DUBAI: The Indian Republic Day Kavi Sammelan & Mushaira (poetic evening) will be held on Thursday celebrating the 68th anniversary of the country’s transition towards becoming an independent republic.

Syed Salahuddin, founder & chief organiser of the annual literary gathering, said the event will be organised in the traditional manner, representing a mix of top Urdu and Hindi poets from India, besides a few guest poets from Pakistan.

“The 16th Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira will also present a number of esteemed poets celebrating Indian Republic Day with people from the subcontinent based in various parts of the UAE. At the same time, being a part of the Dubai Shopping Festival events calendar since 2003, the poetic evening will also offer a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of India to the visitors,” he said.

The list of participating poets includes Dr Uday Pratap Singh, Anjum Rehbar, Dr Akhilesh Mishra, Dr Kalim Qaiser, Johar Kanpuri, Charan Singh Bashar, Hashim Firozabadi, Anjali Ada, Malik Zada Javed, Tariq Sabzwari, Ansu Priya, Tariq Farooq, Dr Manci Devedi and Zakia Ghazal.

The Kavi Sammelen & Mushaira will be presided over by seasoned poet Dr. Uday Pratap Singh, while the proceedings will be conducted by Dr Kalim Qaiser. Rajesh Raina, Group Editor of News18, will be the Special Guest.

This year, the poetry lovers will miss the charismatic compere Anwar Jalalpuri, who had given this annual event a distinct identity by hosting the poetic gathering in his inimitable style since its inception 16 years ago. The legendary poet died in Lucknow on Jan.2, after he suffered a brain stroke.

Besides his important poetic works, Jalalpuri will also be remembered for translating Gitanjali and Bhagwat Gita to Urdu. He also wrote dialogues for TV serial “Akbar the Great.”