Lovers of Urdu poetry flocked to the mushaira (poetry gathering) organised by the Tiruchi Urdu Sangam after a hiatus of 10 years in the city on Monday.The mushaira, a South Asian literary tradition where Urdu poets present their compositions (in verse or song) to a responsive audience, was held as part of the Sangam’s Milad-un-Nabi programme commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad.Milad-un-Nabi is expected to be observed on August 26 this year.In his inaugural address, Nayeem-ur-Rahman, vice-chairman, Tamil Nadu Urdu Academy, said Urdu was a perfect example of India’s multilingual heritage, and more should be done to popularise its usage among the general public. He praised the efforts of the authorities at the national and State-level to promote Urdu.S.M. Munawwar Nainar, former associate professor of Arabic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said the vocabulary of Urdu and many other Indian languages still carried the roots of Arabic and Persian, showing the unity within diversity of the nation.Syed Rafeeq Basha, former director, All India Radio and Doordarshan and Mohamed Haneef Katib, general secretary, Muttahida Urdu Tanzeem Trust (Confederation of Urdu Associations-Tamil Nadu), Chennai, were among the special invitees at the gathering.Poets Shahid Madrasi, Asangani Mushtaq Rafiqui, Anwar Tirupaturi, Asangani Ashfaq, Imtiyaz Basha and Maahir Madrasi presented their compositions at the mushaira.Students of Garib Nawaz Academy presented na’at (songs in praise of Prophet Muhammad).Syed Muthahar Saqaf, president, Tiruchi Urdu Sangam, spoke. Published - August 24, 2026 08:16 pm IST