Minu Bakshi:My love for both Urdu and Punjabi has been a driving force in my career

Catch poet, singer Minu Bakshi live in performance at the literary festival being held between December 2 and 4 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Notes on love, longing and the divine are set to echo through the air as poet-singer Minu Bakshi gears up to take the stage at the seventh edition of Jashn-E-Rekhta in the Capital. “Rekhta is by far the best platform for the promotion of Urdu — the language, the culture and most importantly poetry and music,” says Bakshi ahead of her performance at the literary festival being held between December 2 and 4 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Jashn-e-Rekhta, the world’s largest Urdu language literary festival, is returning on-ground after a pandemic break of three years.

“I deem it a great honour and privilege to perform at an event like this as it is the music and poetry that speak here, making people forget the barriers of race and religion. It binds people into one,” she tells us.

Talking about her love for poetry, music and folklore, she says, “As a Sikh, I was brought up in the Punjabi tradition and my love for both Urdu and Punjabi has been a driving force in my career.”

And Bakshi feels, just like her, the city is also heavily influenced by its affection for Urdu: “Delhi is a cauldron of mixed cultures in the best sense. The city inherited its tehzeeb and love for Urdu from the days of the Mughals under whose patronage so many poets such as Ghalib, Zauq and Meer blossomed. The partition resulted in a huge influx of Punjabis who carried with them their own vibrant folk culture. This amalgam has contributed to the appreciation of both Urdu and Punjabi traditions in the Capital.”

Talking about her repertoire at the event, Bakshi shares, “I will be singing ghazals written by me and composed and arranged for me by my Ustad ji. The majority of the ghazals I’m singing are from my first book Tishnagi: The Thirst. All my ghazals are about love, longing and surrendering to the divine. I will also be singing ghazals by each poet and singer, who have been an inspiration to me.”

As a vocalist set to perform at an open-air venue, Bakshi also expresses her concern over the deteriorating air quality in the city. She says, “I find myself more and more susceptible to pollution as a singer, and like everyone else in this city, I pray and hope that the government and the public will address the problem with the urgency it deserves.

Catch it live

What: Minu Bakshi live at 7th Jashn-E-Rekhta 2022

Where: Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, near India Gate

When: December 3

Timing: 12.30pm to 1.30pm

Nearest Metro Station: Khan Market on Violet Line

Author Tweets @Nainaarora8

Follow more on Facebook and Twitter