New Delhi: January 26 is celebrated in various ways by various people. Some prefer watching the Republic Day parade on TV, while others enjoy patriotic movies shown on various movie channels.
There are some others who step out of their houses to particiapte in various mushairas and kavi Sammelans that are held pan India to celebrate Republic Day.
In the cold winter morning, paediatric doctor Atiullah got ready to go to a mushaira, organised in South Delhi's Jamia Nagar. He said that it has been a tradition and he developed a habit of attending patriotic mushairas, in whichever part of the country he has been.
"I never miss out mushairas on January 26. This is my way of celebrating Republic Day. Shayars have a beautiful way of expressing their thoughts on relevant issues and how they weave words to strengthen brotherhood in our country is really praiseworthy. They mesmerise the audience with their charm," said Atiullah.
Aazim Kohli, a renowed Urdu poet, said, "Nothing could be better than praising our Country and glorifying our struggle for Independence in the beautiful language of Urdu."
"History goes back to Pandit Nehru, who was very fond of shayari and mushaira. In fact, poets and their shayari had a tremendous role to play in our struggle for Independence," Kohli said.
Moin Shadab, another Urdu poet, said that it has been a beautiful tradition to celebrate our glorious struggle for Independence and praise our Country.
"Poets are magicians of words. They can connect with people instantly and that is why poems and shayari always have a magical effect. It has a long history. Today, various mushairas are organised across the country and sometimes the organisers have to worry about the clash of dates. Also, the audience in these patriotic mushairas are growing day by day," he said.