Festival celebrates rich cultural heritage of Urdu language

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, February 22

The Capital came alive with the vibrant hues of Urdu culture as the Urdu Heritage Festival commenced its four-day celebrations at Sunder Nursery near Humayun’s Tomb, Nizamuddin, Delhi.

Organised by the Department of Art, Culture and Languages of the Delhi Government in collaboration with Urdu Academy Delhi, the festival, titled Jashn-e-Urdu, aims to highlight the rich cultural heritage embedded within the language.

The festival’s inauguration witnessed a mesmerising array of performances, starting with Anupama Srivastava’s soul-stirring renditions of poetry through ghazals. The traditional art of Urdu storytelling, “Dastangoi”, unfolded captivating tales, with narrators Syed Sahil Agha and Neeta Pandey Negi taking the stage. Adding to the enchantment was Indira Naik’s musical performance, which enraptured the audience with her Sufi melodies.

Sana, a college student accompanying her sister, Manal, expressed her joy, saying, “I’ve always wanted to hear Indira Naik live and today, I got to do just that.” Manal echoed her sister’s sentiments, praising Indira’s voice, “Indira’s voice really takes you to another dimension, I really love her.”

Visitor Anjana was deeply moved by the performances, stating, “Her voice and music go straight to my heart.” As dusk settled, the crowd swelled, culminating in a captivating musical performance by the Warsi Brothers, who travelled from Hyderabad to grace the event.

Rohit, a festival attendee, shared his experience, saying, “Overall, I loved the event, it was a nice getaway and a way to relax while listening to the music that I like and hearing the Urdu storytelling.” Another first-time visitor, Manoj, marvelled at the festival, remarking, “It was my first time at an Urdu festival, but the event today made me realise why Urdu is such a pretty language and the event isn’t even over yet.”

Looking ahead, the festival promises an array of cultural delights, including musical performances, plays, poetry sessions and engaging debates. Notable among the upcoming events is “Dastaan-e-Ramayana: Ramleela in Urdu”, where Shraddha Ramlila group from Faridabad will present the mythological epic with a linguistic twist, blending Hindi and Urdu seamlessly.

A panel discussion titled “Ramayana Urdu ke Aaiine Mein” will delve into Urdu’s perspective on Ramayana, featuring esteemed scholars Khalid Alvi, Khalid Ashraf and Mohd Kazim. Additionally, Bollywood singer and Indian Idol 10 winner, Salman Ali, will enthral the audience with his captivating performance.

The festival will also showcase poetic competitions like “Bait Bazi”, as well as “Chaar Bait”, reviving a 400-year-old tradition with a modern twist.