5 Women Spoken Word Artists We Can Relate To

Abraham Joshua Herschel once said, "Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts as a sound, ends in a deed." It is relatable because words can move hearts and have the power to change the world. And when they are weaved poetically way, they have the power to get ingrained in minds and influence thought processes.  

I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr and Ain't I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth both moved the systems, One helped African Americans access civil rights across the country and another laid the foundation for the advocation of equal rights for women respectively. Though they were speeches but had poetic rhythm. In contemporary times- Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega by Aamir Aziz became a symbol of CAA protest. Aranya Johar recited A Brown Girl's Guide to Gender, she highlighted the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case and called on misogyny-induced society. It reached millions. 

Spoken words can help to heal, feel good, and reflect on thoughts. Sometimes help accept that being long denied and moving words can contemplate the heaviness of unresolved emotions. The themes could be anything unrequited love, motherly love, man-child behaviour, or a nostalgic college time. Spoken words can take many forms. 

India has a great talent for doing spoken word poetry and can also be called an alternate version of 'mushayre'. With growing open mic events and companies launching spoken word artists, many have started seeing this as a promising career as well, for a few it is also a side hustle. Let's meet a few fascinating talents and go through their work so far.

Women Spoken Word Artist

Priya Malik

Priya Malik through her poetries is giving definitions of love. In one of her poetry 2019 Mein 1999, she says "casual dating ki is duniya mein, hath pakadne wala dhund rahi hua." She is looking at love from different time spans and finding love in the modern age. Through her poetry, she tackles issues of divorce, cheating, and how to vocally express love. Priya Malik has been an actor, poet, storyteller, and teacher. She completed her initial schooling in Dehradun and pursued a master's degree in Australia. In 2021, she did a short film Sheer Korma playing the role of Susan and earlier scene in India's reality show Bigg Boss.

Nidhi Narwal

Nidhi Narwal's storytelling weaves words that one can easily relate to. She elaborately presented how loneliness looks like be it being an Odd Man Out in childhood or Koi Toh Zaroor Hoga. Narwal has a fresh take on everything that is associated with negativity. In one of her poetry- Andhera, she says, " Andhera Neend Mukammal karta hai, neend Kaskar Ankho mein chubhati hai (Darkness lets you sleep, the sun keeps you awake, so how is night bad)." For Narwal poetry is home. 

Nayab Midha

Nayab Midha is known for poetry titled Muskurao, where she is giving reasons to smile and be happy irrespective of what is going wrong in life. Nayab Midha usually writes and performs stories drawn out of her experiences. Her work includes stories about her mother and father. The two different pieces, and in both she discussed her bond and relationship with her parents. She has a different take on mother, not of sacrificing and all. She is in fact told by her mother how not to sacrifice, which can inspire us. Midha hails from Rajasthan and worked in Public relations. 

Kena Shree

Shree through her poetry calls out on toxic relatives. Through her poetry titled Toxic Rishtedaar, she discussed her story of being a rebel Bahu who stood up for her rights gracefully. Kena Shree talks about everything contemporary for example her piece Tumhare liye kya important hai. She is discussing social media, the internet, technology, and what is important for you. She through her storytelling picks up issues like why beauty is the only parameter, periods, and gender discrimination. Kena Shree in her bio wrote- I hope you find ‘something’ in my ‘everything’. For me it means, she is putting her life into her performance, somehow it might inspire and motivate. Kena Shree has worked as an HR professional. 

Gurleen Arora

Gurleen Arora also goes by the pen name Melancholia. She identifies herself as non-Binary. She is an actor, drag artist, curator, writer, and co-Founder of The gay gaze Bombay. In her Man Woman spoken poetry question- if we both are needed to create, then why can't we be both? By this, she means if men and women are required to create a new being, then why a person can't be a man and a woman both? 

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