A creative community in Bengaluru
A place where stories feel at home.
Poetry, stories, music and conversations — a creative community in Bengaluru where you can come to perform, listen, meet people and be yourself.
Next Qissa
The next Qissa is being planned.
Dates, venue and the signup link are announced on our Instagram and WhatsApp first. Check back soon — Aangan, Saancha and Dhaaga each come around every month.
Three ways in
Every Qissa Ghar gathering has its own shape.
Come to hear people read. Come to write badly and fix it out loud. Come to sit with one idea and see what it pulls out of a room.
Aangan
Once a monthThe open mic
Our regular gathering. Poetry, stories, songs and everything in between, performed by 15 people who signed up to be brave — plus whoever the bowl picks.
- 15 performance slots, booked in advance
- Poetry, stories, songs — perform in any language you think in
- Slots sold out? Your name still goes in the bowl
Saancha
Once a monthThe writing room
A story-writing special. You write, share, get feedback, and write again — two or three stories take shape over an afternoon.
- Guided writing exercises, then you write
- Feedback between rounds, not just at the end
- Two or three stories across about four hours
Dhaaga
Once a monthStories, perspectives and connection
A prompt, a room, and people who show up for it. Everyone connects around one idea, then sits together to talk about what it stirred up.
- One written prompt — unsaid thoughts, adhoori baatein
- Everyone responds to the same thread
- Ends with sitting together and talking it through
What it feels like
You don't have to know anyone to belong here.
Most people walk in alone the first time. Nervous, holding a phone with something half-written on it, not sure if it's any good.
Then someone reads before them and their voice shakes a little too. And the room listens anyway. That's usually the moment it stops being scary.
Nobody is judged here. Come as you are — in whichever language you think in.
Come for the words. Stay for the people.
The performances end, but the evening doesn't. We keep at least half an hour aside for chai and conversation — because that part is not an afterthought, it's the point.
- Perform
- Listen
- Meet
- Talk
- Collaborate
People who met in this room have gone on to build things together — their own shows, their own audiences. We didn't plan that. It just happens when you put the right people in a room and give them time to talk.
The bowl
15 spots are guaranteed. The rest is fate.
Every Aangan has 15 performance slots, booked in advance. When they're gone, they're gone — but that has never been the end of the story.
Write your name
On a chit, at the door. That's the whole application.
Drop it in the bowl
A real bowl. It sits where everyone can see it.
The host draws
Two or three names, depending on how much time is left.
You're up
If it's your name, the stage is yours.
We've thought about digitising this. We're not going to. Half the fun is watching the room go quiet while a hand goes into the bowl.
Featured Artist
The room decides who comes back.
At the end of every Aangan the audience picks who moved them most — hands up, counted out loud, no panel and no scoring rubric. The performer they choose becomes the next session's Featured Artist: a free slot at the next Qissa, and something to take home.
New here?
Things people ask before their first Qissa.
If your question isn't here, message us on Instagram — but most of it is answered below.
Can I perform? Do I need experience?
Anyone can perform. Plenty of people at Qissa Ghar are reading out loud for the first time in their lives, and the room is built for exactly that.
How do I get a performance slot?
Each Aangan has 15 slots, booked in advance through the event link. Performers pay for their slot. Once the 15 are taken, the bowl is how you get on stage.
How long do I get on stage?
Slot lengths vary by event — usually somewhere between six and ten minutes. The exact time is listed on each event.
Can I just come and listen?
Yes, and lots of people do. Audience entry is ₹199. You are not expected to perform, and nobody will put you on the spot.
What happens if the slots are sold out?
Write your name on a chit and put it in the bowl. The host draws two or three names during the event. It's genuinely random — that's the point.
Is Qissa Ghar only for poets?
No. Poetry, stories, songs and music all belong on this stage. Perform in whichever language you think in.
What happens after the performances?
We keep at least half an hour for chai and conversation. This is the part people come back for — you'll meet more people here than at almost any other event in the city.
Find your way into the Qissa.
Come and listen. Or bring the thing you've been too nervous to read out loud. Both are how people start here.