Habitat – My First Performance Venue

In 2016, although I had written extensively, I had never actually performed open-mic poetry. Writing had always been my primary form of expression, with speaking coming second. So, when I decided to take the stage for my first performance at The Habitat in Khar, I was nervous, especially doing it alone.

I wanted to build my confidence, and this seemed like the only way to do it. Coincidentally, 2016 was also the year The Habitat was founded. It became the place where I made my debut as an artist.

The Habitat quickly became a safe space where I forged friendships with fellow poets and artists. I still remember the moment that turned my life around—stepping onto that dimly lit stage, microphone in hand. It felt like opening a door I had been too afraid to touch before. 

Some of the people I shared space with over there are Zoheb Khan, Bikram Bumrah, Kunal Jhawar, Navaldeep Singh, Jackie Thakkar, Simar Singh, Aranya Johar, Rakesh Tiwari, Ramneek Singh, Hussain Haidry, Kartikey Sehgal, Neeraj Pandey, Aishwarya Geete, Faizan Faizz, Apoorva Arya,  ​Neeraj Pandey, Ababil Hussain, Sudeep Pagedar, Sunny Chandel, etc.

The first time I performed at The Habitat, I could feel my heart beating so loudly that it seemed to drown out the audience's chatter. But in that space, surrounded by strangers united by a shared love of poetry, I felt at home.

The Habitat became my regular venue for poetry performances, and with each week, my confidence grew. Vulnerability was not only accepted but celebrated. It was a place where spoken words carried weight, and the silence following a poem was a sign that the audience was truly absorbing the poetry—without judgment.

Performing my first poem at The Habitat marked the beginning of shedding my shyness and building my confidence. Open mic is not just about poetry; it's about finding a community that listens and embraces the fear of being seen and heard. For me, The Habitat became a space where I realized that my words, once spoken aloud, had the power to transform everything around me—including myself.

It was also where I built a network of poetry friends who would later support me when I organised my first open mic event – Limits Make Things Too Small in 2017.

As I spent time performing at The Habitat, I began to see that performing wasn’t just about speaking words but sharing a part of myself with others. My poems, though written in solitude had a voice that could be heard, felt and even understood by a community that celebrated authenticity. It wasn’t just about crafting a poem, but it was about being vulnerable enough to allow people in, and the silence that followed it; letting other people witness what you felt. 

 

Organising my event wasn’t just a way to showcase my work, but it was also a celebration of the friendships that I had made and the collective vulnerability that The Habitat had nurtured. It felt like I was giving back a piece of the space that had given me so much. It was about creating a platform where others could also find their voices, just as I had.