She quit her engineering job at Infosys to pursue poetry. Later, she made history as India's first spoken-word artist to headline a sold-out stadium show. Who is Nayab Midha?

For many students, engineering is seen as a safe career choice that can lead to a stable job. Nayab Midha followed that path too. She moved from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, to Delhi to study engineering and later joined Infosys. But the corporate world did not give her the sense of purpose she was looking for. Poetry, which had been part of her life since school, eventually became the career she chose to follow.

Today, Nayab is known as a Hindi poet and spoken-word artist. Her journey from an engineering job to performing for a packed stadium has also made her story stand out in India's growing spoken-word poetry scene.

Who is Nayab Midha?

Nayab was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, in 1996. She completed her schooling there before moving to Delhi to pursue engineering at BPIT, IP University, as per her official site.


While engineering became her formal education, poetry had entered her life much earlier. Nayab wrote her first poem when she was in Class 9, after participating in a creative writing competition at school. That early experience eventually grew into something much bigger.

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She has often described her relationship with art as something that happened naturally rather than something she deliberately searched for. Over the years, writing became an important part of her life, eventually leading her towards performing her work in front of audiences.

She worked at Infosys before choosing poetry

After completing her engineering degree, Nayab joined Infosys and spent two years working in the IT sector. However, the job did not turn out to be the career she wanted.

In a 2026 conversation with Deccan Chronicle, Nayab spoke openly about her experience in the engineering and coding world. She said she disliked the job and frequently felt that she did not fit into the IT environment.

Her decision to leave engineering was not driven by the promise of quick fame or financial success. Instead, she wanted to stop pursuing a profession that did not feel right for her. According to Nayab, the biggest reward came from finally feeling comfortable with the decision she had made. Speaking about the outcome, she summed it up by saying, "Happiness paid it off."

By then, poetry was already giving her something her corporate career could not, a sense of purpose.

During her college years, Nayab began participating in slam poetry competitions at different colleges across Delhi. She won contests at institutions including Gargi College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and Delhi Technological University.

She also won silver and gold at IP University's annual festival, Anugoonj, along with several other poetry competitions.

From Delhi open mics to a historic stadium show

After finding confidence through slam poetry, Nayab began performing at open mics across Delhi. These smaller stages helped her develop as a performer and connect with audiences beyond college competitions.

Her first poetry video was released on the Canvas Literature Club's YouTube channel in 2018. The video reached around 30,000 people, giving her work an audience beyond the live poetry circuit.

Over time, Nayab continued building her identity as a spoken-word artist. Her performances eventually moved from intimate poetry spaces to much larger venues, culminating in a major milestone in 2026.

As reported by TOI in August 2026, Nayab became the first spoken-word artist in India to headline a sold-out stadium show. Her production Rajkumari was staged at New Delhi's Talkatora Stadium and drew a full house. Now, she is not slowing down and doing wonders.

Nayab's journey from an engineering classroom to an Infosys office and eventually to a packed stadium is a reminder that a conventional career path does not always have to be the final destination.