshu are also planning to narrate tales of freedom through Instagram Reels, so that these stories can be widely promoted among Gen Z.