Jashn-e-Rekhta, the festival of Urdu, saw youths participating in talks, mushairas, ghazal sarai and dastangoi in large numbers
Veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar mesmerises Delhi with his shayiri at Jashn-e-Rekhta, a three-day Urdu festival celebrated by Rekhta Foundation. “Urdu is not merely a language but a culture unto itself and touches the heart and soul of anyone who comes in contact with it,“ claimed Akhtar.
Along with Akhtar, some of country’s finest poets, authors and artists came together to bring alive Urdu’s lyrical beauty. Panel discussions and seminars added colour to the festival. .Jashn-e-Rekhta is a celebration of the spirit and eloquence of Urdu. The festival is organized annually in Delhi, under the aegis of Rekhta Foundation – a not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of Urdu language and culture.
The final day had sessions like dastangoi performed by Nadeem Shah and Shankar Musafir, Akhtar’s conversation on adab, ishq aur zindagi, a panel discussion on ‘Ghalib Beyond Time’ by Pavan K. Varma and musical rendition of Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s works, among others. Actor and television presenter Annu Kapoor discussed the history around Urdu in his session ‘Urdu ka Surila Safar
The Jashn also curated an Rekhta Bazaar that revived old-world charms through their creations like the fragrance of ittar, the antiquities of old Delhi, handicrafts, the delicate beauty of chikankari along as well as an elaborate Book exhibition spanning across Urdu, Hindi and English. The spell of Food Festival ‘Aiwan-e-Zaiqa’ let the food lovers savor the grand feast of cuisines like Kashmiri, Awadhi, Hyderabadi, Mughlai along with the finest selection of popular street food from Purani Dilli.
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