Nautankibaaz Improv Collective

Ankur Sardana, who had a background in amateur theatre before discovering improvisation, established Nautankibaaz after refining his skills in Seattle and New York. The collective grew through regular workshops and performances in the Delhi NCR region and later expanded to online programming for kids, adults, and older participants. Core members have included Anshu Daga, Ankur Nigam, Sumit Mehta, Mayank Mudgil, and Jayant Chopra. The name Nautankibaaz references a traditional North Indian travelling theatre-and-performance form, grounding the collective's identity in Indian performance heritage while practising contemporary improv structures.

Nautankibaaz operates as a community-first organisation, treating improv as a daily life skill for working professionals rather than a purely theatrical pursuit. Workshops emphasise collaboration, listening, and spontaneity in ways applicable to professional and interpersonal contexts, drawing on both Chicago-style short-form structures and applied improv principles. The collective's Hindi-referencing name signals an intention to make improv culturally resonant for North Indian audiences.