Venkat Raman
Auckland, September 5, 2018
The literary and phonetic beauty of Urdu and Hindi came to the for last weekend at a Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan Night in Auckland.
Organised by Ghouse Majeed and Syed Mujeeb Hyderabadi of Urdu Hindi Cultural Association at Fickling Convention Centre in Three Kings, the four-hour long programme also brought together Indian and Pakistani professionals and beginners on a platform that radiated love and respect not only for the languages but also for each other casting to the winds the political differences between the two neighbours in the Indian Sub-Continent.
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Melissa Lee and others at the event (Picture Supplied)
MPs and other dignitaries
While the two Indian Members of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Dr Parmjeet Parmar (National) and former Member of Parliament Mahesh Bindra (New Zealand First) understood the meaning and concept of every Mushaira and Ghazal, other lawmakers including Michael Wood, Melissa Lee and Deborah Russell lent their presence exhibiting their solidarity with the communities. They acknowledged the passion that people have for Urdu and Hindi, although not everyone speaks them with equal literary mastery.
Roopa Suchdev, President of the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association proved yet again her proficiency in the two languages and her skill in oratory. She led the event with dignity and honour, which was a source of inspiration.
Mahesh Bindra with (from left) Roshini Sharma and Suman Kapoor (Picture Supplied)
Getting to the roots
Mr Hyderabadi, who has been organising this annual programme with passion, told us: “This event is the reminder of our roots and it allows our new generation to connect with the culture and literary aspects of the enriched languages. This is a small but significant attempt towards the preservation of the languages from Indian subcontinent.”
The first Session of Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan were hosted by Mohammed Ayub Khan and Preeta Vyas with Mr Bindra as the Master. Among the participants were Rashmi Sharma from India and Hannan Khan, Rohit Kumar, Dr Yousuf Quraishi, Suman Kapoor, Shiv Bhagirath, Dr Yousuf Qureshi Mr Majeed and Mr Hyderabadi.
Dr Parmjeet Parmar with (from left) Bala (Venu) Beeram, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Suman Kapoor (Picture Supplied)
Sandeep Singh, Arif Zia and Jyoti Virk were among the singers.
Among the highlights of the event was the release of ‘Dhanak,’ the Seventh Annual Edition of the Association’s magazine by Mr Bakshi, who is also the Patron of the Association.
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