Jashn-e-Rekhta 2024: World’s Largest Urdu Festival

Urdu enthusiasts around the globe are rejoicing as the Rekhta Foundation announces the dates for Jashn-e-Rekhta 2024—the world’s largest Urdu language, literature, and cultural festival—scheduled for December 13, 14, and 15 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The three-day festival promises a vibrant celebration of artistic expression, drawing audiences from across the world.

This year’s festival will showcase over 200 artists across 40+ sessions, spread over three immersive stages. Jashn-e-Rekhta 2024 will bring together an exciting blend of Ghazals, Sufi music, Qawwali, storytelling, Mushaira, poetry recitations, and interactive sessions featuring celebrity conversations, masterclasses, and more. The festival will also include a curated Rekhta food festival (Aiwan-e-Zaiqa), a Books Bazaar, and the popular Rekhta Bazaar featuring handicrafts and merchandise.

Jashn-e-Rekhta 2024 has been thoughtfully curated, emphasising the importance of promoting varied nuances of the Urdu language. The festival will open with a grand Sufi performance by Padmashri Kailash Kher on the inaugural evening of Friday, December 13.

“This year, we’ve moved the festival to a new and larger venue, ensuring comfort for visitors and providing an even more art-friendly environment. We intend to delve deeper into the realm of Urdu and introduce its lovers to the newer shades of the language’s literature and culture,” said Huma Khalil, Trustee & Creative Director, Rekhta Foundation.

Key personalities include Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher, Popular Meeruthi, Papon, Pernia Qureshi, the Ali brothers, Professor Ghazanfar, and many others.

Jashn-e-Rekhta has consistently drawn enormous crowds in previous editions, and with its growing popularity among the youth, this year’s event is expected to be bigger and more spectacular than ever.

Sanjiv Saraf, Founder of Rekhta Foundation, added, “People from all backgrounds and parts of the country join their hands and hearts to make Jashn-e-Rekhta possible. It is only the love and warmth in the hearts of people towards their beloved language and the festival that keeps it ordered in spite of such a huge number of attendees. There is no denying that even a greater number of audience is going to turn up this year, and we must be prepared for it. We have taken significant steps to ease the rush on the venue. Being a lover of Urdu, I am as much excited to be a part of Jashn-e-Rekhta 2024 as anyone”.

The 2024 edition will feature several unique sessions, including: Nationalism in Urdu Poetry, exploring the often-overlooked nationalist spirit in Urdu poetry; The Art of Humour and Satire, examining Urdu’s longstanding tradition of wit and satire; The Varied Art Forms of Urdu, delving into the visual and literary traditions within Urdu; Celebrating Delhi Poets, highlighting the capital’s rich poetic legacy and vibrant music scene; and Ghazal in its New Avatar, blending traditional Urdu music with contemporary styles. A key highlight will be the Grand Finale of Rekhta Baitbaazi, a national competition celebrating Urdu tradition, currently conducted at various universities across India.

Having made its international debut in London in 2023 and expanded to Dubai in 2024, Jashn-e-Rekhta continues to grow in global stature. Its influence extends beyond India, offering a platform for literary and cultural exchange worldwide.

When: December 13 to 15

Where: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi