The Indian community in Jubail recently held a mushaira, or poetry reading, which included leading Indian politicians as guests and several outstanding poets.

Abdul Bari Siddiqui, senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, from the north Indian state of Bihar, highlighted the role of the mushaira in helping to bring people together. “Cultural bonding in a highly fractured society is the need of the hour,” he said.

The star attraction at the event was young Urdu poet Imran Pratapgarhi who regaled the audience for nearly three hours with a wide range of couplets on the pain and marginalization of Muslims in India. Bollywood scriptwriter and lyricist A.M. Turaz accompanied Pratapgarhi.

Akhilesh Mishra, an India Administrative Officer and veteran poet, enthralled the audience with his awe-inspiring style. Mishra praised Saudis and Indian expats for their hospitality, and added: “I was perhaps the only non-Muslim at the gathering of 1,200 people, but still felt very much at home.”

Local poets who entertained the audience with their poetry were Iqbal Ahmad Qamar, Shiraz Mahdi Zia and Mujeeb Hyderabadi. Well-known poet Baqar Naqvi conducted the mushaira beautifully.

Among the other notable guests at the event were Shahid Ali Khan of the Janata Dal (United), a current Cabinet minister in the Bihar government, and Z. Ahmed, a retired senior police officer, who were the guests of honor. Arshad Siddiqui, youth general secretary of Bihar Pradesh Janata Dal (United), also attended the event.

Khan said the mushaira “across the oceans” reflects how much people respect their motherland and core values. He praised the organizers for promoting Urdu.

“We have been attending and organizing mushairas for the last 15 to 20 years in Jubail. Almost all the big poets have come to Jubail in the past. This event by far stands above the rest in terms of performances and audience response,” said Anis Bakhsh, a senior Indian community leader in Jubail. His words were echoed by another prominent Indian, Syed Waheed Lateef.

The mushaira was the brainchild of philanthropist Shibli Siddiqui, chairman of SPAR Limited. Parvez Siddiqui, managing director of SPAR United Arab Emirates, thanked the poets, organizers and guests for the success of the program.

The duo have been organizing these events to build a strong and vibrant community of Indians in Saudi Arabia by promoting their educational, cultural, social and business aspirations.

The key members of the organizing team included Meraj Ansari, Asif Ali Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Ansari, Aziz Siddiqui, Mufeeduzzaman, Khaled Parvez, Mohammed Farooque, Abdul Haleem, Habib Shaikh, Mateen Khan, Aftab Alam and Faiz Akram Siddiqui.