Live Events Are Not Just for Cities — Villages Need a Stage Too.

The Dehati Fest

Organised by The Dehati Foundation

What if a child in a village could experience a live concert, a sitar performance, poetry, theatre, storytelling, and contemporary music — without having to travel to a city?

What if a talented folk singer from a village could share the same stage with an established artist?

What if people who have moved from villages to cities could return, not just for a family visit, but to reconnect with the culture and communities they came from?

That is the idea behind The Dehati Fest.

We are building a culture-led festival for villages, farmers, rural families, children, young people, and local artists — beginning with Sehore and the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.

Why are we doing this?

Over the last 10–15 years, we have seen a growing distance between rural and urban communities.

People from villages have increasingly moved to cities for education, jobs and opportunities. At the same time, many people living in cities have become disconnected from the culture, communities and everyday realities of rural India.

This distance is not only geographical.

It can also become a cultural and social distance — a gap in experiences, conversations and understanding.

We believe art and culture can help bring people together again.

A live cultural event can create something that social media, television or a phone screen cannot: a shared experience.

But why a festival in a village?

Most large live cultural events are organised in cities.

When we approached potential sponsors over the past year, we repeatedly heard a similar response:

“If you do the event in a city, we can consider supporting it.”

But our purpose was never to create another city event.

We wanted to take the experience to the people who have limited access to it.

So instead of changing the location to make the festival easier to sponsor, we decided to change the way we fund it.

We are choosing crowdfunding.

Because if this festival belongs to rural communities, we believe those communities — along with people who care about reconnecting rural and urban India — should have a chance to help build it.

For children who haven't experienced a live cultural event

For many children and young people in rural communities, a professional live music or cultural event is not a regular part of life.

Some may have never experienced a large live performance.

Some may have never seen instruments such as a sitar or guitar being played live.

And many may never have had the opportunity to discover different forms of music, poetry, theatre, storytelling or visual art.

We believe children should not be expected to choose art before they have had the opportunity to experience art.

First, they need to see it.

Then they can become curious.

And perhaps one day, that curiosity can become a passion, a skill or even a profession.

The Dehati Fest is an attempt to create that first experience.

A stage for rural talent

The festival is also about the people who already create art in these communities.

There are singers, musicians, folk performers, poets, storytellers and other talented individuals whose work may never reach a large audience simply because they are far from the cultural centres of big cities.

Through The Dehati Fest and a dedicated talent hunt, we want to discover emerging artists from the region and give them an opportunity to perform.

Where possible, local artists will also share the stage with established artists.

Because talent should not have to leave its village before it deserves a stage.

We want talent to be recognised where it originates — in the village.

A festival for rural communities — and for people from cities too

The Dehati Fest is not intended to create a wall between rural and urban India.

Quite the opposite.

We want to create a place where the two can meet.

People living in cities can return to their roots.

Young people from villages can experience new forms of culture.

Urban artists can perform for rural audiences.

Rural artists can reach new audiences.

Children can discover art.

Families can experience something together.

And communities that have gradually grown apart can spend a day sharing the same music, stories, performances and conversations.

The stage becomes a meeting point.

Why we need your support

We have been trying to find sponsorship support for this initiative for the past year.

But the response has often been that a cultural event should be taken to a city if we want commercial sponsorship.

We understand that sponsors have their own priorities.

But we don't want the lack of conventional sponsorship to decide whether rural communities get access to these experiences.

So now, we are asking people directly.

If you believe villages deserve access to culture, live performances and opportunities for their artists, support The Dehati Fest.

Your contribution will help us work towards bringing artists, performances, equipment, production, talent discovery and cultural experiences to rural audiences.

This is more than one festival.

We hope The Dehati Fest can become the beginning of something bigger.

A recurring platform where rural audiences can experience different forms of art.

A space where local artists can be discovered.

A place where children can develop curiosity about music and culture.

And a bridge between people who live in cities and the villages they come from.

Because live events are not just for cities.

Villages need a stage too.

Help us build that stage.

Support The Dehati Fest and help us bring the experience of art, music and culture closer to the people who have had fewer opportunities to experience it.

From the village. For the village. And to reconnect the village with the city.