A rendezvous with music and poetry

Lucknow’s love for mehfils revived as the city recently came together for a musical evening titled Dil Abhi Bhara Nahi, dedicated to music, poetry and meaningful conversations. The evening brought together literature enthusiasts, poets, musicians and art connoisseurs, including Dr Kirti Narain, Dr Mala Mehra, Neelam and Kiran Chopra and theatre artist Gopal Sinha, who joined fellow culture lovers to celebrate the timeless art of mehfil.Playback singer and theatre artist Kirti Killedar opened the evening with soulful renditions of Bollywood classics and Marathi melodies, drawing applause from the audience. The programme then moved seamlessly into poetry as lyricist, author and motivational speaker Chandra Shekhar Varma shared his verses and reflections. One of the evening’s highlights was his contemporary interpretation of classics such as Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo, Ranjish Hi Sahi, Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar and Din Dhal Jaye. While introducing fresh lyrics, he retained the soul and emotion of the original compositions. The soulful performances left many humming along to the evergreen classics.— Amina Ashraf