India, Apr 17: Acclaimed spoken word artist and storyteller Nayab Midha has announced her most ambitious project to date — the Rajkumari India Tour 2026, a first-of-its-kind, multi-city journey that marks a defining moment for spoken word poetry in India. The tour will travel across over 20 cities nationwide and will include a historic stadium-scale performance at Talkatora Stadium, widely regarded as one of the first events of its kind for poetry and spoken word in the country.
Since its inception in 2023, Rajkumari has grown exponentially in both scale and reach. The debut drew over 5,000 attendees across Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Indore, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Surat, Lucknow, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Delhi, Mumbai & More. In 2025, the tour expanded globally, reaching over 10,000 attendees across Indian cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Jaipur and international markets such as London, Dublin, Reading, Birmingham, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Berlin, Melbourne, Sydney, Christchurch and Auckland. The international leg positioned Nayab Midha among the first Indian spoken word artists to headline large-scale performances in these global markets, redefining the reach and ambition of the genre.
The Rajkumari India Tour 2026 will run from May to October 2026 and travel through key 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, creating a nationwide movement around contemporary performance poetry. Following the India run, the tour will also travel to US, Canada, Singapore and UK.
Nayab Midha states “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.”Adding on Parul Mundra, Founder & CEO, Tarashna Talent Management states “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.”
At its core, Rajkumari is designed as a two-and-a-half-hour immersive experience that blends poetry, storytelling, live music, and theatrical performance. Often described as a ‘gentle rebellion’, the show challenges conventional narratives around love, identity and selfhood, while exploring themes of modern femininity, healing and personal agency.
Born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, Nayab Midha left a stable engineering career in 2020 to pursue poetry full-time, a decision that has since redefined the possibilities of the genre. From underground slam poetry circuits in Delhi to sold-out shows across continents, her journey reflects not only personal success but a larger cultural shift in how spoken word is created, consumed and valued.
Tickets for Rajkumar India Tour 2026 are available on BookMyShow.
