Mumbai: ‘Gujarati Utsav,’ was organised at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chowpatty on January 11, 2025 (Saturday). The event saw a jam-packed auditorium, where prominent personalities gathered to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Gujarati literature. The mushayra featured an array of poignant ghazals and songs, while the musical evening offered a diverse mix of melodies, captivating the hearts of all.

The event’s chief guest was Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, while the guest of honour was Parimal Nathwani, MP, Rajya Sabha, and Director, Corporate Affairs, Reliance Industries. Popular actress Sarita Joshi paid tribute to the glory of the Gujarati language by presenting verses that celebrated the linguistic richness of Gujarati. She lauded Rekhta Gujarati’s work and presented the iconic lines from the song “Nahi Bolun Re” sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Purushottam Upadhyay. Udayan Thakkar, Advisor, Rekhta Foundation, welcomed the guests.

Coincidentally, the event was organised exactly a month after the demise of musician, singer and composer, Padma Shri Purushottam Upadhyay. the foundation dedicated the event to him in his memory.

Tushar Mehta honoured Mumbai by referring to it as the “true capital of Gujarati literature”. He stressed upon the need to promote Gujarati literature at an international level. He said, “While we may have taught our new generation to read and write in Gujarati, we have forgotten to teach them to enjoy it. Shakespeare and Tulsidas may be contemporaries, but one is known worldwide, while the other is only known to a limited audience. Even Sarat babu (Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay), renowned Bengali author, is globally recognised, yet our finest authors remain obscure. If we had transcreated great works of our leading literaturists, perhaps then, Narmad could have been recognised worldwide today. Rekhta is capable of achieving what we have failed to do: bringing Narmad to the new generation.”

The first half of the event was devoted to a mushayra, featuring talented poets such as Rajesh Vyas ‘Miskin’, Bhavesh Bhatt, Krushna Dave, Hemen Shah, Sanju Vala, Mukesh Joshi, and Harshvi Patel, whose mesmerizing recitals of ghazals and songs left the audience spellbound.

Post intermission, the musical performance by Praful Dave and Hardik Dave transported the audience to a different world with their renditions of iconic as well as lesser-known immortal Gujarati songs.

The event was impeccably moderated by the esteemed poet Ankit Trivedi, whose unique style added an extra dimension to the evening.

Sanjeev Saraf, Founder, Rekhta Foundation, shared the Foundation’s journey and objectives, saying, “12 years ago, we began Rekhta Foundation with an aim of curating and promoting the Urdu language and literature. The success we got in the Urdu language motivated us to expand our work to other Indian languages. So, we ventured into the world of Sufi, Hindi, and Rajasthani literature. Rekhta Gujarati too is a step in this direction. The encouragement and support we got from Tushar Mehta helped us begin our journey with Gujarati works.”

Rekhta Gujarati’s next event will take place in Bhavnagar on 19 January, 2025. DeshGujarat