Kommune is becoming a hub for Indian storytelling talent

An unusual collective of performing arts is becoming a hub for storytelling talent, writes Vanita Kohli-Khandekar

Hussain Haidry, a struggling writer, performed the poem “Lat” (Addiction) at a Kommune workshop in suburban Mumbai in the summer of 2016. When Kommune wanted to upload the 3.55-minute poem about cigarette addiction on YouTube, Haidry was hesitant. This MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad had quit corporate life to come to Mumbai because his heart was in writing, poetry and stories. But his family in Indore did not know this. What if they saw the video?

Finally, with a “who’s going to see it?” shrug, he agreed. His fear became a reality in February 2017 when “Hindustani