Fest hosts treat for Urdu lovers
Students, cheered on by family and friends, compete in popular Bait Bazi poetry contest
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Lovers of the Urdu language, both young and old, enjoyed a popular Urdu poetry contest known as Bait Bazi during an interschool championship at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) yesterday.
Eight teams from as many schools across the UAE participated in the contest, cheered on by family, peers and friends at Expo Centre Sharjah, which is hosting the 10th edition of SCRF from April 18 to 28. Organisers said this is the first Inter-school Bait Bazi Championship in the UAE. Bait Bazi is a popular verbal game in Pakistan and India that starts with the first participant reciting a stanza (bait) of a poem. Each following player has to respond with a verse that starts with the last letter of the verse that was recited by the previous player. The player who cannot respond loses.
Yesterday, the school teams, comprising three students per team, competed for the champion’s trophy, a Dh2,000 cash prize for the winning team, and certificates.
Islamiya English School, Abu Dhabi, won the contest, with Pakistan Higher Secondary School, Ras Al Khaimah, coming second. Overall, six Pakistani schools and two Indian schools participated.
The championship was moderated by popular Pakistani poet Wasi Shah, who told the students that they would be judged not only by the poetry and responses, but also by the characteristic manner and style in which formal Urdu poetry is delivered.
Before the contest rounds, a group of girls demonstrated on stage how a traditional mehfil, or gathering of poets, unfolds, with each poet reciting a favourite poem. The demonstration met with a chorus of lofty praise by others in the gathering. The event was organised by Bazm-E-Urdu, a group promoting and celebrating Urdu language in the UAE.