Dastangoi, mushaira, ghazals and qawwali at 4th Jashn-e-Rekhta

With a wide-ranging line-up of mushairas, panel discussions and book exhibitions, the fourth edition of the much-loved Urdu festival -- Jashn-e-Rekhta, is all set to begin from December 8 here.
The three-day event celebrating the timeless glory of the Urdu language, this year, will host over forty poets, authors and artistes at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here.
It promises to be an opportunity for visitors to see and experience Urdu and its creative richness in all forms -- from Dastangoi, mushaira and ghazals, to qawwali, calligraphy, and Urdu prose and poetry readings.
"Urdu is not merely a language but has an entire culture to itself and 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 be it literature, music, films, art, theatre, dance, or oral storytelling," Sanjiv Saraf, founder of Rekhta Foundation, said.
Over the course of three days, the festival will witness the poetic genius of Javed Akhtar in his session 'Kuch Ishq Kiya Kuch Kaam Kiya', a panel discussion on the depiction of Muslim culture in Indian cinema.

Eminent personalities like Waheeda Rehman, Shabana Azmi, Ira Bhaskar and Muzaffar Ali will also be part of the panel.
Actor Annu Kapoor will chronicle Urdu poetry, music and history, including folk tales related to Laila-Majnu.

The event will also celebrate Faiz Ahmed Faiz's rich literary legacy, with renowned actor-director Aamir Raza Husain reciting the verses of the 20th century poet.
Singer Radhika Chopra will pay her tributes to Faiz with her musical renditions of the poet's works.
Lovers of famous Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto will get to know Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's experience of living the character of the author in the session 'Manto ke Rubaru'.
Nandita Das, who is directing the upcoming biopic, 'Manto', will talk about her love for him.
The Urdu festival will also witness participation by Shubha Mudgal, Gopi Chand Narang, Ashok Chakradhar, Neelesh Mishra, and Manoj Muntashir among others.

Visitors can also shop antiquities from old Delhi including handicrafts at the Rekhta Bazaar.
The event will conclude on December 10 with a performance by the "Kun Faya Kun" fame Qawwali singers Nizami Bandhu.