Urdu poets from China, Pak to charm Delhi at annual symposium

New Delhi, March 29

A bevy of Urdu poets from across the globe, including Pakistan and China, will congregate in the National Capital for the annual Jashn-e-Bahaar Mushaira later this week.

The 17^th edition of the country’s biggest non-political Urdu poetry symposium will be held here on April 3 and will see the likes of Javed Akhtar and Wasim Barelvi sharing stage with other eminent poets.

Among those set to enthrall the audience with their couplets and ghazals is Zhang Shixuan from Beijing.

Other poets include Abdullah Abdullah from New York, Ashfaq Hussain Zaidi from Toronto and Omar Salim Al-aidroos from Jeddah.

A big attraction at the mushaira over the years has been the participation from across the border with leading poets from Pakistan charming Urdu lovers.

This year will be no different as three poets—Kishwar Naheed from Islamabad, Amjad Islam Amjad from Lahore and Ambareen Hasib from Karachi—are participating in the event.

The mushaira will be held at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road.

Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah will be the chief guest at the event that will be presided by veteran journalist and writer Kuldeep Nayar.

Among the Indian poets, Munawwar Rana from Kolkata, Mansoor Usmani from Moradabad and Popular Meeruthi from Meerut will participate.

“In India, the institution of mushaira has always mirrored the secular, syncretic credentials that are synonymous with both the character of Urdu and the idea of Hindustan. We strive to keep this institution alive and thereby nurture the values of liberal humanism that Urdu literature stands for,” said Kamna Prasad, Urdu activist and founder of Jashn-e-Bahar Trust.

“Our films, the diaspora and the potency of our beautiful language Urdu have created a remarkable global identity for this essentially Indian language in modern times. Mushaira Jashn-e-Bahar underscores this emerging aspect of Urdu’s poetic expression,” she said.

Aparna S. Reddy, convener of the mushaira, said, “This year, Zhang Shi Xuan, an Urdu poet from China will be presenting his kalaam at the mushaira. In the past too, we have invited several poets whose mother tongue is not Urdu.

After all, Urdu is among the top 20 languages spoken around the world and its lovers are only increasing in number.” — PTI