JashneRekhta

Jashn-e-Rekhta is an annual festival dedicated to the Urdu language and its literary and performing arts. Organized by the Rekhta Foundation, a non-profit based in India, the event brings together poets, writers, researchers, musicians, actors, and language enthusiasts to celebrate Urdu heritage and contemporary creativity. The festival began in the mid-2010s and has since developed into a prominent gathering for the Urdu-speaking and Urdu-interested communities from India and abroad. It is typically held in December and has been hosted primarily in Delhi, though editions have also featured online components or alternative venues in other years.

Program content includes mushairas (poetry recitations), ghazals and nazms, panel discussions, book launches, film screenings, theatre performances, and calligraphy workshops. In addition to live performances, Jashn-e-Rekhta emphasizes accessibility through translations and transliterations, enabling non-Urdu readers to engage with the material. The festival also showcases the work of contemporary Urdu writers and artists and provides space for literary heritage exhibitions.

The event is closely associated with Rekhta.org, the foundation’s online platform that hosts a large collection of Urdu poetry and prose, along with translations, transliterations, audio, and video. Through both the on-site festival and its digital initiatives, Jashn-e-Rekhta seeks to promote Urdu language and literature, foster intercultural dialogue, and support new voices in Urdu literature.