NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Shankar-Shad Mushaira, the annual meet of poets from India and Pakistan, will be held here on Saturday.
The 49th edition of the ‘mushaira’ will see the presence of well-renowned poets from both the countries including Fahmida Riyaz, Kishwar Naheed, Zakia Ghazal and Farhat Shehzad (all Pakistan) and Bekal Utsahi and Malikzada Manzoor Ahmed from India among others.
This is the first time that the ‘mushaira’ will be web cast besides being live on Jamia FM radio.
“We are happy to bring you the ‘mushaira’ again. Through this initiative we try to bridge the gap between the two nations and bring the best of the two nations. By going live, we are also encouraging our youth to take part in it,” Madhav D Shriram, organiser of the event, said.
His grandfather late Lala Murli Dhar Shriram, founder of DCM Industries and who wrote Urdu poetry under the pen name of “Shad”, kept the tradition of Urdu alive in Delhi by starting a ‘mushaira’ in 1954, that in later years came to be known as the ‘Shankar-Shad mushaira’.
The annual meet of Indo-Pak poets also enjoyed the patronage of Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri, the organisers said at a press conference here.
“‘Mushaira’ is losing its sheen now. People who do not know the language properly have become poets. But it’s a great effort by DCM to continue the legacy further,” famous poet Utashi said.
Pakistan born poet Ghazal, who is now settled in Canada, also feels that such artistic initiatives act as a bridge between the two nations.
“This is the third time I am visiting India. People have always bestowed me their love. I took part in it in 2006 and narrating verses in front of such great poets is an achievement in itself,” she said. (PTI)
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