Jashn-e-Rekhta
Jashn-e-Rekhta (Urdu: جشنِ ریختہ, lit. 'Celebration of Rekhta', Hindi: जश्न-ए-रेख़्ता) is the world's largest Urdu language literary festival.[1] It is a three-day event held in New Delhi that celebrates the Urdu language.[2][3] The festival showcases Urdu poetry, Urdu literature, Qawwali, Islamic calligraphy, with performances such as Ghazal, Sufi music, recitations, panel discussions, debates, conversations on films, and calligraphy workshops. It also includes shopping and a food festival.[4][5] It provides a platform for Urdu lovers[3] to share their poetry and stories in various open forums. The slogan[6] of the festival is "Celebrating Urdu",[7] and it is attended by a huge number of Urdu enthusiasts, especially people who are younger.[8]
Jashn-e-Rekhta جشنِ ریختہ | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Literary festival |
Frequency | Annual |
Location(s) | Delhi |
Country | India |
Years active | 2015 – present |
Organised by | Rekhta Foundation |
Website | https://jashnerekhta.org/ |
History
The festival was first held in 2015. It is organised by the Rekhta Foundation, a non-profit organization that is devoted to the preservation and promotion of the Urdu language and culture.
Notable participants
Jashn-e-Rekhta has seen participation from dozens of Urdu writers and prominent names from the film, music and TV industry from India, Pakistan, and the United States, including:
- Javed Akhtar
- Imtiaz Ali
- Muzaffar Ali
- Tom Alter
- Shabana Azmi
- Wasim Barelvi
- Rekha Bhardwaj
- Wadali Brothers
- Prem Chopra
- Nandita Das
- Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
- Ali Akbar Natiq
- Nida Fazli
- Gulzar
- Hans Raj Hans
- Intizar Hussain
- Rahat Indori
- Javed Jaffrey
- Pandit Jasraj
- Prasoon Joshi
- Annu Kapoor
- Irrfan Khan
- Rafaqat Ali Khan
- Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
- Ustad Hamid Ali Khan
- Ustad Rashid Khan
- Anwar Maqsood
- Anwar Masood
- Zia Mohyeddin
- Shubha Mudgal
- Gopi Chand Narang
- Munawwar Rana
- Shilpa Rao
- Waheeda Rehman
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui
- Sharmila Tagore
- Maithili Thakur
- Amish Tripathi
- Harshdeep Kaur
- Zakir Khan
- Kumar Vishwas[9]
Critical Views
Jashn-e-Rekhta received criticism from various corners due to its emphasis on Devanagari script and Roman script in expressing the Urdu literature. Rizwan Ahmad argued that "The first few editions did not have the Jashn-e-Rekhta written in Urdu. Recent ones did include the Urdu script, but the schedules were available only in English. The big ‘I LOVE URDU’ cut-out where the youth were seen taking pictures was only in English. Both speak volumes about the targeted audience".[10]
References
- "Jashn-e-Rekhta Is Back In Delhi With Fourth Season: Here's What To Expect From The 'Biggest Urdu Festival'". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "When the soul speaks in Urdu". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "Urdu festival Jashn-e-Rekhta resonates with one and all". The Asian Age. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "Jashn-e-Rekhta 2017: Celebrating Urdu | Three-day Urdu festival". jashnerekhta.org. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- Bhanj, Jaideep Chandra Deo. "The great global culinary experiment". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- Kumar, Kuldeep (15 December 2017). "Understanding Rekhta". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- Kumar, Kuldeep (12 December 2017). "Jashn-e-Rekhta: Celebrating a common heritage". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- Vermal Lal, Preeti (12 December 2017). "When the Soul speaks in Urdu". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "Jash-e-Rekhta 2019".
- Ahmed, Rizwan. "As We Celebrate Urdu, Let's Not Ignore the Signs of Its Decline in India". The Wire.