Jashn-e-Rekhta

What happens when solitude becomes not loneliness, but a space for poetry? In this episode of Rekhta Room , poet Qamar Abbas Qamar joins Faisal Fehmi for an intimate conversation about language, solitude, memory and the mysterious ways in which a sher arrives. Qamar grew up in Ghosi, Mau , surrounded by Bhojpuri and Awadhi rather than Urdu. His relationship with Urdu began at home and through the...

What happens when philosophy finds its way into a ghazal? In Episode 7 of Rekhta Room , poet Ashu Mishra sits down with Faisal Fehmi to talk about his unusual journey from computer science and a gold medal in philosophy to writing Urdu poetry. Ashu traces his love for literature back to his school years, discovering Premchand, Renu and Agyeya on his journalist uncle’s bookshelf. He began writing i...

What happens when you grow up walking the same streets as Ghalib, Momin and Mir Dard? Poet Iqbal Ashhar joins Faisal Fehmi for a fascinating conversation about growing up in Old Delhi, the beauty of correct Urdu diction, and how a ghazal truly comes to a poet. He breaks down aamad vs aavard , explains why rhythm and sound are at the heart of Urdu poetry, and asks a timely question: Can AI master t...

Imagine growing up with poets like Rahat Indori and Waseem Barelvi dropping by your home. For Hina Rizvi, that was part of growing up in Lucknow. But her own poetry stayed hidden in private diaries for years. In this episode of Rekhta Room, Hina joins Faisal Fehmi to talk about finding the confidence to step onto the mushaira stage, the support that changed her journey, women finding space in poet...

Can AI help poets write better, or is it taking the soul out of poetry? In Episode 4 of Rekhta Room, young poet and IT professional Yasir Khan Inam joins Faisal Fehmi to discuss his journey from Bulandshahr to Delhi, the influence of Sahir Ludhianvi, and why behr remains central to Urdu poetry. He also shares his perspective on ChatGPT, social media reels, self-editing and the future of shayari. T...

Azhar Nawaz never formally learnt the meter of poetry. He discovered its rhythm by singing ghazals as a boy. In Episode 3 of Rekhta Room Season 1 , the young poet joins Faisal Fehmi to revisit his journey from Anjan Shaheed, a village in Azamgarh, to studying English Literature at Jamia Millia Islamia and completing his PhD at Aligarh Muslim University. Growing up in a home filled with Urdu and po...

Areeb Usmani was building a career as a professional fast bowler when a serious ligament injury brought everything to an abrupt end. In the silence that followed, he found poetry. In this episode of Rekhta Room, Areeb joins Faisal Fehmi to talk about growing up in Mau and Azamgarh, the literary influences within his family, and the years he spent playing cricket in Lucknow and Mumbai. He recalls m...

Does heartbreak really make a poet? For Varun Anand, poetry arrived much earlier. In the first episode of Rekhta Room, hosted by Faisal Fehmi, Varun Anand traces his journey from Yamunanagar and Ludhiana to the world of Urdu poetry. As the eldest son of a family facing financial hardship, he left school early and began working at a young age. It was while listening to Jagjit Singh on the radio tha...

Experience the Dubai Grand Mushaira 2024 from Jashn-e-Rekhta, featuring Javed Akhtar, Zehra Nigah, Tehzeeb Hafi, Shakeel Azmi, Abbas Tabish, Farhat Ehsas, Anwar Shaoor, Khalid Irfan, Asim Wasti, Manish Shukla and more. Presided over by the legendary Zehra Nigah and hosted by Ambreen Haseeb Amber, this special mehfil brings together some of the most celebrated voices of Urdu poetry. From ghazals on...

Javed Akhtar and Pervaiz Alam come together at Jashn-e-Rekhta for a sharp, necessary conversation on the Urdu script debate, Rasm-ul-Khat, and the relationship between Hindi and Urdu. Javed Akhtar begins with a clear argument. There is no problem with the Urdu script. The real confusion lies in mixing up script with language. Through examples from Punjabi, English, French and German, he explains h...

In this rare and intimate episode of Rekhta Rubaru , legendary Urdu poet Munawwar Rana sits down with Moid Rasheedi for a deeply personal conversation about identity, Partition, poetry, rebellion and the memories that shaped his voice. Rana reflects on being Munawwar Ali before fame, his childhood as the son of a truck driver, and his father’s decision to stay in India after 1947 to protect the 50...

Experience the magic of a grand live Mushaira from Shaam-e-Rekhta Mumbai, hosted by the Rekhta Foundation. Two of the greatest living legends of Urdu poetry, Javed Akhtar and Waseem Barelvi, come together on one stage for an unforgettable evening of ghazal, shayari and powerful poetic expression. Javed Akhtar delivers deeply moving verses on integrity, self-respect, relationships and the many cont...

In this deeply moving episode of Rekhta Rubaru , host Rehman Faris sits down with legendary poet Abbas Tabish , celebrated as one of the most powerful voices of the modern Urdu ghazal. From childhood memories and poverty to the emotional force of a mother’s love, Tabish reflects on the fears, wounds, and turning points that shaped both his life and poetry. He shares the story behind one of his mos...

A book of Jaun Elia's poems no one had read — until now. Javed Akhtar launches Kyun and opens up the poet's hidden world. On Jaun Elia's birth anniversary, Jashn-e-Rekhta hosts the launch of Kyun , a collection of the legendary Urdu poet's previously unpublished work, compiled by Khalid Akhtar Ansari and Adeel Zaidi and released by Javed Akhtar. In conversation with Moin Shadab, Ja...

One historian. Seven centuries of India. One unforgettable conversation. In this episode of Rekhta Rubaru, legendary historian Professor Irfan Habib joins Moid Rasheedi for a sweeping conversation on the making of India’s cultural, political and linguistic history. From the memories of Partition and the Lahore Resolution to the atmosphere in Aligarh during a turning point in India’s history, Habib...

Recorded live at Jashn-e-Rekhta Dubai , this special conversation brings together Mahira Khan and Samina Peerzada with host Adeel Hashmi for a thoughtful, warm, and revealing session on acting, storytelling, and the journey from script to screen. Titled “Kahaani Se Kirdaar Tak” , the discussion explores how actors shape written characters into unforgettable performances. Mahira Khan reflects on he...

Sharman Joshi joins Rekhta Guftugu for a warm, honest conversation on theatre, cinema, family, craft, and the long journey of becoming an actor. Born into a family deeply connected with Gujarati theatre, Sharman looks back at the influence of his father Arvind Joshi, his uncle Praveen Joshi, and the world of modern Indian theatre that shaped his early years. He shares stories from college, his fir...

Taapsee Pannu opens up in a warm, honest and deeply personal conversation on Rekhta Guftugu. From growing up in a middle-class Delhi household to studying engineering, modelling during college, entering South cinema, and eventually becoming one of the most distinct voices in Hindi films, Taapsee traces the journey that shaped her both as an actor and as a person. She speaks about her mother’s infl...

Ali Fazal comes to Jashn-e-Rekhta for a warm, candid, and deeply reflective conversation on cinema, Urdu, poetry, ambition, and the stories that shaped him. Opening with a nazm, Ali moves from the grace of Lucknow’s tehzeeb to his childhood memories of films, books, and language. He speaks about being born in Delhi and raised in Lucknow, the influence of his mother, his early connection with theat...

A grand mushaira from Jashn-e-Rekhta Dubai, bringing some of Urdu poetry’s most loved voices together on one stage. This Sunday Special captures the best moments from Dubai Mushaira 2025, where Javed Akhtar, Zehra Nigah, Waseem Barelvi, Abbas Tabish, Khushbir Singh Shaad, Sarosh Asif and Shakeel Jazib fill the evening with nazm, ghazal, wit, silence, applause and that rare mehfil energy only a liv...

Piyush Mishra brings his full self to this live Jashn-e-Rekhta session, sharp humour, raw memories, music, poetry, and the kind of honesty that refuses to sound rehearsed. In this conversation, he opens up about love, heartbreak, and why today’s fast-moving Gen Z relationships often miss the patience and depth of old-school romance. He speaks about acting as imagination, not just technique, and sh...

Javed Akhtar joins Saif Mahmood for a thoughtful and deeply relevant conversation on Urdu, secularism, language politics, and the cultural history of India. In this live session, they unpack how Hindi and Urdu grew from the same soil, sharing the same streets, emotions, and literary traditions long before politics tried to divide them. Javed Akhtar speaks candidly about why languages should never...

Saadat Hasan Manto was not a writer who allowed anyone to stay comfortable. In this powerful conversation from Jashn-e-Rekhta, filmmaker Nandita Das and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui join RJ Sayema to speak about bringing Manto’s life, mind and contradictions to the screen. Nawazuddin reflects on playing Manto and the strange after-effect of carrying his honesty into real life. Nandita Das explains wh...

What happens when two of South Asia’s most loved actors speak about Urdu, not as a language of nostalgia, but as a living part of performance, memory, and identity? In this rare conversation from Jashn-e-Rekhta Dubai , Saba Qamar and Imran Abbas join Adeel Hashmi for a deeply honest discussion on Urdu, cinema, acting, and the changing sound of storytelling. They speak about the sanctity of words,...

Some nights are not just heard. They are felt. In this Grand Mushaira from the Jashn-e-Rekhta stage, some of India’s most loved poets come together for an unforgettable evening of Urdu poetry, emotion, wit, reflection, and live mehfil energy. From the first sher to the final applause, the atmosphere carries the warmth of a packed audience listening, reacting, smiling, and sometimes falling complet...