In a time when art is often confined to stages and spotlights, Rang-e-Ghazal dares to dream differently. It envisions a space where poetry isn’t performed, but felt; where music doesn’t just entertain, but connects; where every artist from the renowned to the rising, finds dignity, visibility, and value.
At its heart, Rang-e-Ghazal is about building an artist-first ecosystem; one that honours creative labour as much as creative expression. It seeks to organise the unorganised, to nurture a sustainable cultural landscape where poets, musicians, and performers can thrive not just emotionally, but professionally.
The Visionaries Behind Rang-e-Ghazal
Founded by Urdu Poet Anwar Kamal and Md. Asif, Rang-e-Ghazal was born from a shared belief that poetry and performance deserve a more contemporary and compassionate stage. Together, they set out to redefine how mushairas, kavi sammelans and poetic gatherings are experienced, blending heritage with innovation, reverence with relevance.
When Urdu Poetess Shariqa Malik joined the initiative as Director, she brought with her a fresh creative lens helping shape Rang-e-Ghazal’s artistic direction, curation, and communication into what it is today: a soulful meeting point of words, music and movement.
Celebrating India’s Cultural Soul
Rang-e-Ghazal doesn’t stop at poetry. It celebrates India’s diverse cultural soul embracing ghazal, thumri, dadra, folk and regional music, classical and contemporary dance, and other performing arts that mirror the country’s layered heritage. Each event is designed not as a performance, but as an experience where emotion, rhythm, and storytelling meet in seamless harmony.
The Debut Edition in Delhi
The debut edition in Delhi unfolds like a poetic symphony beginning with Abhilasha Ojha’s “Geet aur Naghme”, followed by a soulful Qawwali by Aftab Quadri, and a storytelling act by Kena Sree that captures the poetry of everyday life.
And then comes the heart of the evening; the Mushaira, where voices from across the country come together to paint a living canvas of expression and imagination.
Voices that Paint the Canvas
An ensemble of poets including Shahid Anjum, Moien Shadab, Rehman Musawwir, Anwar Kamal, Hashim Firozabadi, Zafar Jabalpuri, Santosh, Pratibha Yadav, Gayatri Mehta, Shariqa Malik, Hamza Bilal, RJ Shahista Mehjabeen, Umar Izhar, Ilma Hashmi, Ishika Chandelia, Vandhana Siddharth, Shama Prajapati, Alankrat Srivastava, Roza Ahmed, Anam Afroz, Saba Pasha, Muskaan Majeed, Sakib Mazeed and Saba Pasha; each adding their own hue to this tapestry of thought and emotion.
A Cultural Movement
Every verse, every note, every story contributes to a larger dream; one where art isn’t just consumed, but experienced; where artists are not just performers, but partners.
Because Rang-e-Ghazal isn’t merely an event; it’s a movement. A movement towards dignity, sustainability, and community. A space where art meets empathy, and where every artist truly comes first.