Spotlight on Urdu talent at Bhendi Bazaar fest next year

The third edition of the Bhendi Bazaar Urdu Festival, which will be held from January 13 to 15, 2017 at Imamwada Urdu Municipal School, will shine the spotlight on local Urdu talent. The festival will provide a platform to women who have a passion for writing Urdu poetry, but have never had the opportunity to share them on a public platform.

The festival is being organised by the Urdu Markaz. In addition to the drama and script writing competitions, which are held every year, this year's edition will feature a special ladies mushaira. Zubair Azmi, Director of Urdu Markaz, said, "We have identified local women who are doctors and housewives, but are also passionate about writing Urdu poetry. We want to given them a platform to narrate the poems written by them."

The three-day event aims to educate visitors, especially school and college students, about Urdu history and its origins.

"A heritage walk by Urdu literature experts will also be held to take students through areas that supported the Urdu language," said Zubair.

The festival will also feature a three-day exhibition titled '200 years of Urdu Journalism', putting the focus on Urdu journalism in the country.