New Delhi is set to host a four-day celebration of literature, music and the performing arts as Jashn-e-Adab Sahityotsava marks its 15th foundation day from August 21 to 24. The festival will bring together poets, writers, classical musicians, folk artistes and performers at venues including the India International Centre (IIC) and India Habitat Centre (IHC).The festival will feature literary and cultural programmes, including poetic symposia, panel discussions, dastangoi, classical and ghazal singing, qawwali, Sufi and folk music, classical dance and instrumental performances.Speaking to The Hindu, Jashn-e-Adab founder Kunwar Ranjeet Chauhan stated that the festival was conceived as a platform to reconnect younger generations with India’s languages, literature and cultural traditions.“We founded the organisation in 2012 to provide a platform with multiple stages where Indian languages, art and culture could be brought together and promoted. Over the years, the festival has grown, and we have continued to hold it in Delhi. In the last five years, we also started two-day events under the name ‘Cultural Caravan’ in different States. So far, we have taken it to 15 States,” he said.The organisers expect a footfall of around 8,000 to 10,000 people across the four-day festival, with an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 visitors attending various sessions.The opening day at the Multipurpose Hall of the IIC will feature the inaugural ceremony, followed by ‘Yuva Bahaar’, a youth poetic symposium. The programme will also feature comedian-poet Padma Shri Surender Sharma, a Mohan Veena jugalbandi by Grammy Award winner and Padma Bhushan Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, with tabla accompaniment by Pt. Abhishek Mishra, and a Rajasthani folk music performance by Padma Shri Ustaad Anwar Khan and his troupe.On August 22, the festival will present dastangoi, instrumental performances, classical, semi-classical and ghazal singing, as well as classical dance forms including Odissi, Bharatanatyam and Kathak. The day will end with a mehfil-e-qawwali by Rais Anis Sabri and his troupe.On August 23, Sufi singing and qawwali by Saleem Hasan Chishti and his troupe will be followed by a conversation between actor and writer Piyush Mishra and journalist Sanket Upadhyay. The programme will also include a bansuri performance by Padma Shri Pt. Ronu Majumdar and a discussion on the transition from cinema to web series featuring actor Manu Rishi Chadha and writer Nirupama Kotru.Ghazal singers Roopkumar Rathod and Sunali Rathod will perform later in the day, followed by a poetic symposium featuring several Urdu poets.On August 24, the festival will move to the Stein Auditorium at the India Habitat Centre, where a performance of ‘Vande Mataram’ by Padma Shri Pt. Ronu Majumdar will follow the inaugural ceremony.Hindustani classical music will take centre stage later in the day, with ‘Sur-Yamini’ by Padma Bhushan Pt. Sajan Mishra and Swaransh Mishra, followed by a performance by Padma Vibhushan Dr N Rajam, with Ragini Shankar on the violin and Pt. Abhishek Mishra on the tabla.The events will be open to registered visitors, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. Published - August 20, 2026 12:22 am IST