By Muslim Mirror News

New Delhi ,15  Dec, 2015: Spurred by the success of its debut last year, that drew over 20,000 visitors and featured distinguished poets, authors and artists from all across the globe, the Jashn is returning with its much awaited second edition in New Delhi from February 12-14, 2016. Having outgrown the previous festival location (IIC), this year the Jashn which is a free public event, accessible to one and all, will be held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts – a much bigger venue with its huge open space to accommodate the expected large turnout of Urdu lovers from across the country and the globe. The duration of the festival has also been expanded from two to three enriching and excitement packed days.

Organized by the Rekhta foundation, that curates the largest online repository of Urdu poetry in the world www.rekhta.org that has brought authentic Urdu poetry at a click to its lovers; the Jashn in its debut last year, took to great heights with eminent personalities like Zia Mohyeddin, Javed Akhtar, M.K.Raina, Muzaffar Ali, Nandita Das; legends of Urdu literature Shamsur Rahman Farooqui, Gopi Chand Narang , Intizaar Hussain amongst many others, who converged to celebrate Urdu through various performances and sessions. With the swelling crowd of Urdu lovers especially the youngsters, the festival garnered an overwhelming response and appreciation.

Jashn-e-Rekhta 2016 will let lovers of Urdu, see and experience Urdu and its creative richness in all forms including Dastangoi (story-telling), plays, Mushaira, Qawwali, Ghazal singing, Discussions, Baitbaazi (Urdu poetry competition), Calligraphy workshops, lectures, Exhibitions, Urdu Bazaar, Urdu prose and poetry readings and much more.

The renowned Sabri Brothers from Rajasthan famous for their Qawwali,are set to open the festival on Feb 12 with their performance. A special highlight of the festival will be the birth centenary celebration of legendary Urdu writers Ismat Chugtai and Rajinder Singh Bedi, known as the pillars of Urdu fiction. The birth centenary of Akhtar ul Iman – one of the pillars of modern Urdu Nazms & Dialogue writer will also be celebrated. The festival will hold various interactions and discussion tracks on films, art and culture. A treasure trove for the taste buds – a Food Court with authentic cuisines like Kashmiri, Deccani, Hyderabadi, Lucknowi and Purani Dilli will be set up for the food lovers during the festival. As a special focus, there will also be a children’s corner which will have Storytelling, Dastangoi, Audio installations, Fun Drawing and many other interesting activities aimed at reviving Urdu literature among children. Tina Sani – the famous Ghazal singer from Pakistan will also perform at the festival. Another attraction at the festival will be Urdu Bazaar, a special area dedicated to brass artifacts, variety of Itra (fragrances), Film Posters and much more.

Mr. Sanjiv Saraf, founder of Rekhta.org and the force behind Jashn-e-Rekhta says, “Jashn-e-Rekhta is a manifestation of our belief in the versatility, richness and the timeless beauty of Urdu. The success of its debut last year is a testimony to this belief. We were overwhelmed to see lovers of Urdu coming together to feel and experience its beauty through the savants of the language. Jashn-e-Rekhta, in its second edition will continue its efforts to keep Urdu alive in the public consciousness and I invite all to come and be a part of this Jashn with us”

About Rekhta.org:

Rekhta Foundation is a non-profit venture and operates a free online resource for Urdu poetry- www.rekhta.org.The objective of Rekhta is to promote Urdu literature, especially Urdu Poetry, to a global audience having roots in our sub-continent, particularly those not conversant with the Urdu script. The content is available in Devanagari and Roman scripts in addition to the Urdu script.

The website has a global readership from over 160 countries across the globe. In few years since its launch, it has attracted wide acclaim and has been highly appreciated not only by laypersons and enthusiasts but also by Urdu literatures from India, Pakistan and other parts of the globe. This resource provides the works of the highest number of poets compared to any other site in this genre. The site is the largest online repository of Urdu poetry anywhere, with over 15,000 Ghazals and Nazms of over 1500 Urdu poets of over the last three centuries.

Programme Highlights    

• Over 75 most distinguished authors, poets, artists, litterateurs, singers and acclaimed personalities from India, Pakistan and the US will attend the festival.
• Gopi Chand Narang, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Iftikhar Arif, Zehra Nigah, Javed Akhtar, Jeelani Bano, Mahesh Bhatt, Shabana Azmi, Tom Alter, Sabri Brothers, Tina Sani, Ashok Vajpeyi, Namvar Singh among many others will come together to bring alive Urdu’s timeless splendour and rich heritage.
• Festival to showcase Urdu and its richness through various forms like Mushaira, Qawwali, Dastangoi, Ghazals, Film screening, Dance, Plays and more
• Eclectic discussions ranging from contemporary to historic, facts to fiction, films, art and culture
• A Food court showcasing flavours of India for lovers of authentic Kashmiri, Deccani, Hyderabadi, Lucknowi and Purani Dilli cuisines

Festival information @ http://jashnerekhta.org/

For further details please contact:

Aparna Pande: aparna.pande1@gmail.com

Dharmendra Saha: contact@jashnerekhta.org