Chennai: Every person has a unique talent. Very few find the courage to expose it while there are those who find it difficult to showcase them as they don’t have a space to illuminate their hidden potential.
Enter ‘The Spoken Wave’, started by Nimisha Sara Philip (27) with her friend, Varshitha Ravindranathan (26). Their platform brings in creative persons like writers, musicians, poets, photographers, stand-up comics and many more to a single space.
When Nimisha was in London to study law, she fell in love with the student culture there and the ways they used varied platforms to exhibit their talent.
She also got influenced by the concept of ‘SpokenWord’ which is prevalent in the US and the UK where poets promote activism through the power of words.
“I wanted to start one such initiative as there isn’t much platform that bring in artists together here in Chennai,’ says Nimisha. ‘Keeping the crux of the SpokenWord in mind, we started ‘The Spoken Wave’ where we brought in different creative artists.”
Nimisha and Varshitha soon created an online page. “We expected few people to turn up but within the very first week of launching, almost a thousand had signed up,” smiles Nimisha.
The Spoken Wave conduced its first festival in August 2016 and the theme was to promote creativity among under-privileged children. “We brought a music band, ‘Steps’ to perform during the event,” she says.
The second event was centered on environmental conservation where artists drew cartoons having a theme for a greener world.
The Spoken Wave thus not only acts as a platform for budding artists but also acts as a means to support societal welfare causes like coastal cleanup, creating sustainable art installations, Don’t Drink & Drive campaigns to name a few.
“During an event, artists created art works from trash,’ recalls Nimisha.
In another event they hosted, they held an awareness programme on mental health. They also look forward to raise funds for several more social causes. Over the last two years, The Spoken Wave which started with a handful of people, has grown to thousands in terms of activity and online participants.
“It’s a great way for me to stay connected with arts and culture. Being a lawyer, this platform in a way keeps me sane outside the corporate world as I connect with diverse people,” smiles Nimisha.
“We have brought in so many amazing talents, support social causes and we gave artists a platform. In my understanding, I think there is no such platform like The Spoken Wave here in Chennai. It’s one of the key things that pushes me to continue growing.”