Pragya Pratisthan holds 'Moti-Laya', National Ghazal Day to be marked on Kushe Aunsi

National Ghazal Day will henceforth be observed on Kushe Aunsi. The Nepal Academy (Pragya Pratisthan) held the 'Moti-Laya' programme at its main auditorium on Friday to mark the 161st birth anniversary of Motiram Bhatta.

At the event, singer Jaljala Pariyar sang a ghazal by Motiram Bhatta set to music by globally acclaimed composer Santosh Shrestha. She was accompanied by Shambhu Shrestha on tabla, Rajkumar Samal on guitar and Nirmal Singh on flute.

Eleven painters from the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts created live paintings on stage themed around Motiram. Artists from Shilpee Theatre performed a piece based on Motiram's life and ghazals.

Twenty-one ghazal writers from the new generation, three from each of the seven provinces, recited ghazals, including in various national languages. About a dozen senior ghazal writers also read their own compositions.

Organising committee members Babu Tripathi, Sangeeta Thapa, Rupak Alankar and Prajwal Adhikari facilitated the programme.