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Mumbai: First-ever Bhendi Bazaar Urdu Festival to be held in Jan 2014; Lata Mangeshkar invited

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The city will soon get a glimpse into the cultural history of an area that has long suffocated in its congested bylanes. The ‘Bhendi Bazaar Urdu festival’ will be held for the first time, from January 10 and 12, 2014. It will highlight Urdu literature’s evolution through the works of writers and poets who made the area their den. It also examines places that are not only architecturally significant, but also featured prominently in the freedom struggle; and above all the sumptuous fare that still attracts foodies all day long.

Organised by Urdu Markaz, an organisation that works for the promotion of the language, the festival will be held at Imambada ground near Dongri. “Though called the Bhendi Bazaar Urdu festival, it will not be restricted to the area. It will look at all the places into which the cultural ethos of the place have diversified, along with areas in the vicinity that shaped Urdu culture,” said Zubair Azmi, director of Urdu Markaz. One such place is the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana that used to function on Chakla Street near Crawford Market. Its disciples include Lata Mangeshkar, who is among the invitees. The festival will throw light on the gharana’s salient history. A souvenir will be brought out in Urdu and English to mark the occasion.

As per the plans, the festival will focus on various themes that will be explored through discussions, speeches, readings, and cut-outs that trace the origins of the language.

“The first authentic Urdu document in this region was traced to 1760. We feel that the language arrived after the Bahadur Shah Zafar’s reign. It was around this time when the language seemed to have seeped in when the area was dominated by Khojas, Bohri Muslims and Kucthi Memons who came as traders,” said Azmi.

Back then, too, the city’s beauty enamoured many. A prominent poet whose penname was ‘Ata’ penned a couplet on the city which will find a place in the festival. This poem is one of the most authentic sources that the organisers have managed to trace till now. It reads: Ajab hai shaher Bambai quareena jada hai joon anguthi main nagina (Bombay is like a wonderful city of great ambience standing in the sea like precious pearl fitted in a silver ring).

“Urdu went through a series of twists and turns from the influence of Mirza Ghalib and Mir Taqi Mir’s classical works to the progressive writers movement of the 1930s,” said Azmi. As a tribute to the ghaz als and literary works of the greats, poetry contests of progressive writers like Kaifi Azmi and Jan Nisan Akhtar, who lived in the area, will be put up.

“We will also commemorate Sadat Hassan Manto, one of the world’s most famous short story writers, who lived here. The places where he and Akhtar lived still exist,” said Azmi.

Apart from litterateurs, historical places will be showcased. “Mughal Masjid, Minara Masjid, Zakaria Masjid, Musafirkhana, and role of the Ali brothers in the freedom struggle too will be shown,” said Azmi.

The story of the emergence of delicacies like shami kababs and biryani will be explored. “Most of what is here is through Mughlai influence,” said Farid Khan, general secretary of Urdu Markaz.

Quite an event
Festival will celebrate the language’s origins through discussions, speeches, and and documentation

Apart from literature, sites with significance to freedom struggle will be showcased
The culinary aspect of Urdu culture, too, will be explored.

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