Navam: The Nine within in Dubai

Nine rasas. Nine experiences. And perhaps, nine ways of encountering ourselves. Centuries ago, Indian aesthetic thought gave these experiences a language - the Navarasas, the nine rasas through which art allows us to experience the many shades of being human. But what do these ancient ideas have to do with the lives we live today? NAVAM: The Nine Within explores that question through storytelling, original poetry, live music and Kathak - travelling between the classical and the contemporary, the profound and the playful, the familiar and the unexpected. Rooted in research and conceived through a new narrative lens by Katha Sutra, NAVAM takes an inherited aesthetic tradition and asks what it might reveal when we turn its gaze towards our own lives. Not as nine definitions to be explained, but as nine experiences to enter. An invitation to recognise something of ourselves in each one. And perhaps to leave wondering: which of the nine lives most strongly in you? About Katha Sutra Some stories are not merely told. They are handed down. Across generations, they gather retellings, interpretations, silences and memories - the warp of an inherited story meeting the weft of every age that receives it. Katha Sutra returns to the stories, ideas and artistic traditions we have inherited through a contemporary lens, weaving together storytelling, poetry and music to discover new threads through something familiar. Because what we inherit may remain the same, even as the way we encounter it changes. Katha Sutra: Where Lore Meets Loom. Date, Time & Language Saturday, October 31, 2026 Doors open: 10:30 AM Performance begins: 11:00 AM Duration: Approximately 120 minutes Script & storytelling: English Original poetry: Hindi Music: Hindi and other Indian languages Live at Play, Warehouse B17, ABA Avenue What to Expect A carefully curated two-hour intimate performance exploring the Navarasas - the nine rasas of Indian aesthetic tradition - through storytelling, original poetry, live music and Kathak. The musical landscape draws from the Hindustani classical tradition, ghazal and bhajan, the poetry of Kabir, and other strands of India's rich musical heritage. The Hindi poetry has been written and composed especially for NAVAM, becoming a voice of its own within the performance. Kathak brings another language to the stage - through rhythm, gesture and expression, allowing movement to say what words sometimes cannot. The storytelling is in English, bringing the ancient language of rasa into conversation with the way we experience our own lives. A story that draws you in. A poem written for this moment. A voice that changes the air in the room. A rhythm that gathers momentum. A movement that says what words cannot. Expect a morning that moves between reflection and laughter, intensity and quiet, recognition and surprise - personal enough to feel less like a formal concert and more like a gathering you have been invited into. And when the final note fades, the afternoon doesn't have to begin just yet. Linger over a cup of chai, savou