Laughing away Covid blues in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: It was a pleasant experience after the bitter memories of Covid. People met without the barrier of a mask, shook hands freely and sat down without the botheration of physical distancing. There was an air of expectancy at Urdu Hall, the centre for literary and cultural activities in Himayatnagar, as it came alive on […]

Hyderabad: It was a pleasant experience after the bitter memories of Covid. People met without the barrier of a mask, shook hands freely and sat down without the botheration of physical distancing. There was an air of expectancy at Urdu Hall, the centre for literary and cultural activities in Himayatnagar, as it came alive on Sunday after two years.

The occasion was an informal get-together to mark the annual meeting of Anjuman-e-Rekhta Goyan, the quarterly literary journal, which couldn’t take place in January due to Covid restrictions. The host, Dr. Javeed Kamal, thought it fit to get done with the programme since Ramzan is round the corner. Better late than never.

The programme – Aao mil baithen! Kutch tum kaho, kutch hum kahen – saw invitees dropping in from different walks of life for a fun-filled evening. There were lawyers, professors, housewives and also a Maulana. What was common about them was their love for Urdu language and literature.

The adab-pasand Hyderabadis exchanged not just pleasantries but also their home cooked delicacies. It was the Hyderabadi pot luck at its best. One can well imagine what would have been the lip-smacking dishes. Of course the ubiquitous bagare baingan and mirchi ka salan was there. So was dahi ki kadhi, kheema pulao, moong ki biryani, bagara khana, chicken 65 and fish. Among the desserts was the favourite fruit salad, custard apple ka meetha, kheer. The food was wholesome as it was all home made. “We told the invitees to bring in whatever is available at home without taking too much pain”, said Javeed Kamal, the man behind the unique event.

Of course the programme didn’t stick to schedule as people ate leisurely. Food over there was a quiz where the questions asked were ‘betuke’ (absurd). And whoever gave a ‘tudang’ (sharp) reply walked away with a prize. Waheed Pasha Qaudri, Lateefuddin Lateef and Moin Amar Bamboo regaled the audience with their humour poetry while Mumtaz Mehdi and Fehmida Fatima presented a lovely Antakshari – bringing the curtains down on the programme.

It was Hyderabadi’s way of laughing away the Covid blues.

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