Poetry · Stories · Music · Bengaluru
A place where stories feel at home.
Once a month, fifteen people read, sing or tell a story to a room that actually listens. Then everyone stays for chai. Come to perform — or just to listen.
Next Quissa
The next Quissa is being planned.
Dates, venue and the booking link go out on Instagram and WhatsApp first. Aangan, Saancha and Dhaaga each come around about once a month.
Perform
One of 15 slots, booked in advance. Poetry, a story, a song — in whichever language you think in. Slots gone? Your name goes in the bowl.
Just listen
Come as audience. Nobody will put you on the spot, and you'll still be part of the chai and conversation afterwards.
What it feels like
You don't have to know anyone to belong here.
Most people walk in alone the first time, holding a phone with something half-written on it.
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.
Come for the words. Stay for the people.
We keep at least half an hour after the performances for chai and conversation. It isn't an afterthought — it's the point.
People who met in this room have gone on to build their own shows together. We didn't plan that. It happens when you give the right people time to talk.
From past evenings
The room, the listening, the applause.
What we do
Three kinds of evening.
Each one comes around about once a month. Come to hear people read, come to write and fix it out loud, or come to sit with one idea and see what it pulls out of a room.
Aangan
The open mic
The open mic. Fifteen people who signed up to be brave, plus whoever the bowl picks.
What happens
- 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
The writing room
A writing afternoon. You write, share, get feedback, and write again.
What happens
- Guided writing exercises, then you write
- Feedback between rounds, not just at the end
- Two or three stories across about four hours
Dhaaga
Stories, perspectives and connection
One prompt, one room. Everyone answers the same thread, then talks about what it stirred up.
What happens
- One written prompt — unsaid thoughts, adhoori baatein
- Everyone responds to the same thread
- Ends with sitting together and talking it through
The bowl
Slots sold out? There's still the bowl.
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.
New here?
Things people ask before their first Quissa.
These are the questions we get asked most in Instagram messages before someone's first evening.
Can I perform? Do I need experience?
Anyone can. Plenty of people here 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 they're taken, the bowl is how you get on stage.
Can I just come and listen?
Yes, and lots of people do. Audience entry is ₹199. You're 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 drop it in the bowl. The host draws two or three names during the evening. It's genuinely random.
How long do I get on stage?
Usually six to ten minutes; the exact slot length is on each event.
Is Quissa Ghar only for poets?
No. Poetry, stories, songs and music all belong here — in whichever language you think in.
What happens after the performances?
Chai and at least half an hour of conversation. It's the part people come back for.
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. That performer opens the next session as Featured Artist, with a free slot and something to take home.
Find your way into the Quissa.
Come and listen. Or bring the thing you've been too nervous to read out loud. Both are how people start here.