Only Nazms with Kavita Seth: An Evening of Sung and Spoken Poetry

There is a kind of poetry that refuses to be forgotten, not because it demands attention, but because it quietly settles into you and stays. Nazm is that kind of poetry, characterised by a unified theme and a focus on descriptive storytelling. Unlike ghazals, which consist of a series of independent couplets, a nazm develops a narrative or theme throughout its verses.

Only Nazms is a live performance by Kavita Seth, the voice behind Iktara and Rangisari, exploring the depth and beauty of nazm poetry through music.The evening features works by Waseem Barelvi, Amrita Pritam, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Josh Malihabadi, bringing together Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi poetry in an intimate, storytelling format. Accompanied by harmonium, sarangi, tabla, and bass guitar, the performance blends Sufi, classical, and contemporary sounds. Each nazm is introduced with context, making the experience engaging for both seasoned listeners and first-time audiences.

There is a kind of poetry that does not demand your attention. It simply finds you — and remains. In a cultural moment defined by noise and speed, this quality feels almost radical. It is also the quality that has allowed nazm poetry to endure across centuries, languages and borders, settling into listeners long after the last verse has been spoken.

Nazm is a form of Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi poetry characterised by a unified theme and a commitment to narrative. Unlike the ghazal, which moves through a series of independent couplets, a nazm develops a single thread of thought across its verses — a story, a mood, an argument that builds and breathes. It is poetry that asks you to stay with it. And in staying, you find that it stays with you.

Only Nazms is a live performance by Kavita Seth — the voice behind Iktara and Rangisari — dedicated entirely to this form. Presented by Avid Learning, the evening is an immersive exploration of the depth and beauty of nazm poetry through music, language and intimate storytelling.

A Century of Voices, One Evening

The performance draws from some of the most enduring names in South Asian literary tradition. Faiz Ahmed Faiz, whose poetry carries longing and resistance in equal measure. Amrita Pritam, whose verses hold an aching, unmistakable intimacy. Waseem Barelvi, known for philosophical grace and lyrical precision. Josh Malihabadi, whose words burn with grandeur and fire. Together, they represent the sweep of Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi poetry — distinct in voice, unified in spirit.

Kavita Seth does not simply perform these works. She inhabits them. Her interpretations move between Sufi, classical and contemporary sounds, accompanied by harmonium, sarangi, tabla and bass guitar. The instrumentation is deliberate: each piece carries the weight of tradition and the breath of the present simultaneously.

Poetry With Context — For Every Kind of Listener

One of the most distinctive features of Only Nazms is its accessibility. Each nazm is introduced with context — its origins, its poet, its moment in history — making the evening engaging for both seasoned listeners of Urdu poetry and those attending a live poetry performance for the first time. This is not poetry observed from a distance. It is an invitation into the room where these words were first imagined.

Why Nazm? Why Now?

The nazm is experiencing a quiet resurgence. As listeners seek experiences that go beyond the transactional — music that carries meaning, stories that linger — this form speaks with rare directness. Only Nazms arrives at precisely that cultural moment, offering an evening that is quieter, deeper and more immersive than most of what competes for our attention.

For those who have heard Iktara on repeat without quite knowing why it moves them, this performance may offer an answer.

In the end, a nazm does not ask to be remembered. It simply refuses to be forgotten.