Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU) will host Afsana: The Somaiya Storytelling Festival 2026, to be held on January 30 and 31, 2026, at its Mumbai campus. The festival brings voices and narrative traditions from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh into focus, opening thoughtful conversations around centre, margins, and meaning through the timeless art of storytelling. 

Afsana places the connection between storyteller and listener at the heart of the experience. Each session draws audiences into worlds shaped by ideas, imagination, and enchantment. Over two days, the festival weaves together myths, folklore, inspirational tales, bardic traditions, corporate storytelling, and contemporary narrative forms.

The festival features a diverse and distinguished line-up of practitioners, including Akshay, actor and director trained at SITI Company (NYC) and Odin Teatret (Denmark); Rochelle Potkar, prize-winning poet, author, and screenwriter; Dr Ankit Dwivedi, storyteller and educator specialising in storytelling and teacher education; Dr Ulka Mayur, storyteller, theatre director, and co-founder of Story Circus; and Dr Tina Tambe, acclaimed Kathak performer and choreographer.

Other participants include Mahmood Farooqui; Fiona Fernandes, Associate Editor at Mid-day and author of H for Heritage: Mumbai; Narayan Parasuram, musician and co-founder of Karadi Tales; Mehak Mirza Prabhu, storyteller and mentor working with children; Vaishali Shroff, Bal Sahitya Puraskar nominee and award-winning author; Narottam Bain, among others.