Ghazal festival returns to stage after a gap of eight years to celebrate the oldest forms of poetry

On the opening evening, artiste Suman Devgan and her ensemble performed ghazals, including ‘Halke halke suro main Ghazal chediye’ composed by Raza Amrohvi, ‘Maan mausam ka kaha’ by Bashir Badr, and ‘Shehre zindagi tanha’ from Rifat Sarosh’s collection.

The two-day event also saw a performance by Poonam Chauhan, who sang a selection of ghazals, including Parveen Shakir’s ‘Ik hunar tha kamaal tha kya tha,’ Mirza Ghalib’s ‘Ye hum jo hijr mein’, and ‘Kab tak dil ki khair manayein’ by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Talking about the festival, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that with such events, people get the opportunity to witness young and upcoming artistes.

“Ghazal is one of the oldest forms of poetry and beautifully expresses both spirituality and worldly emotions. This festival is sure to bring serenity to one’s mind. I am glad to see how Delhi is turning into the cultural capital of the country,” Sisodia said in a statement. On Friday, Ustad Ahmad Husain and Mohammad Husain from Jaipur are scheduled to perform, followed by Dr Roshan Bharti.

“We are striving to organize all the festivals that will introduce the Delhities to all the cultural nuances of our Indian culture. Ghazal Festival is one such small effort to make the evening soothing and poetic for the ghazal lovers. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the artists and the team for organizing this festival,” Monica Priyadarshini, secretary, Sahitya Kala Parishad said.

Follow more stories on Facebook & Twitter

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.