The 57th Shankar Shad Mushaira will be held on April 4, 2026 at Modern School, Barakhamba, reviving one of Delhi’s oldest and most respected public poetry gatherings. Organised by the Shankar Lall Murli Dhar Memorial Society in association with DCM Shriram Industries, the mushaira continues a legacy that began in 1954 and has since remained a cornerstone of the city’s cultural life.
This year’s edition brings together poets from across India, creating a truly pan-India stage for Urdu poetry. The evening will feature legendary names such as Waseem Barelvi and Javed Akhtar, alongside respected voices like Sheen Kaaf Nizam, Iqbal Ashhar, Rajesh Reddy, Shakeel Azmi, and Shabeena Adeeb. They will be joined by contemporary poets including Charan Singh Bashar, Azhar Iqbal, Sunil Kumar Tang, Hina Haider Rizvi, Saif Nizami, and Zubair Ali Tabish.
Alongside the mushaira, the Society is also hosting the second edition of the Shankar Shad Shayari Contest, inviting emerging poets from across the country to share their work through written and video submissions. The winners will be announced during the event on April 4.
The organisers highlight that the mushaira has increasingly become a space for younger audiences to reconnect with Urdu poetry, finding expression for themes like identity, mental health, love, and loss. The platform also reflects inclusivity, with women poets and the use of Hindi and Hindustani dialects alongside Urdu.
Sh. Madhav Bansidhar Shriram, Chairman of the Society and Managing Director of DCM Shriram Industries Ltd, described the mushaira as a space where “words carry the weight of existence and silence is sacred,” bringing together poets from across the country to celebrate India’s shared cultural heritage.
With over seven decades of history, the Shankar Shad Mushaira continues to preserve the grace, etiquette, and emotional depth of traditional Urdu poetry while welcoming contemporary voices to the stage.
