Dubai provides platform for India-Pakistan cultural exchange at Jashn-e-Rekhta
- Javed Akhtar, Mahira Khan and Samina Peerzada among attendees highlighting importance of Urdu language
As event season in Dubai got underway, Zabeel Park was filled with thousands of attendees looking to listen to star speakers like Javed Akhtar and Mahira Khan at Jashn-e-Rekhta, an event aimed at highlighting and promoting the importance of the Urdu language.
The two-day festival, which concluded on Sunday, hosted numerous panel talks by authors, screenwriters, songwriters, and actors while also featuring a performance by Pakistani musician Abida Parveen. It also brought together visitors from India and Pakistan on a common platform, a rare occurrence given the sour relations between the two neighbours.
Pakistan actor Mahira and director/producer Samina Peerzada sat down with Adeel Hashmi to discuss storytelling and character portrayal on screen as roaring cheers of the diverse audience filled the park.
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Mahira was appreciative of Jashn-e-Rekhta and the attendees. “I am extremely happy to be here today with you. Thank you so much to Rekhta for having me here,” she said.
During her talk with Mahira and Hashmi, Peerzada touched upon how authors and screenwriters often include controversial topics and societal taboos in their writing.
“I believe that it is time now more than ever to be rebellious in our pursuit of the visual arts. Our writers need to talk about societal topics that we never would have before.”
Talking of their experiences portraying complex characters, such as Mahira’s role in ‘Razia’ (2023), Peerzada and Mahira gave insight into their acting processes and how difficult it can be for the actors to separate themselves from their characters.
“When you receive a script, you realise that each character speaks differently from the other. Some characters and their world are very different from yours,” said Mahira.
“Some characters, like Razia, stay with you. But just as you take a little bit from the character in how they are written, you also leave a little bit of yourself in the characters you portray,” she added.
Peerzada also stressed that these festivals should continue to take place as they provide an opportunity to “share love for each other and the industry”, referring to the cross-border cultural exchange between the two neighbours.
“When artists keep insisting on meeting each other for our work, one day visa-on-arrival will become a reality for Indians and Pakistanis.
“If we can meet in the UK or UAE, why not one day meet in Lahore or Delhi for such wonderful celebrations,” said Peerzada, expressing her desire to meet her industry friends in India.
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For love of the language
According to one attendee, a Pakistani expat, Dr Sobia Nasim, the festival was a great opportunity for a cultural exchange between Pakistanis and Indians.
“I have started to appreciate and love Urdu a lot more in my adult life,” said Nasim. “I think that this festival is a great initiative to promote Urdu as a shared language between Indians and Pakistanis. We listen to their songs and they watch our dramas, so have a lot in common.”
An Indian expat, Poornima Mehta who has been living in Dubai for 28 years, claimed that she does not speak Urdu well but her grandfather’s love for the language inspired her to learn it.
“Since people from both India and Pakistan could attend and enjoy the festival together in Dubai, I feel that Jashn-e-Rekhta had even more of an impact this year than ever before.”
Manju, an Indian expat who has spent over 30 years in the UAE, eagerly looked forward to Jashn-e-Rekhta since it was announced in 2019 to take place in Dubai. “I started telling everyone that I wanted to go and was looking for tickets as soon as I heard about it. I have read Javed Akhtar, Ghalib and so many others works. I have a very strong love for Urdu.”
Keeping the language alive
With English being the most commonly spoken language to communicate in international settings like the UAE, Urdu is often overlooked even by its native speakers.
Indian expats and attendees Shabnam and Azeem never got to visit Jashn-e-Rekhta in India, despite following the event on social media for years.
“We hail from Lucknow and see Urdu as a very important language. We came to show our support and see artists from both Pakistan and India in the same place,” said Azeem.
The festival also included stalls set up by local expats displaying books and merchandise portraying Urdu in creative ways. Attendees were also treated to subcontinent delicacies by street food vendors.
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