Also on cards: Dastangoi on Rahim

Another highlight of the festival will be a Dastangoi presentation by internationally renowned Ankit Chaddha and Himanshu Bajpai on the life and teachings of Rahim. Dastan Khan-e-Khanan ki celebrates the legend of Abdur Rahim Khan-i- Khanan (1556-1627), a Navratan during the reign of Akbar. “It is for the first time that Rahim’s life will be presented in the form of Dastangoi. His dohas are very popular in the public domain but we are trying to give a slice from his life. His life has seen lots of ups and downs and we want the public to know about it,” says Himanshu, a Lucknowite. He has been researching on the topic for around 3 years and have consulted over 20 books. “Some of these books are over 200-year-old. They are in Hindi, English, Urdu and regional languages. Folk tales related of 16th century saint have also been included. People may not know that besides a poet he was a great warrior and have fought many wars. Also, he was a great patron of art and language. He even knew French and English besides Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sanskrit and other regional languages, a rare feat in Akbar’s court,” says Himanshu.

Himanshu Bajpai and Ankit Chaddha