Rekhta (website)

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)


Not to be confused with Rekhta.

Rekhta
Rekhta Logo New Black.png
Type of site
Literature
Available inEnglish, Urdu, Hindi
OwnerRekhta Foundation[1]
Founder(s)Sanjiv Saraf
Websiterekhta.org
CommercialNo[2]
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedTemplate:Start year
Current statusOnline
Content license
Creative Commons license[3]

Rekhta is an Indian literary web portal owned by Rekhta Foundation, a nonprofit and non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of Urdu literature in South Asia. It has digitalized about ninety thousand books during the period of six years since it began publishing Urdu, Hindi and Persian literature, containing biographies of poets, Urdu poetry, fiction and nonfiction writings that originally belongs to public and research libraries in the Indian subcontinent.[4] It serves content in multiple scripts such as Devanagari, Roman and, primarily, Nastaliq.[5] It also includes religious texts, including the Quran and the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic of ancient India.[6] It hosts books from centuries earlier and is recognized the largest web portal in the world for the preservation of Urdu literature.[7][8]

The site has digitalized more than 90,000 e-books with nineteen million pages, which are categorically classified into different sections such as diaries, children's literature, poetries, banned books, and translations, involving Urdu poetry.[9] It is also credited for preserving 4,455 biographies of poets (worldwide), 41,017 ghazals, 26,414 couplets, 7,852 nazms, 6,836 literary videos, 2,127 audio files, 76,398 e-books[10] manuscripts and pop magazines.

History[edit]

Rekhta was founded in January 2013 in Nagpur, India.[11] The portal came into existence after the idea of "Urdu virtual library" was introduced by Sanjiv Saraf to professors at the university. The literary works, including Urdu poetry were collected from the different private and public libraries across the major cities of India such as Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Aligarh, including India's capital Delhi.[12]

Literature promotion[edit]

Rekhta Live[edit]

Following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, it launched an "online mehfil" (live seasons) of literature, music and poetry across its social channels via third-party software component. It was attended by the people across the five continents, leading the website to receive over two million views.[13][14]

Festivals[edit]

Main article: Jashn-e-Rekhta

The Foundation celebrates various literary festivals, including Jashn-e-Rekhta, in which people from different walks are invited to participate in literary works such as Urdu poetry, music, short stories. It also engage the literary figures in direct conversations to promote Hindustani language along with the Urdu literature.[15][16][17] The two day event is organized every year at Delhi.[18]

Shaam-e-Sher[edit]

The Foundation has also begun organising mushairas, a literary event called Shaam-e-Sher (poetry in the evening). It is generally attended by the young adult poets aged between eighteen to thirty. It was primarily adopted to promote Urdu literature where ghazals and nazms are recited by the event attendees.[19]

Aamozish[edit]

Launched by the Foundation in 2017, Aamozish is an e-learning initiative that seeks to promote the Urdu script.[20]

Sufinama[edit]

Sufinama is a Rekhta Foundation initiative that preserves and propagates 400 years of Sufi writing and philosophy. It also provides the largest online collection of Hazrat Amir Khusrau’s work and the translations of his Persian ghazals.[21]

Hindwi[edit]

The Foundation also launched Hindwi, a website dedicated to Hindi literature, in July 2020.[22][23]

Controversies[edit]

The organization made changes in the Jashn-e-Rekhta event by replacing the Urdu with Hindustani language, although the organization was established for the promotion of Urdu literature through its portal. On 13 December 2019, it made official announcement during its sixth edition of the mehfil held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The posters, which were received by the event speakers mentioned "Jashn-e-Rekhta: The Biggest Celebration of Hindustani Language and Culture" (not mentioning "Urdu" word). Later, the Urdu speakers criticised the changes citing "It seems Jashn-e-Rekhta has surrendered to the powers that be". An Indian writer and journalist Ziya Us Salam called the changes unfavorable and linked it to the Delhi High Court's decision after it ordered the police "to cut down on “difficult” words in Urdu". An Indian poet Gauhar Raza subsequently called the changes "unfortunate" and "problematic".[24]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Desk, Sentinel Digital (December 5, 2019). "A virtual Urdu library for free- Sentinelassam". www.sentinelassam.com.
  2. ↑ "Urdu binds people of Subcontinent: Rekhta founder Sanjiv Saraf". November 27, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Disclaimer". Rekhta. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "Urdu literature receives a boost as over 90 thousand titles digitised in 6 years". Republic World.
  5. ↑ "About Site". Rekhta. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Rekhta claims digitising 90,000 Urdu titles". December 4, 2019.
  7. ↑ Mahmudabad, Ali Khan (13 February 2020). "How did the Indian Muslim identity express itself through poetry before Independence?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "Book tickets to Shaam-E-Rekhta - World Poetry Day - Bangalore". insider.in. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Leg up for Urdu literature, 90,000 titles digitised in six years". The New Indian Express.
  10. ↑ December 20, Mohammad Waqas New Delhi; December 30, 2019 ISSUE DATE; December 20, 2019UPDATED; Ist, 2019 14:21. "Body of language". India Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Deshpande, Manasi (7 September 2015). "Log on to Rekhta, feel the richness of Urdu". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Link, Indian (December 4, 2019). "Urdu Mahabharata e-book in Rekhta's virtual library".
  13. ↑ "Beat lockdown blues: Set 8 pm reminder for RekhtaLive music and poetry". Moneycontrol.
  14. ↑ "Music and poetry in the times of social distancing". www.outlookindia.com.
  15. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (December 14, 2018). "Sanjiv Saraf: Celebrating the vibrant shades of Urdu". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  16. ↑ "Celebrating the Language of Poetry: Third edition of Jashn-e-Rekhta has artists, poets, writers, musicians coming together". February 17, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Urdu put on a fast track by Rekhta in three-day festival". Pakistan Today. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Desk, Entertainment (14 March 2015). "Jashn-e-Rekhta begins celebration of Urdu in India today". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  19. ↑ IANS (18 June 2016). "Shaam-e-Sher: Reinvigorating Urdu among youth (Societal Feature)". Business Standard India. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  20. ↑ Murthy, Neeraja (2020-11-26). "E-platform 'Aamozish' helps to learn Urdu in seven days". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  21. ↑ Desk, NH Web (2020-06-10). "Rekhta's Sufinama to hold virtual Urs to commemorate 716th death anniversary of Sufi Saint Amir Khusrau". National Herald. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  22. ↑ "Saving India's Urdu heritage, one book at a time - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  23. ↑ "Rekhta: From Amir Khusrau to Mirza Ghalib, Sanjiv Saraf's initiative is saving India's Urdu heritage, one book at a time". Hindustan Times. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  24. ↑ Anjum, Nawaid (3 December 2019). "After Rekhta skips 'Urdu' on posters of its annual festival, lovers of the language fret, organisers bring it back". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/index.php?title=Rekhta_(website)&oldid=160027"