Hyderabad: Poet and storyteller Sana Mahmood presented her debut solo show, “Aur… Main Hoon,” to a houseful audience at Aaromalé Cafe, Jubilee Hills, on 14 November. The evening combined Hindi-Urdu poetry, storytelling and live music. It ended with a standing ovation.
The show explored love, heartbreak, identity and resilience. It placed a woman’s inner world at its centre, including her memories, emotional struggles, self-respect and capacity to begin again. The intimate format drew the audience into a shared experience of poetry and reflection.
The performance also reflects the role of emerging poets in carrying Telangana’s literary traditions forward. In Hyderabad, young organisers and poetry communities have created chances to encounter Urdu through mushairas, workshops, open mics and informal gatherings. Such spaces can renew interest in poetry and Urdu adab, linking established traditions with contemporary lives.
Women’s contributions are an integral part of this heritage. Hyderabad’s literary history includes the eighteenth-century poet Mah Laqa Bai Chanda and twentieth-century writers such as Zeenath Sajida, Najma Nikhat and Jeelani Bano. Through poetry, satire and fiction, women writers have explored social inequality, everyday life, identity and women’s aspirations. Their work has helped shape the city’s cultural memory.
Against this backdrop, “Aur… Main Hoon” adds one contemporary woman’s voice to a continuing tradition. Its mix of poetry, personal storytelling and music gave audiences an accessible setting to engage with Hindi-Urdu expression and the experience of listening together.
The show was presented in association with Saksham Cinematography and D.Art.Pitara, with Poem Nazm Aur Hum as community partner. Media contact: Sana Mahmood. Instagram: @Zikrnama.
