Discover the Creative Magic of Urdu at our Urdu se Dosti workshop with Vimal Chitra

Poetry, Comedy, Guftagu, Joy - A weekend spent with new words, new friends, and deep, unexpressed feelings finding expression.

When we recover a language we gain access to stories that are the scaffolding of our self. Lost languages lie dormant within us, waiting for the door to open, a shaft of light to breathe life into them.

When we started Urdu se Dosti workshops with poet and spoken-word artist,

Vimal Chitra

, we didn’t know that it will invite people who

• have no association with Urdu, but have Hindi film songs coursing through them

• have grown up with desi languages, and seek a new relationship with Urdu

• want to find creative expression in languages other than English

We didn’t know that learning Urdu will go beyond vocabulary and fluency, and open a portal to our childhood, our intimate lives, our quiet, philosophical side. We began to shape our unnamed emotions into couplets and wrote memoir after enjoying an informal mushaira. We blushed and giggled because Urdu’s feather tickled our soft parts and melted our sakht parts.

Urdu is a language of love, history, and poetry. A language that flows in our veins. But you can't do dosti with Urdu, if you don't do masti with Urdu. 

Join us for the final cohort of Urdu se Dosti in 2024 later this month.

Sanobar’s joyful notes at Urdu se Dosti

Testimonials:

This was such a beautiful new experience. I went in hesitant shy so unsure. And in an hour I was writing lines in my notebook. Words I did not know were part of my zahan, woh nikhar aaye. Highly recommended. Worth spending a weekend’s mornings on.
-

Charulatha Banerjee

For everyone who thinks they don’t know Urdu at all, Urdu knows you. Go find it.
-

Reema Ahmad

(Listen to more here. )

I could write the above because Vimal Chitra, Natasha Badhwar, and Raju Tai have shattered all boundaries of language writing for me…This is so much more than just Urdu. Please don’t miss it, especially you, our Ochre Sky family.
-

Sanobar Sabah

. (Read more here.)

I found a delightful, warm, and hilarious threesome leading a bunch of nervous geese into some fun with Urdu! Most of us came with ifs and buts and disclaimers. We took those hesitations crafted poems that sparkled with earnestness, softness and hope. We talked about dosti, pyar, badhazmi, Pakistani serials, home, poetry, and mixed all of this with English and Hindi and made spirited avial out of it!
-

Roshni

. (Read more here)

Agar main iss workshop mein nahi aati toh mujhe Urdu se milne ka, uske saath baith kar baatein karne ka, sochne ka, samajhne ka mauka nahi milta. Jo naye naye khayal mann mein aye, woh nahi aate. Ek pyaari si liveliness mere mizaaj mein nahi aati.
-

Parool

Workshop Details:

Discover the jaadu of Urdu with poet, screenwriter and spoken word artist, Vimal Chitra. 
Date: 26 and 27 October 2024 (2 online sessions on Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 10:30 am - 1 pm India time
Fees: Rs. 2999/-

This fun-filled workshop is perfect for beginners and language enthusiasts, keen to welcome the beauty, texture and perspective that Urdu brings into our lives.
- 2 joyful sessions
- Word Games
- Improv Exercises
- Sher-o-shayri
- Giggling and Guftugu with others

About the Facilitator
Vimal Chitra is a poet, spoken word artist, and screenwriter. He has performed his poetry at The Habitat, Creative Bloc Party, Izhaar, and Irshaad. He writes screenplay, dialogue, and lyrics for various projects in the Hindi film industry. He has also made Zabaan-e-Bhopali, a documentary about the language of Bhopal.