A first encounter with art.
Give rural children and young people the chance to experience live performances, discover new sounds and follow their curiosity.
The Dehati Fest An initiative of The Dehati Foundation
A community-funded initiativeLive events should reach beyond the city.
Villages need
a stage too.
Rooted in Sehore & Malwa, Madhya Pradesh
Art Music Community
coming soon • Lalakhedi, Indore-Bhopal Road
One festival. Many possibilities.
The story behind the stageA stage for local talent.
Help emerging singers, musicians, poets and storytellers find an audience in the communities they call home.
A place to reconnect.
Bring people from villages and cities together through shared music, stories, conversations and cultural experiences.
THE DEHATI FOUNDATION
Presents
1st Edition
The Dehati Fest
COMING SOON
From THE VILLAGE to the HEARTS OF THE SOIL
“Be Dehati, Be Indian”
The Dehati Fest
A culture-led festival bridging rural and urban India
The Dehati Fest, an initiative of The Dehati Foundation, will be proposed this year. It responds to the growing emotional and ideological divide between rural and urban India — a gap shaped not by distance, but by migration, limited opportunities, and the gradual loss of cultural platforms in villages. As development accelerates, rural voices have faded from mainstream cultural spaces. The Dehati Fest seeks to bring them back honestly and respectfully.
Culture as a Bridge
Through art, poetry, music, and meaningful dialogue, The Dehati Fest creates a shared cultural ground where rural and urban communities meet. The festival invites urban audiences to reconnect with their roots and experience the dignity, joy, and essence of simpler living — free from hierarchy and discrimination. Guided by the spirit of “Be Dehati, Be Indian,” the festival brings together thought leaders, poets, folk musicians, and contemporary bands using culture to reconnect hearts and reimagine the role of villages in India’s future.
What to Expect
Dehati Dialogue
An open-air exchange between rural practitioners and urban seekers.
Village Walk
A guided stroll through the golden wheat fields and the heart of Lalakhedi.
Live Music Concert
Featuring Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café & Kaluram Bamaniya under the vast sky.
Dehati food
Traditional welcome brunch served in a community kitchen.
Historical Heritage
Exploring the 70-year-old Haveli and local rural architecture.
Meet Our Pet Cows
Connecting with the gentle soul of the village through its animals.
Sleeping Under the Stars
A rare experience of resting on a “charpai” beneath the Milky Way.
Film Screening
Watching socially rooted cinema in the silence of nature.
Why Malwa?
Imagine golden wheat fields swaying under an endless sky. Hear the resonant drone of the tambura across the open plains. In Malwa, the music isn’t just performed — it is lived. We invite you to experience this landscape not as a tourist, but as a seeker of the soul.
Get in Touch
Have a question or want to volunteer? Send us a message.