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Mushaira–Kavi Sammelan brings South Asian poetry to Washington
The event celebrated South Asia’s shared Ganga-Jamuni cultural heritage.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 09, Sep 2025
- 14:56 EDT
- 39
Harish Naval, who presided over the poetry session / Photo courtesy- Zafar Iqbal
The Aligarh Alumni Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC (AAA-DC), together with the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), hosted its annual Mushaira–Kavi Sammelan on Sept. 6 at the Montgomery County Auditorium.
The poetry program brought together Indian and Pakistani communities to celebrate South Asia’s shared cultural traditions.
Also read: AAA-DC hosts annual summer picnic in DC
The evening featured Urdu mushaira (poetry recitation) and Hindi kavi sammelan (poets’ gathering), reflecting what is often called the Ganga-Jamuni heritage, a blend of cultures, languages, and traditions from northern India.
Zafar Iqbal, who coordinated the program, explained that the tradition began as part of Independence Day observances in the Washington area and grew into an annual cultural event. The Embassy of India has also encouraged the initiative, recognizing it as a way to strengthen cultural ties.
Audience at the gathering / Photo courtesy- Zafar IqbalThis year’s event brought together more than 20 poets, including Harish Naval, Astha Naval, A. Abdullah, Mohammed Akbar, Nisha Narayan, Preethi Govindaraj, Uday Kamath, Vinita Tiwari, and Yusuf Rahat. Harish Naval, a well-known scholar and writer from Delhi, presided over the session, while Mohammed Akbar served as the host, introducing poets with short verses of his own.
The program also honored the memory of late poets from the Washington area, professor Satyapal Anand, Aziz Qureshi, and Rakesh Khandelwal, as well as noted Urdu scholars C.M. Naim and Tahsin Siddiqi.
Special guests included Vikas Chaudhary, First Secretary at the Embassy of India, along with representatives of community groups. Organizers said the goal of the evening was to bring people together through poetry and keep South Asian literary traditions alive in the United States.
Vivek Chaudhary of the Indian Embassy is second in the first row after Zafar Iqbal / Photo courtesy- Zafar Iqbal
The event was supported by several local associations, including the Association of Indian Muslims, the Hyderabad Association of the Washington Metro Area, the Montgomery Nawabs, the Global Beat Foundation, Bazm-e-Harf-o-Sukhan, and RR K Biosciences.
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