Mad Heart Be Brave: Nayab Midha’s Journey from Engineering to Poetry Stages

Nayab Midha is one of the prominent voices in India’s spoken word poetry scene, known for her emotionally resonant and relatable performances. Through her poetry she explores themes like identity, relationships, self-discovery, and everyday emotions, connecting deeply with audiences both online and on the stage.

For someone whose words have comforted thousands of people across India through social media and live shows, Nayab Midha speaks with surprising simplicity. There are no rehearsed motivational lines, no carefully crafted celebrity answers, just honesty. And perhaps that is exactly what makes her poetry resonate so deeply with audiences today.

In a candid conversation with DC Conversations, Nayab opened up about the rise of spoken word poetry in India, the emotions behind her performances, social media culture, and the journey that led her from engineering to packed auditoriums.

“I always knew poetry would reach bigger spaces”

At a time when spoken word poetry was still considered a niche art form, Nayab says she always believed it would eventually become mainstream in India.

Recalling the early years of her journey around 2017 and 2018, she shared that people often questioned why she wanted to pursue poetry when there was no market for it. But even then, she carried an unwavering faith in the art form.

According to her, the dream was never just about becoming famous herself, it was about being present from the very beginning when spoken word poetry finally found its audience.

Today, as poetry tours fill massive auditoriums and clips of performances flood social media, that belief seems to have paid off.

The meaning behind “Rajkumari”

Nayab’s poetry tour Rajkumari is far more than just a performance title. During the conversation, she explained how the term is used almost sarcastically throughout the show.

She pointed out how traditional “princess” narratives often revolve around a woman becoming powerful only after the arrival of a prince. Through Rajkumari, she challenges that idea.

The show explores the expectations imposed on women — marriage, societal pressure, and the illusion of fairy-tale endings. By the end of the performance, however, the meaning of “Rajkumari” transforms completely.

For Nayab, the word ultimately stands for power.

“I don’t try to make people stop scrolling”

In an age dominated by reels and shrinking attention spans, many creators consciously shape their content to fit algorithms. Nayab admits she does not.

She revealed that she has never approached poetry with the intention of “hooking” audiences or forcing people to stop scrolling. Instead, she simply writes what she genuinely feels and puts it out into the world. Sometimes that honesty comes at a cost. She acknowledged that speaking openly about sensitive issues can affect engagement and even reduce followers. Yet she believes social media is not truly about numbers, it is about finding your people.

Discussing online debates around topics like dowry and gender discourse, she stressed the importance of speaking responsibly rather than creating click-bait merely for attention.

“Brands changed the format, not poetry”

When asked whether reels and short-form content have changed the way poets write today, Nayab drew a clear distinction.

According to her, shorter formats may affect the way artists create branded content, but they do not change the way genuine poetry is written for oneself or for the audiences that genuinely love her poetries. Real poetry, she believes, still exists beyond algorithms and time limits.

Why young women connect so deeply with her work

One of the most emotional moments of the interview came when Nayab reflected on the connection she shares with young women in her audience.

She described seeing college and school girls cry, hug her, and react emotionally during shows. According to her, they are not only connecting with the poetry itself, but also with the ‘spirit’ of the art form and the performance.

For many young women, her work represents ambition, vulnerability, courage, and freedom-emotions that often feel deeply personal and relatable.

Leaving engineering behind

Long before sold-out poetry tours, Nayab worked in engineering and coding-a life she admits never felt right for her.

She openly confessed that she hated the job and constantly felt out of place in the IT world. For her, leaving engineering was not about financial success or instant fame. The decision felt worth it the moment she no longer had to force herself into a profession she did not belong in.

“Happiness paid it off,” she said.

The Ahmedabad show that changed everything

While discussing turning points in her career, Nayab recalled a defining performance in Ahmedabad.

Initially planned as a small 50-seater event, growing popularity forced the team to move into a larger auditorium. With barely a week to prepare and no trial run, she wrote an entirely new three-hour-long show and performed it with handwritten pages placed on a lyric stand on stage.

She admitted she was nervous and uncertain, performing almost everything she had written because she did not know what to cut. What followed became one of the most memorable moments of her journey-a standing ovation that lasted several minutes.

That night, she realised she had found her purpose.

Zakir Khan and the birth of “Rajkumari”

Nayab also shared a memorable interaction with Zakir Khan, whom she met backstage at a festival.

At the time, her tour was called The Nayab Show. Zakir advised her not to use her own name for something so early in her career and encouraged her to save it for larger platforms in the future.

Later, Nayab selected the title Rajkumari - a name that would eventually become one of the defining identities of her performances.

Now, Nayab is also known as the female-Zakir Khan

“Mad Heart Be Brave”

Towards the end of the conversation, Nayab left aspiring artists with a simple but powerful message: honesty and bravery matter the most.

She spoke about her personal phrase, “Mad Heart Be Brave,” which also appears in her social media bio. According to her, anyone who wishes to create art for people must learn to be fearless, because the world can often be intimidating and unforgiving.

Her final recitation of one of her favourite lines from her poetry perfectly captured the emotions that has made her poetry so loved:

“Ki dekhte nahi the aankhon ka phaila kajal,

Ab zulfein sawaarne lagey hain,

jab se dekha hai in aankhon ne tumhein,

Hum in aankhon ki nazrein utaarne lagey hain.”

And perhaps that is exactly why Nayab Midha’s poetry continues to resonate with the audiences today-because beneath the applause, the tours, and the social media virality, her words still feel deeply human.

Currently, Nayab Midha continues to refine her craft while connecting with the audiences across the country through her ongoing poetry tour “Rajkumari”. As part of the tour, Nayab is set to perform live in Hyderabad on May 23.

Watch the full interview here:

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This interview was done by Divya Sharma, a student of Kristu Jayanti Deemed to be University, interning with Deccan Chronicle.