Around Town: This weekend in Delhi, immerse in Jashn-e-Rekhta, catch a play or experience blue comedy

On December 8, the first day of the festival, playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj, composer and filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and lyricist Javed Akhtar will come together for a ghazal and recitation performance/conversation at Jashn-e-Rekhta.

On the second day, Akhtar will join author Saif Mahmood in a conversation about the progressive approach towards Urdu poetry. This year’s Rekhta Mushaira will see Akhtar, Waseem Barelvi, Iqbal Ashhar and Nusrat Mehdi, among others from across the globe, who will pay tribute to the splendid legacy of Urdu and celebrate its timeless beauty.

Filmmakers Sudhir Mishra and Anurag Kashyap will discuss Urdu’s aesthetics and presence in the audio-visual media while lyricists Varun Grover and Swanand Kirkire will discover the essence of Urdu in their writing in the session ‘Hamare Naghmon Ki Jaan Urdu’.

The third day of the festival will see Juhi Babbar Soni’s play titled With Love, Aapki Saiyaara, which portrays the resilience of women in society. Shinjini Kulkarni, granddaughter of Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj, will celebrate the late Pakistani playback singer and actor Noor Jehan’s timeless legacy through a dance tribute. Poet Danish Iqbal will also pay obeisance to the singer through a poetry recitation.

The festival will also commemorate 300 years of the 18th-century Urdu poet Meer Taqi Meer through various sessions and performances. Visitors can explore the cultural heritage through ghazals, poetry symposiums, qawwali, Sufi melodies and myriad exquisite experiences at Jash-e-Rekhta.

Passes available on jashnerekhta.com

Love Letters

Catch Love Letters, a play by A R Gurney and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, at the India International Centre in New Delhi on December 9, 6.30 pm. The play centres on two characters — Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III.

Though geographically located in different places, they sit side by side and write letters to each other, discussing what has passed between them throughout their separation.

The play has had some popular adaptations in India. It was adapted into Urdu in 1992 as Tumhari Amrita with Farroukh Sheikh and Shabana Azmi. Kaif Aur Main, written and performed by Javed Akhtar and his wife Shabana, was also inspired by it, as was another play, Aapki Soniya, starring Sonali Bendre.

The play in its original form was first enacted by Sunit and Sohaila about three decades ago. It was directed by the late Arun Kuckreja under the banner of Ruchika Theatre.

It is perhaps more age-appropriate for the actors today since the characters are celebrating a friendship of 50 years. The play is produced by Anuradha Dar and Sohaila Kapur for Three Arts Club & Katyayani.

Blue Comedy

Catch an all-Dalit standup comedy lineup on December 9 in New Delhi. The lineup includes Ankur Tangade, Radhe Krishna and Ravi. Blue comedy is a style of comedy that is off-colour, risqué, indecent or profane and largely about sex. It often contains profanity and/or sexual imagery that may shock and offend some audience members.

The colour blue is also associated with the anti-caste movement signifying the colour of the sky, a representation of non-discrimination, that under the sky, everyone is believed to be equal.

The jokes will be structured around important issues like casteism, identity politics, societal inequalities and a plethora of well-structured profane jokes. Tickets on bookmyshow.com.