The most-awaited weekend of December was here and it had me quite excited. I got up early in the morning (a rare phenomenon in my life), dressed up, and I was ready to conquer the world.
After may rejections when I finally convinced an auto wale bhaiyya to give me a ride, he asked: “Aaj itne log Dhyan Chand Stadium kyun jaa rahe hain?” (Why are so many people heading to Dhyan Chand Stadium today?) If only bhaiyya knew about the love that Delhiites have for Urdu and everything related to it.
By now you might have guessed what I am talking about. Yes, it was the Jashn-e-Rekhta weekend: the three-day event dedicated to celebrating Urdu, the language and the culture and heritage associated with it. And I just could not miss it.
Organised by the Rekhta Foundation, the festival brings together all the lovers of Urdu. The festival has received tremendous response in the last four editions. And in its fifth edition, the festival got bigger and better.
Ghazals, Sufi music, qawwali, Dastangoi, mushairas, poetry recitations—you name it and it was there. Just at the entrance, there were several prop cut-outs to get oneself clicked with. While people were getting their pictures clicked alongside the #JashnERekhta and ‘I heart Urdu’ installations, Sonam Kalra’s voice could be heard echoing throughout the stadium.
There were four sections of the festival—Mehfil-Khana, Bazm-e-Khayaal, Dayaar-e-Izhaar, and Sukhan-Zaar. Performances and sessions were running simultaneously in these sections. The line-up was great. Javed Akhtar, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Shabana Azmi, Vishal Bhardwaj, Kumar Vishwas, Wadalis, Nooran sisters, Javed Jafferi. It was quite difficult for me to choose which one to attend and which one to miss. There were discussions on the poetic genius and literary brilliance of celebrated Urdu writers like Intizar Hussain and Majrooh Sultanpuri. It was interesting to listen to them talk about their own special connection with Urdu.
One of the most appealing pavilions was the Khuli Nishist. The loudest cheer could be heard here. Why? Because common people like you and me were allowed to go on the stage and recite their poetry or shayari. Many new and young Urdu and Hindi writers presented their creations. And the cheers of appreciation did not die down at all!
The highlights of the event were an all-woman mushaira and ‘Ram Kahaani Urdu Wali’, a dramatic rendering of Ramayana in Urdu.
That was not it. There was much more for lovers of Urdu. Cool notebooks, calligraphy pens, posters, mugs, calendars, and bags with Urdu quotes printed on them were up for grabs at the Rekhta Bazaar. There were stalls of various Hindi and Urdu publishers. Also on sale were clothes, lamps, souvenirs, and beautiful craftsy decorative items.
The most tempting section, hands down, was the Aiwan-e-Zaiqa food court. From Daulat ki Chaat to Moongdal parathas, Kashmiri, Hyderbadi, Bihari, and Afghani food, and Puraani Dilli’s famous chicken and mutton kebabs … there were so many mouth-watering delicacies that I was left spoilt for choice. Finally, I settled for the good old Sitaram Diwanchand’s chhole bhature. Thanks to Jashn-e-Rekhta for saving me the trip to Pahad Ganj!
Although there were people of every age at the event, it was heartening to see that a large percentage of the crowd comprised of the youth. Rekhta Foundation has done a commendable job in reigniting our long-lost love for Urdu.
