The power of poetry is often untranslatable into words. Once you find that voice that speaks to you, you feel a chill run down your spine with every one of its syllables. Poetry affects different people in different ways; it can heal, inspire, enrage and even spark joy in the darkest of spaces inside you. It is a special kind of power that allows us to speak to each and every person on an intimate level.

Spoken Fest 3.0 is a one such stage for vibrant voices, poets that brought us to tears, storytellers that spun us around with their words, comedians that made us think and laugh and musicians that took us on a soulful journey of sounds. Around a thousand people gathered for the two day weekend festival, (held on 11^th and 12^th January 2020), under the full moon at JioGarden, BKC.

People sauntered from stage to stage, attending workshops on fan fiction writing with Mayur Puri a screenwriter, lyricist and actor, or a workshop on podcasting with Roshan Abbas who broke down the basis of podcasting with Spotify and master classes with Rudy Francisco, who exposed us youth to the genre of ‘Spoken Words’. 

Spoken Fest 2020 would not have been complete without Ankur Tiwari jamming on his guitar, taking us back to the comfort of our homes, as we let loose and belted our hearts out as we sang along to his hits like Dil Beparvah, Mohobbat Zindabad and others.

Spoken Fest is a platform that brings people together from all over, to speak openly. Rudy Francisco and Shane Koyczan along with Shantanu Anand addressed what it’s like to be ‘Men in Poetry’ by touching our hearts with their words. Shane Koyczan had a way of expressing himself and letting us know that we weren’t alone in this world. 

It was heartening to see many upcoming artists like Mithali Palkar, Megha Rao express their concerns on mental health, womanhood and share their thoughts on ‘Pyar and Dosti’ and their struggles in their everyday life. Many comedians and poets openly addressed the growing issue on mental health. Comedian Rohan Joshi expressed his struggles with anxiety and depression, poet Rudy Francisco touched our hearts and brought tears to our eyes with his powerful piece “My Honest Poem” reminding us that we are only human and we break and heal in our own time. 

The event not only included storytellers or poets or comedians, but musicians from Sufi, classical to indie rock and timeless Jazz, that swept us off our feet and took us away through time. The Delhi based Peter Cat Recording Co. (PCRC) were timeless, their music serene, taking us on a soulful, but bizarre psychedelic journey with their songs like Floated By. The ultimate raw talent in spinning words around, the poets, The Local Train, an upcoming Indian Hindi rock band got us on our feet, pumping the air and banging our heads to their raw synergizing performance, with strong lyrical messages in Hindi and Urdu on love and politics. Khudi was one such song that left us teary eyed and at the same time got the crowd screaming as they sang along. Slight Diversion and Tabe Chake were brilliant with their music, making us think and whimper at the same time. Words are truly powerful and carry such soul with them. No one felt lonely that night.

Spoken Fest is a phenomenal platform, where people unite under one sky to voice out and speak as one. There is no lack of young minds in India, pouring out their heart and soul onto the pages of Instagram or any other social media platforms, ruffling feathers with their opinions and views on politics. Not only storytellers, but comedians, poets and many other artists boldly shed light on the dire situation that not only our country is facing but the entire world as a whole is going through, as one powerful voice. 

Apart from the whirlwind of words and soulful music, the artwork was one sight not to be missed. From the aesthetically organized modern sculptures like gigantic red sunglasses to the engaging stalls of bumble and storytelling, to blind dates with books, there was no shortage of creativity and rhythm.

As the sun began to set, the garden was beautifully lit resembling a gigantic wonderland where positivity and soul hung in the air. What is fest without some lip smacking food to continue in the festive mood? With a huge variety of mouth-watering dishes from authentic grilled cheese sandwiches, momos and dim sums, to pizzas and fries, no one went home hungry. White Owl, Stanger and Sons, set the mood right as people kicked back on the lawns with a beverage in their hands, music on their lips and passion in their hearts as they enjoyed the ambience with their friends and let loose their spirit.

This year’s Spoken Fest was a perfect end to a perfect weekend, where we faced our thoughts, let our hearts sway, learned a lot, expressed like never before and truly found ourselves. 

Can’t wait for the next edition.

By Salome D’Gama

Salome D’Gama is a voracious reader, loves travelling and listening to music with Prateek Kuhad, Lagori and Ankur Tewari her favorites. In her spare time you won’t find her lazing around, she would be busy either sketching or doodling random prints in books and napkins.