There are some places in Hyderabad where history never really falls silent. Around Charminar, it lingers in old buildings, drifts through narrow lanes and finds its way into everyday conversations. On Sunday evening, it found another voice inside Kaapi & Karam, where cups of steaming kaapi, timeless shayari and ghazals, and a room full of eager listeners came together for Mehfil-e-Kaapi, proving that the city’s oldest love affair with poetry is still very much alive.
The café began filling up well before the first recital. Some in the audience were regulars at literary gatherings, while many had come simply because they loved shayari and ghazals. As the evening unfolded, the space took on the warmth of an old-fashioned mehfil. Every sher was met with a moment of silence before applause filled the room.
Sardar Saleem, an acclaimed contemporary Urdu poet, set the mood with a simple but meaningful thought: ‘Kavitha manavta ki maatra bhasha hai’. It was a reminder that ghazals and shayari belongs to everyone, regardless of language. Moments later, he began with the lines: ‘Kabhi surkhi se likhta hoon, kabhi kajal se likhta hoon, main dil ki baat jazbon ki hari konpal se likhta hoon. Main tera naam jab likhta hoon apne dil ki takhti par, gulab-o-mushk se, zamzam se, Ganga jal se likhta hoon…’ The verses settled gently over the audience.
The setting made the evening even more special. Neel Sharma, marketing and PR at Bluebell Hospitality and the organiser of the show, felt there couldn’t have been a more fitting place to begin this journey. “Nothing could be better and more Hyderabad than Charminar right in front of us. That is how the idea came up in its shadow. We spoke to a couple of people who were more than happy to collaborate. The idea is to make this place a community centre where people can come, showcase their skills and rediscover forgotten art, food and culture,” Neel said.
Adding a distinct Dakhni flavour to the evening, journalist, author and literary historian FM Saleem brought warmth and wit through his relatable verses, effortlessly taking the audience from laughter to reflection. His performance also revisited Hyderabad’s literary roots, with stories of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah reminding everyone that the city was built as much on poetry as on stone.
For Saleem, Hyderabad never feels unfamiliar. Speaking after the performance, he said the warmth of the audience and the hospitality they received made the evening even more memorable.
As the evening drew to a close, one couplet that stayed with the audience: ‘Ilm-o-irfaan ke nisaabon mein nasha hota hai, Doob ke padhiye kitaabon mein nasha hota hai. Jab talak aapki aankhon ko nahin dekha tha, Hum samajhte the sharaabon mein nasha hota hai’.
The mehfil may have drawn to a close, but the poetry stayed behind, woven into the old city's air. Somewhere between a sip of kaapi and a beautifully spoken shayri and ghazal, Hyderabad found yet another reason to fall in love with itself. And perhaps, that is exactly what the finest poetry has always done.