Geet & Gatha

On August 10, 2026, Nukkad Tea Cafe hosted an event called 'Geet & Gatha', which celebrated tribal culture through music, storytelling, and lived experiences at Nukkad Cafe & Co-working, Raipur.

Role: Brand and Community Lead

Full Name: Aruna Khalkho

Email ID: arunokhalkho456@gmail.com

Note on Contribution: Aruna Khalkho contributed to the event as its host and conceptualiser. Coming from a tribal community herself, she brought a personal and authentic perspective to the evening. She conducted the event, performed a traditional geet from her community, and shared the stories and cultural context behind the song. Through her narration and performance, she helped make the event an engaging and meaningful celebration of tribal heritage and storytelling.

---

Role: Creative Head

Full Name: Shruti Singh

Email ID: shrutisingh7305@gmail.com

Note on Contribution: As the Creative Head, Shruti was responsible for the creative communication and social media outreach for the event. She conceptualised and designed the event posters and promotional creatives, along with creating reels and other social media content to spread awareness about the event. She also helped communicate the essence, purpose, and cultural significance of the event through the content shared across social media platforms. Her role focused on building visibility for the event, engaging the audience through creative storytelling, and ensuring that the event was effectively communicated to the Nukkad community and wider audience.

The primary objective of ‘Geet & Gatha’ was to create a meaningful space for celebrating and sharing tribal culture through traditional music, storytelling, and personal narratives. The event aimed to provide a platform for individuals from tribal communities to share their heritage in their own voices, while helping the audience connect with the stories, traditions, and cultural significance behind the songs. It also sought to promote awareness, appreciation, and preservation of indigenous cultural heritage through an engaging and interactive experience.

Geet & Gatha was an evening dedicated to celebrating tribal culture through music, storytelling, and lived experiences. The event was envisioned as a space where traditions could be shared not merely as performances, but as stories carrying memories, emotions, and a deep sense of community.

The evening was hosted and conceptualised by Aruna Khalkho, who brought an authentic and personal perspective to the gathering through her own cultural roots. She guided the audience through the event, performed a traditional geet from her community, and shared the story and cultural context behind the song, giving the audience a deeper understanding of the tradition it came from.

What made the evening particularly meaningful was that the storytelling did not remain limited to the host. Members of the gathering also came forward to share songs, stories, memories, and experiences from their own cultures and communities. These spontaneous contributions turned the event into an open exchange of heritage, where different voices and experiences came together naturally.

The evening moved between songs, stories, conversations, and shared experiences, creating an intimate and participatory atmosphere. Rather than simply watching a cultural programme, attendees became part of the storytelling. Listening to one another, sharing their own experiences, and discovering the similarities and differences that exist across communities.

Through Geet & Gatha, Nukkad aimed to create a platform where cultural heritage could be shared in the voices of the people who carry it. The event highlighted the importance of preserving traditions through storytelling and creating spaces where communities can come together to listen, remember, and celebrate their roots.

For Nukkad, Geet & Gatha was a reminder that "culture lives not only in archives and performances, but in the stories people continue to tell and share with one another."