Acclaimed spoken word artist and storyteller Nayab Midha has announced her most ambitious project yet — the Rajkumari India Tour 2026, a multi-city journey set to redefine the scale of spoken word poetry in the country. The tour will travel across more than 20 cities from May to October 2026 and will feature a historic stadium-scale performance at Talkatora Stadium, marking one of India’s first-ever large-format events dedicated to spoken word.
Since its debut in 2023, Rajkumari has grown significantly in reach and audience. What began as city performances drawing a few thousand attendees expanded into a global tour in 2025, taking the show to audiences across India, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. With this momentum, the 2026 India edition aims to create a nationwide movement around contemporary performance poetry before heading to international markets including the US, Canada, Singapore, and the UK.
The tour will cover cities such as Indore, Vadodara, Surat, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Mohali, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Ludhiana, Kolkata, Varanasi, Kanpur, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Siliguri, Patna, Pune, Lucknow, Raipur, Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad, bringing spoken word to mainstream stages and larger audiences than ever before.
Nayab Midha said, “This India tour feels like a full-circle moment for me. I started out in Delhi’s slam poetry communities with nothing more than a dream and a microphone, and today, to return as a headline artist across cities and continents is incredibly meaningful. But this journey is no longer just about me. It carries the responsibility of showing thousands of young poets and storytellers that there is a stage for their voices. Rajkumari at this scale is not simply a career milestone; it is a statement. It’s about proving that spoken word poetry deserves the same respect, investment and cultural recognition as any major art form in the country. We’re no longer waiting for a seat at the table; we’re creating our own stage. What started in rooms of 20–30 people has now grown into something far bigger than I ever imagined. This tour is not just about performing at scale, it’s about proving that spoken word poetry deserves the same space, respect and investment as any other performing art. We are no longer waiting for that recognition; we are building it.”
Parul Mundra, Founder & CEO, Tarashna Talent Management said, “Long considered a niche genre with limited footfall, spoken word poetry in India has traditionally existed in intimate spaces such as college classrooms, cafés and small open mics, often drawing audiences of just a few dozen people. Despite its growing cultural relevance, the format has lacked formal industry recognition, with ticketing platforms frequently categorising it under comedy or storytelling. With the Rajkumari Tour, Nayab Midha aims to fundamentally shift that perception. Drawing parallels to the evolution of stand-up comedy in India once an underground movement and now a mainstream entertainment industry, this tour positions spoken word on a similar trajectory, scaling it from intimate gatherings to large-format venues and mainstream audiences.”
Designed as a two-and-a-half-hour immersive experience, Rajkumari blends poetry, storytelling, live music, and theatrical performance. The show explores themes of love, identity, healing, and modern femininity, often described as a gentle yet powerful rebellion against conventional narratives.
Born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, Midha left her engineering career in 2020 to pursue poetry full-time. From underground open mics to sold-out international performances, her journey mirrors a larger cultural shift in how spoken word is perceived, created, and celebrated in India.
