Of words, voices, stories
Updated On: 06 January, 2019 09:07 AM IST | Nasrin Modak Siddiqi
The latest edition of Spoken Fest is back in the city with a list of more vibrant voices
There'll be art enthusiasts, artistes, wordsmiths, storytellers and songwriters from across the globe
One evening while listening to artistes al fresco at the Hyde Park in London, actor-director Roshan Abbas realised, that back home, there is not a single platform for word artistes. That was three years ago. “I wanted to create a festival where you can actually listen to performance under the sky, something that is the Holy Grail of the spoken art form, like what Coachella is to music or Edinburgh is to art,” says Abbas.
In its previous edition in October, Kalki Koechlin’s dramatic performance had garnered a lot of attention. This time, we have artistes collaborate with other artistes to come up with something, “that has never been seen before and will never be seen again — that’s our idea,” he adds. For instance, Kubra Sait and Rajshri Deshpande are coming up with a rare collab and the hip-hop-meets-jazz girl Akua Naru will have a rare performance. A blend of first and old timers, this is a gathering of personalities, people and passions where you’ll experience touching truths, comic insights, emotional ballads and fiction in English, Hindi, Urdu and Kannada.
There’ll be art enthusiasts, artistes, wordsmiths, storytellers, songwriters, poets and performers from across the globe to share their art. Afternoons will be about swapping stories and learning the word craft at workshops, while evenings will be about guitar jams and sing-alongs under the open sky and fairy lights with a backdrop of bazaar and food stalls. “One thing we haven’t done, is lazy programming. We haven’t just got you someone who is a good performer and make you listen to them. Instead, we’ve had them collaborate and work on creating something legendary for you. For the artiste, the fest serves as an inspiration and a place to be spotted by talent hunters. For the audience, it’s a place where words leave a mark on them. As much as we go digital, we are humans and our need to connect will forever stay intact, at least until we become ‘one’ with our device. The world is full of stories, we are just providing a platform to tell them,” adds Abbas.
What: Kommune Spoken Fest
When: January 12 and 13
Where: JioGarden, BKC
Entry: Rs 899 onwards
Log on: insider.in
ADVERTISEMENT
Poll
Who will win the Punjab Elections?
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Tags
Trending Stories
Latest Web Stories
Latest Photos
06 August, 2026 08:34 PM IST | In Photos: Hiroshima Day Silent Peace March 2026
Preshit Deorukhkar
17 December, 2025 11:56 AM IST | IN PHOTOS: MLAs at Vidhan Bhavan during Maharashtra Legislative Council polls
Asif Ali Sayed
09 September, 2024 09:32 PM IST | IN PHOTOS: People in Mumbai celebrate Gauri Puja during Ganeshotsav
Asif Ali Sayed
09 September, 2024 09:13 PM IST | IN PHOTOS: Mumbai witnesses sunny weather as rains take a break
Asif Ali Sayed
Latest Videos
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest Headlines
20 August, 2026 09:25 PM IST | mid-day online correspondent
19 August, 2026 07:14 PM IST | Makepeace Sitlhou
19 August, 2026 11:50 AM IST | Test Tushar
12 August, 2026 07:33 PM IST | Oshin Fernandes