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Three eminent poets from India – Arun Gemini, Shambhu Shikhar, Mumtaz Naseem – captivated the audience through thought-provoking poetry. The evening of meaningful conversations laced with humor was held at the May 17 organized by the International Hindi Association (IHA).
Arun Gemini started the program with a blend of humoros and satirical poetry and jokes. Gemini is an Indian writer, poet and satirist and TV personality from Haryana. He was awarded Kaka Hathrasi Award for outstanding contribution in the literary field by the Hindi Academy, Government of Delhi in 2000.
Shambhu Shikhar made his presence felt as a stand-up comedian on “Wah! Wah! Kya Baat Hai!,” and StarPlus’ “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.” The dynamic personality Mumtaz Naseem presented , ghazals, and nazms, mesmerizing the audience with her soulful rendition.
The event was moderated by Dr Narendra Tandon who introduced the poets, and Pratap Singh, president of the IHA DC Chapter, the master of ceremonies.
The Embassy of India was represented by Neha Singh, First Secretary (Culture and Education), Ravish Kumar, Second Secretary (Press, Information and Culture), and Rajiv Ahuja, Attache. The event was sponsored by the National Council of Associations in America (NCAIA), GIA, Association of Indian Muslims (AIM), The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)-Metro DC, Dr Vivek Vaid, Dr Suresh Gupta, and Maninder Singh.
Among the attendees were many distinguished personalities from the Metro Washington area, including Dr A. Abdullah, Dr Harihar Singh, Dr Renuka Misra, Dr Suman Vardhan, Dr Tahoora Kawaja, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Kaleem Kawaja, Sunil Singh, Tribhuvan Singh and Nuzaira Azam.
The International Hindi Association (IHA) or Antarashtriya Hindi Samiti is a premier institution of Indian culture & studies, established in 1980 in the US. It was established to preserve and promote India’s culture through language and literature among Indians abroad. The association aims to help younger generation learn the culture of India inherent in its literature and beliefs.
