Mohnish SinghBy: Mohnish Singh
In a convergence of stories, shayari, music, comedy, and art, SpokenFest ’24 will see the participation of director-singer couple Rekha and Vishal Bhardwaj, comedian Zakir Khan, singer-lyricist Swanand Kirkire, and writer-comedian Varun Grover among others.
Organised by cultural storytelling hub Kommune, the festival will be held here at Jio World Garden on February 3-4.
The mega spectacle promises to be a vibrant celebration of words, weaving together various forms such as stories, music, poetry, shayari, comedy, and art installations, a press release said.
The festival line-up will see an array of performances, including actors Amol Parashar, Gopal Dutt, and Sriti Jha sharing personal stories as well as poetry reading by the likes of Varun Grover, Hussain Haidry, Swanand Kirkire, Nayab Midha, and Azhar Iqbal.
At the same time, indie music lovers will be able to enjoy the beats of Ankur Tewari, Tejas Menon, Rahgir, DOT, and the soulful tunes by Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj.
Roshan Abbas, the founder of Kommune, said SpokenFest ’24 is not just a festival “but a comforting embrace filled with captivating stories, poetry, and music”.
“Moreover, with the much-anticipated return of Zakir Khan, making a comeback after his phenomenal performance in 2017, it’s an even more special occasion. So join us as we host Zakir and other amazing artists like Nikita Gill, Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj, Abish Mathew, Niharika NM, Dolly Singh, Varun Grover, Amol Parashar, and Nayab Midha. With 75 artists across two days, it’s a treat for the ears and balm for the soul,” Abbas said in a statement.
The festival will also have experiences like ‘Blind Book Date’, ‘De-stressZone’, ‘Vinyl Listening Station’, ‘Poetry Buskers’, Board game stations, Book exchanges, Podcasting, writing workshops and Kahani Ki Dukan – stories from Himachal Pradesh, fostering meaningful connections.
It also introduces a dedicated kid’s zone, featuring engaging workshops, games, and storytelling performances crafted for and by kids where kids also get their unique moment to perform on stage.
For those looking to hone their craft, SpokenFest ’24 will host a series of workshops – from Ghazal Writing Workshop with lyricist Swapnil Tewari to a Storytelling Workshop, led by well-known author Divya Prakash Dubey, and an Interactive Poetry Workshop, conducted by the internationally acclaimed poet Nikita Gill.
