With the advent of spring, the Department of Art, Culture and Languages has been organising festivals across South Delhi.
The first one was the Shahpurjat Winter Fashion Festival held from 10th to 12th Feb, 2024, 4 to 8 pm, at the MCD grounds of Shahapur jat village. It was a three-day extravaganza of fashion shows, music concerts, rock band, folk dance and delicious food stalls. About 5000 people attended every day, maximum crowd was on the second day for Aditi Roy’s performance.
The highlight of this festival was the fashion show wherein the designers dressed up grandfather-granddaughter duos for ramp walk. Some senior citizen couples (like our editor MK Gupta along with his graceful wife, Shashi Gupta) also walked the ramp.
People enjoyed this three-day festival thoroughly. Along with dancing to the music, there was a huge crowd at the beautiful clothes and food stalls. While people shopped for designer clothes, they also tasted a variety of delicious dishes.
The cultural landscape of the capital was enlivened by the splendor of Urdu as the four-day Urdu Heritage Festival kicked off at Sunder Nursery near Humayun’s Tomb, Nizamuddin, Delhi.
“Jashn-e-Urdu,” the festival aptly named to celebrate the essence of Urdu, brings forth the city’s deep-seated affinity with the language.
The festival seeks to spotlight the opulent cultural weave that Urdu language carries within its folds. Attendees during this standout event saw a wealth of cultural festivities that included soul-stirring musical renditions, stimulating plays, deep-dive poetic expositions, and thought-provoking debates.
Addressing the people who attended the event, Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said that this program was organized by the Tourism Department of the Delhi government in collaboration with Urdu Academy, Delhi. The staff of the department had worked very hard to put together the festival. He stated that he salutes the hard work of all these people and wholeheartedly thanks everyone for attending the program in such large numbers.
Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the Delhi government is continuously organizing such programs in different areas of Delhi. The sole purpose behind these programs is to establish our Ganga-Jamuni (composite and inclusive) culture in the hearts of our young generation. He mentioned that Urdu is a very sweet language that connects one person to another. He stated that the program has been organized at this location for four days, from the 22nd to the 25th date. For this program, the Delhi government has invited esteemed personalities from the worlds of Ghazals and Sufi music, such as the Nizami Brothers, Khnank Joshi, Talat Aziz, and Salman Ali, the winner of Voice of India.
A highlight within the lineup of scheduled events was “Dastaan -e-Ramayana: Ramleela in Urdu”
Spectators were also treated to the musical magic of Bollywood sensation and Indian Idol 10 victor, Salman Ali, whose voice left the audiences spellbound with its melodious charm.
Ensuring that tradition marries innovation, the festival hosted poetic competitions such as “Bait Bazi” and “Chaar Bait,” breathing new life into a 400-year-old tradition for contemporary appreciation.
Stalls of books, calligraphy, jewellery, clothes and non-vegetarian delicacies saw the visitors enjoying shopping and eating their hearts out.
The festival was on from 12 noon to 10 pm on all the four days and saw a footfall of 5000 every day.
A live concert featuring the famous Bollywood singer, Javed Ali was held on 3rd March from 7 to 9.30 pm, at the Sunder Nursery. Twenty thousand people enjoyed and grooved to this performance
On this occasion, Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena was present along with his wife as the chief guest. Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Niharika Rai, Managing Director, Delhi Tourism, Geetika Sharma, General Manager, Delhi Tourism, and other distinguished guests were also present.
