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Uth meri jaan, mere saath chalna hai tujhe: Shabana reads father Kaifi Azmi poem

Defining a poem, Ms Azmi said, it is defined by words but the experience has to be beyond the words.

Bengaluru: What could be a more beautiful start to a day dedicated to literary connoisseurs than Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Afreen Afreen written by Javed Akhtar, being played on the violin by Aneesh Vidya Shankar? Noted actress and theatre personality Shabana Azmi sent the gathering into a poetic trance with the recitals of her father and famous Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi.

Defining a poem, Ms Azmi said, it is defined by words but the experience has to be beyond the words. Remembering her father’s austere lifestyle she said, “He was a member of the Progressive Writers Movement of India and a hardcore communist. I used to see other parents’ going to office but my father was constantly writing, and it never made me understand poetry until I read Keith Douglas. That’s when I understood the true meaning of poetry.”

Author Ajoy Bose with former Indian ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao. Ms Rao recited poems about the countries where she served as a diplomat. Her poem, The Broken Jaffna I know was written in 2005Author Ajoy Bose with former Indian ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao. Ms Rao recited poems about the countries where she served as a diplomat. Her poem, The Broken Jaffna I know was written in 2005

Shabana said she read Kaifi’s Aurat (woman) that symbolised gender equality way back in 1942. Amidst huge applause she read the lines from the poem - Uth meri jaan mere saath chalna hai tujhe…’ Rise, my love, you must travel on this journey with me..' “He worked with trade unions and talked about the irony of construction workers who build beautiful structures but themselves sleep on the footpath in the poem Makaan,” the actress said.

Today’s Schedule
10:00 - 10:45: Main Kavita Hoon
Kavita Seth with Kavish Seth
10:45 - 11:15: Songs of a Coward
Perumal Murugan
11:15 - 12:00: The Young and the Restless
Biswamit Dwibedy, Manjiri Indurkar, Rabia Kapoor and Rahul Soni with Amit Ranjan
12:00 - 12:30: Bhatki Sufi in Hindustani Art Music
Amarendra Dhaneshwar with an introduction by Ramachandra Guha
12:30 - 1:15: Identity
Sohini Basak, Sridala Swami, Srilata Krishnan and Urvashi Bahuguna
1:15 - 2:00: For the Love of my Language
Bhuchung Sonam, Mona Zote and Sophia Naz
2:00 - 3:00: One Two Cha Cha Cha
Usha Uthup with Sundeep Bhutoria
3:00 - 4:00: Verse has Two Wings
Anamika, Asang Ghosh, Jayant Parmar, Manglesh Dabral with Yatindra Mishra
4:00 - 4:45: Don’t Look for Something to Write About
Anupama Raju, Dibyajyoti Sarma, Rohinton Daruwala and Uttaran Das Gupta
4:45 - 5:30: Rajathani Folk Performance
Manisha Agarwal
5:30 - 6:00: The Journey of Indian English Poetry
Jayanta Mahapatra
6:00 - 6:45: Songs from the North East
Mamang Dai, Mona Zote, Nilim Kumar and Sameer Tanti
6:45 - 7:30: Drishyakavya
Akarsha Kamala
7:30 - 8:15: Nude
Vishal Bhardwaj with Shantanu Chaudhari

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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