Indian spoken word artist Nayab Midha has concluded a six-country international tour spanning Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, taking her poetry and storytelling show Rajkumari to audiences across multiple international cities.
The 2025 tour featured 12 ticketed performances across 12 cities, following a five-city India run. According to the tour’s organisers, the international shows sold out quickly and drew audiences at venues across Europe and Australia and New Zealand.
Nayab Midha’s Six-Country Tour
The international leg of Midha’s tour included performances in cities such as London, Birmingham, Reading, Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Christchurch and Auckland.
The tour also included solo performances in Christchurch and Auckland, with the organisers describing Midha as the first Indian spoken word poet to headline solo shows in those cities.
In Australia, her Sydney and Melbourne performances were described by the organisers as the largest solo poetry and storytelling events by an Indian spoken word artist in the country.
The tour also brought Hindi spoken word performances to sold-out audiences in Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand, according to the tour announcement.
Rajkumari: A Two-and-a-Half-Hour Solo Show
At the centre of the international tour was Midha’s 2.5-hour solo performance, Rajkumari.
The production combines several performance formats, including:
- Poetry
- Storytelling
- Music
- Theatre
- Narrative performance
The show explores themes including womanhood, identity and financial autonomy, using poetry and storytelling to examine women’s relationship with power and independence.
Rather than functioning as a conventional poetry recital, Rajkumari is structured as a longer-form theatrical performance designed for a full-stage setting.
Bringing Hindi Spoken Word to International Audiences
One of the notable aspects of the tour was its focus on presenting Hindi-language spoken word to audiences outside India.
Performances across Europe and Oceania allowed Midha to take a predominantly Hindi poetry format into international venues that are more traditionally associated with comedy, music and mainstream live entertainment.
The tour’s reported ticket prices ranged from approximately USD $50 to $90, positioning the performances within the premium live-entertainment market.
According to the organisers, the pricing strategy was also intended to demonstrate that poetry and spoken word could be presented as a commercially viable ticketed art form rather than being limited to community or low-cost events.
Roshan Abbas Calls Nayab Midha the ‘Female Zakir Khan’
Midha’s stage presence has also drawn comparisons with mainstream Indian performers.
Industry veteran Roshan Abbas described her as the “female Zakir Khan”, pointing to her ability to build an audience around storytelling and spoken-word performance.
The comparison reflects the broader crossover between contemporary Indian spoken word, stand-up comedy and theatrical storytelling, where performers increasingly use narrative-driven formats to connect with large live audiences.
From Engineer to Full-Time Poet
Nayab Midha’s international touring career follows a significant professional transition.
Raised in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, Midha studied engineering and later worked at Infosys. She eventually left her corporate career in 2020 to pursue poetry and performance full-time.
Her transition from an IT career to professional spoken word has become an important part of her artistic journey. Over time, she developed a career combining poetry, storytelling, live performances and digital content.
The international Rajkumari tour represents another stage in that progression, taking a format developed in India to audiences across six countries.
Nayab Midha on Rajkumari and the Tour
Reflecting on the tour, Midha said:
“My work has always been about making space. Rajkumari is my attempt to rewrite the old scripts about women and power. Touring cities where no Indian poet has headlined before is a risk, but opening doors matters. If one young poet back in India believes they can do this full-time because they saw us, everything was worth it.”
Her comments underline the larger ambition behind Rajkumari: using spoken word not only as entertainment but also as a vehicle for conversations around women’s identity, independence and power.
What the Tour Means for Indian Spoken Word
Midha’s six-country tour also highlights the expanding international footprint of Indian spoken word.
By staging a long-form Hindi production in international venues and positioning poetry alongside established live-entertainment formats, the tour demonstrates one possible model for taking Indian-language spoken word to audiences overseas.
The performances in Europe, Australia and New Zealand also broaden the space for Indian poets and storytellers who want to develop ticketed international careers.
For Midha, the journey from an engineering and corporate background to international stages reflects how India’s spoken-word scene has evolved from small poetry gatherings and digital videos into a wider live-performance ecosystem.
With Rajkumari, she has combined poetry, storytelling, music and theatrical performance into a format designed for large audiences—while keeping Hindi-language storytelling at its centre.
