Bhawna Shaw

Rekhta Foundation is a public charitable trust instituted in 2012 with an aim to preserve and promote Indian languages and to connect people through various modes of expression. The Foundation curates the largest online repository of Urdu poetry in the world, www.rekhta.org, launched in 2013, that has brought authentic Urdu poetry at a click to its lovers, and garners a readership from over 150 countries across the globe. Rekhta Foundation also organizes Jashn-e-Rekhta, an annual festival held in Delhi that celebrates the spirit and eloquence of Urdu language, literature, art and culture. The festival, since its debut in 2015, has grown to become one of the largest literary and cultural events with an attendance of 1,40,000 visitors in 2017. Jashn-e-Rekhta has witnessed participation from doyens of Urdu literature and prominent names from the film, literature, music and TV fraternity from across the globe, especially India and Pakistan. The festival celebrates Urdu through live performances, recitations, dastangoi, ghazal, qawwali, Sufi kalaam, mushaira, dramas, panel discussions, film screenings and interactive sessions. Adding to the conviviality, an outdoor fete is also hosted that includes book exhibition, calligraphy art, children’s corner, artifacts, food festival and more. For the much-needed preservation of rare and important Urdu books, Rekhta has digitized a collection of over 28,000 e-books and magazines across genres and continues to do so. Additionally, the Foundation recently launched an online Urdu learning portal, aamozish.com, which features lessons tailored in an unconventional format. In order to bring alive the charm of Urdu language among the young Urdu enthusiasts, Rekhta Foundation organizes various events like Shaam-e-Sher, Rang-e-Rekhta, Mazahiya Mushaira, Baitbaazi. Founder - Sanjiv Saraf