"Be-sabab muskurā rahā hai chaand,
Koi sāzish chhupā rahā hai chaand..."
- Gulzar

Last week, I had the fortune of getting to attend the 10th edition of Jashn-e-Rekhta: the largest celebration of Urdu. A place where language is a living, breathing thing, nurturing the spark of Urdu through mushairas (poetry recitation), ghazals, dialogues, music, drama, and art.

Perhaps that is why the moon was beaming.
Because how often do you find yourself standing a few feet away from Gulzar sahab, Javed Akhtar, and Sukhwinder Singh – all in one evening?

Conversations floating past like incense in the air. The spark of eagerness to hear the exchange of words and sentiments, to watch the ruffle of silk skirts onstage, to finally find the words to explain what you’ve been feeling.

Seeing Gulzar sahab in person felt like watching a poem walk into a room. Mukammal khaamoshi. The wind had been nudging branches all evening, but his arrival seemed to still the leaves themselves.
In conversation with Divya Dutta, his words seemed to be carved out of silence, every pause akin to a sigh. Emotions dissolved into Urdu.

Later, after the first part of the evening – poetry, shayari, and Urdu – was over, Sukhwinder Singh took the stage. His voice absolutely gave me chills – pure talent blaring through speakers, settling over the crowd like a shawl against the cold.

The trees glowed with lanterns, the sky had turned the color of ink, and the wind carried lost fragments of verses long after they had been spoken.

This was an evening I doubt I’ll forget for a long time to come!

Yours truly,
Divi