Academy organizes All India Urdu Mushaira

Lalit Gupta

JAMMU, Jan 28: In continuance to the more than 50 years old tradition, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages organized an All India Urdu Mushaira at the Police Auditorium, Gulshan Grounds, here today.
Labelled as one of the ongoing oldest of such annual events in the sub-continent, Academy’s All India Urdu Mushaira is a prestigious event in which all most all leading Urdu poets of the country have participated. Today’s poetic symposium as per the practice comprised of invited Urdu poets from different parts of the country besides well known poets of the State.
Giving an overview of the cotemporary Urdu poetry, the mega literary event enthralled the audience as the poets read their latest nazams and gazals. Presided by noted poet-critic, Prof Hamidi Kashmiri, the Mushaira was conducted by Aiyaz Rasool Nazaki, who impressed every one with his poem which included verses like ‘jis ka darwaza khula ho raat din, aisa koi ghar khuda ka nahin’.
Poets who recited their poems included Parveen Kumar Ashk, Javed Anwar, Abdul Ahad Saaz, Ibrahim Ashk, Shahpar Rasool, Krishan Kumar Toor, Sardar Panchi, Arsh Sehbai, Rafiq Raaz, Shafaq Sopori, Liaqat Jafri, Balraj Bakshi, Ayaz Rasool Nazki, Syed Raza, Khalid Karaar, Nazir Azad, Zahid Mukhtar, Sham Talib, Ahmad Shanash and Sagar Sehrai, Sajjad Poonchi, among others.
The main attraction of the mushaira were young and senior poets from the State like Khalid Karaar, Liaqat Jafri, Balraj Bakshi, Vidya Rattan Aasi, Arsh Sehbai, Sagar Sehrai, Betab Jaipuri enthralled audience with their powerful rendering of poetic verses.
Out of the outside who had come to Jammu from far off places like Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai, Pathankot, Sardar Panchi entertained the audience with his inimitable style of singing his verses. The symposium had drawn people in large numbers who appreciated the poets with thundering rounds of applause.