A three-day festival to celebrate the “timeless glory” of Urdu through mushairas, qawwalis, dastangoi, ghazals , dance, book exhibition, film screening, panel discussions, calligraphy and food festival is scheduled to be held between December 8 and 10.
Spurred by the success of its previous editions, the Jashn-e-Rekhta festival will be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, India Gate, this year. The event will see over 75 authors, poets, artists, littérateurs and singers celebrate the language. The event is scheduled to begin with a musical performance by ghazal artiste Ustad Rashid Khan.
Speaking about the preparations, Rekhta Foundation founder Sanjiv Saraf said, “Urdu is not merely a language but an entire culture unto itself. It touches the heart and soul of anyone who comes in contact with it. Jashn-e-Rekhta showcases how Urdu lends itself to various art forms — literature, music, films, art, theatre, dance and oral storytelling.”
Javed Akhtar’s session
Overwhelmed by the response to the previous three editions of the festival, he said he saw how Urdu was beginning to emerge and resonate among hundreds of thousands of people cutting across age, gender, social, economic, religious or geographical divides.
The organisers have roped in personalities like poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar, who will talk about literature, shayari and zindagi in his session, ‘Kuch Ishq Kiya, Kuch Kaam Kiya’.
About Manto
A panel discussion is scheduled on depiction of Muslim culture in Indian cinema, with panellists like actors Waheeda Rehman and Shabana Azmi, JNU professor Ira Bhaskar and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali.
While actor and television presenter Annu Kapoor will chronicle poetry, music and history around Urdu, including folk tales related to Laila-Majnu , theatre actor-director Aamir Raza Husain’s recitation and singer Radhika Chopra’s renditions will bring to life the work and legacy of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
The organisers have shared that actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nandita Das will host a session ‘Manto ke Rubaru ’ to talk about what helped make the film Manto a reality. Tanya Wells, a singer born and raised in London who is famous for her renditions of Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ghazals , is the special guest this year.
A new element this year, Mr. Saraf said, will be Parvaaz — a contemporary music band from Bengaluru — that will merge Urdu and progressive rock in their performance. The festival will also have a platform for the audience to read poetry and stories, to encourage people to write and recite their poetry as well as a food festival that will serve Awadhi, Mughlai, Hyderabadi, Afghani, Rampuri and Kashmiri cuisines. Entry to the event is free through registration on the festival’s website.
