Archive · 5 Sep 2026
India’s Poetry Moves From Literary Circles to Social Reels
Poetry in India used to be mainly shared through books, magazines, gatherings and open mics.
Now many people discover poems through short videos on social media.
Creators read poems aloud in reels that can reach thousands or millions of viewers.
Some creators share famous poems, while others perform their own writing.
Audiences often respond strongly to poems about love, loneliness, memories and everyday life.
Social media also helps publishers promote books and writers.
However, the algorithms may favor quick, attractive videos over poems that need more time to understand.
Poet Daniel Sukumar worries that creators may avoid difficult subjects such as caste.
Overall, social media has made poetry easier to find while also changing how it is performed and judged.
Social media has expanded poetry’s reach through reels, recitations and spoken-word videos.
Creators including Nayab Midha, Amandeep Singh and Maharshi Nandi have built substantial followings.
An IPSOS study commissioned by Meta found 97% of Indian consumers watch short-form video daily.
Khushi Thakur’s recitations have helped bring Hindi poets and lesser-known works to new audiences.
Poet Daniel Sukumar says algorithms can favor appearance and accessibility over literary depth and political expression.
- Who
- Indian poetry creators, readers, publishers and audiences, including Khushi Thakur, Deepshikha and Daniel Sukumar.
- What
- Poetry is increasingly being discovered and performed through social-media reels, recitations and spoken-word videos.
- When
- The shift has developed over recent years; the cited Meta study describes current short-form-video habits.
- Where
- Across India, especially on Instagram and other social-media platforms.
- Why
- Short-form video and recommendation algorithms help creators reach audiences who may otherwise struggle to discover poetry.
Platform Access and Discovery
Literary Depth and Creative Independence
Reaching new readers
Platform Access and Discovery
Reels make poetry more discoverable and allow creators to reach audiences beyond traditional literary circles.
Literary Depth and Creative Independence
Daniel Sukumar argues that platforms can force poets to reshape their work to fit short-video formats.
Accessibility versus complexity
Platform Access and Discovery
Deepshikha favors poems that most people can understand and says visual presentation, music and fonts help attract audiences.
Literary Depth and Creative Independence
Khushi Thakur says some poems need time and do not provide an immediate emotional or algorithmic response.
Political expression
Platform Access and Discovery
Sukumar believes spoken-word poetry can expose audiences to caste practices, honour killings and other social realities.
Literary Depth and Creative Independence
He also says creators may self-censor politically sensitive subjects such as caste because of backlash, audience loss or platform hostility.
- Daily short-form viewing
- 97% of Indian consumers in the IPSOS study commissioned by Meta watch short-form videos at least once a day.
- Preferred format
- 92% of surveyed Indian consumers identified Reels as their preferred short-form video platform or format.
- Nayab Midha following
- 2.9 million followers.
- Amandeep Singh following
- 809,000 followers.
- Khushi Thakur following
- More than 277,000 followers on Instagram.
- Ajibar Mandal following
- 45,200 followers, according to the article.
- Creator monetisation
- Deepshikha says Hindi publishers generally do not pay influencers, while some English publishers do.