Behind the mic: The passion and the persistent hustle of organisers

Patna: For every few seconds of applause inside a cafe or studio, there are hours of invisible labour, personal expense and a firm resolve to keep Patna’s creative pulse alive. Behind the city’s expanding open mic culture stands a small group of organisers – Patna natives who have lived and performed in creative hubs such as Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, only to return home and find limited space for performance.

Rather than waiting for the ecosystem to catch up, they chose to build it themselves. Drawing from metro formats, these organisers introduced structure and professional rigour to local open mics. Their work includes securing venues, fixing dates, designing posters, managing ticket links and, at times, coordinating brand associations for gifting partners.


For Seher, who has been organising Tape A Tale’s ‘Ghar’ and Kommune events since 2024, the process follows a careful sequence shaped by experience. Having first performed at an open mic in Mumbai in 2021 and later in Bengaluru, he returned with a clear sense of audience-building.

“While social media largely helps because it is the only platform to announce events, it is not just about a paid boost on Instagram,” he says. “Organising also involves managing an audience cap of 20–25 people to keep the intimacy alive, even when the revenue doesn’t cover the losses.”

Infrastructure remains a challenge. Raj Aryan, who performs under the name Humraaz and began organising Awaken Words and Live Stories in Nov last year, points to the lack of technically equipped venues. “Performers need basic tools — proper lighting, specific mic setups, and soundproofing — which are still rare in Patna,” he says.

The struggle is not new. Captain Iman who conducted one of her earliest open mics at Patna University in 2015 recalls visiting campuses with posters and facing scepticism about the format itself. Even today, she says, the work remains unpaid and largely manual.

Organising in Patna also requires social negotiation. Sakshi Simran, an assistant professor who began performing at open mics in Bengaluru during her master’s degree, brought the national platform Awaken Words to Patna in 2024. “I discovered the healing power of open mics during a lonely stint in Bengaluru, and was determined to replicate that safety net at home,” she says. “However, the transition wasn’t seamless.”

Finding venues proved difficult. “In the beginning, when I was looking for the venue, not many were aware or interested. Not many places are solely for art purposes,” she adds. She also faced questions about ticketed performances without certificates or prizes. “Art for art’s sake was a difficult concept for people to understand here.”

Safety concerns further shaped planning. “Since girls still face restrictions here, I’ve had to talk to parents personally to help them understand what we do and ensure they feel safe,” she says.

For Ashutosh of Kalakaar Studio, who has performed comedy since 2017, the challenge lies in time and temperament. “If I book a venue for two hours, I have to finish the entire line-up while giving everyone fair time,” he says, adding that ideological disagreements sometimes need mediation. “I started organising open mics because I needed a stage for myself. It is entirely passion-driven… many start, but very few sustain.”

Event clashes, limited audiences and zero financial returns are common realities. As Sakshi puts it, “Most of our team members have to burn our pockets to make it happen.” In Patna’s open mic culture, profit remains elusive, but commitment and community continue to hold the stage.



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