Andaas-E-Shayrana

“Shayari dil ki awaaz hoti hai, woh jo hum keh nahi paate, alfaazon mein dhal jaata hai.”

 –  Javed Akhtar

They say we read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. As important as academics are, poetry, literature, and art hold an equally crucial role for us to make sense of the world and the people around us.

Keeping this thought in mind, The Bhawanipur Education Society College organised an amazing evening filled with ghazals and shayaris at the Concept Hall of the college campus on May 20th 2025, from 4:00 P.M. onwards. The event was ideated, organised, and hosted by Vedant Gupta, a second-year BESC student, along with passionate volunteers who attempted to bring the old-school mehfil setting to life, where poets used to gather and share their love for words. The hall was decorated with lanterns paired with jasmine garlands, candles surrounded by rose petals, with the attendees sitting on floor cushions.

Andaaz-E-Shayrana commenced with the mentor of BESC’s music collective of Crescendo, Mr. Saurabh Goswami, gracing the audience with ‘phir le aya dil’, followed by the Indian Idol finalist, Sonakshi Kar, who is currently a student at The BESC, performing two heartfelt ghazals, namely ‘salona sa sajan hai aur main hoon’ and ‘ajee rooth kar ab kahan jayega’. The event was truly made special with the absence of any competitiveness, as each person witnessing and performing felt the raw emotion and honesty behind the art form. Dr Rekha Nariwal, faculty at The BESC, performed a ghazal by Mehendi Hasan called ‘Mujhe tum nazar se gira to rahe ho’. Prof. Devina performed ‘Hoshwalon ko khabar kya’ and Prof. Vasundhara Mishra rendered a beautiful song called ‘Tum ko Dekha Toh Yeh Khayal Aaya’.

The mehfil reached new heights when our guests for the evening, Zahid Hussain, Palash Chaturvedi, Amir Atta, Bilal Sabir, along with students and faculty members, recited some awe-inspiring shayaris that evoked deep emotions in the hearts of everyone present. To make the evening even more charismatic, our Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah, along with Priyamgada Ma’am, performed a heartfelt rendition of ‘ye shama’ and ‘Rahen na Rahen’.

As the evening progressed, four of our college students performed beautiful ghazals, eventually leading to a thirty-minute break. Once the event resumed, there was a breathtaking performance by a band called ‘Manzil’. Their performance brought a perfect ending to the mehfil. Everyone, including teachers as well as students, jammed, vibed and danced their hearts out.

 

REPORTER – Koena Chatterjee