Bharat Express CMD Upendrra Rai Mesmerises Audience With Shayari At Indore Kavi Sammelan

The cultural capital of Indore once again resonated with poetry and shayari as the Prajatantra Media Foundation organised an All India Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira on 24 February at Ravindra Natya Grih.

The auditorium witnessed an enthusiastic gathering of literature lovers.

Bharat Express joined the event as the official news partner. The presence of its CMD and Editor-in-Chief, Upendrra Rai, elevated the stature of the programme and highlighted the enduring bond between journalism and literature.

Addressing the audience, CMD Upendrra Rai reflected on his journalistic journey, which began in 1997, and said a verse by Goswami Tulsidas had long guided him.

He recalled leading Sahara News Network and working with major TV networks before founding Bharat Express, describing its three-year journey as especially meaningful.

CMD Upendrra Rai added that he had written poetry since childhood but never preserved it, and, encouraged by a close friend, chose to recite his hidden verses publicly for the first time. He recited an early ghazal published in 1995 after he moved to Lucknow following his secondary education.

The verses reflected on love, loss and unanswered questions, drawing warm applause from the audience.

CMD Upendrra Rai also shared a poignant couplet on the bond between father and son, expressing his wish that his son would one day remember him as resilient and courageous rather than timid.

Inspired by a recent film, he further presented an emotional nazm beginning with ‘Ye jo jalta hua ishq hai’, exploring unspoken love and sacrifice, earning loud applause.

The Shayari

Ye jo jalta hua ishq hai, ise samjha nahi sakta,
Koi pooche ki tune kya kiya, main bata nahi sakta.

Main jo tere saath rehte-rehte jee gaya, woh waqt mera tha,
Hamare beech kya baatein hui? Main kisi ko bata nahi sakta.

Labon ke minaar par jo tum kehte-kehte ruk gayi thi,
Woh kya tha jo tumhe rok gaya, main samjha nahi sakta.

Tumse jo bin mile akele mein baatein ho gayi,
Woh khuda ko bhi main bata nahi sakta.

Jaan ki baazi roz lagata hoon tere liye,
Yeh hausla rakhta hoon, magar kisi ko bata nahi sakta.

Mehfil mein milkar bhi hum paraaye se lagte hain,
Gale lagaoon to bhi tujhe gale laga nahi sakta.

Kabhi socha hi nahi tha tum itne kareeb tak aaogi,
Aur gale lagne ke baad kitni doori hai, samjha nahi sakta.

Mar to sakta hoon tere khatir,
Par kai baar tere liye mar chuka hoon, yeh duniya ko bata nahi sakta.

Kabhi koi aur zindagi hogi to usse poochunga,
Jaan dene wala kya tere itne kareeb tak aa nahi sakta?

Shajar jo pukaare to parinde door se bhi aa jaate hain,
Main tere kareeb rehkar pukaarta raha, tumne suna hi nahi.

Jo badal gaya raddo-badal mein, main sochta hoon nahi badla,
Par itna badla ki jhooth bolne laga.

CMD Upendrra Rai shared reflective verses written during a Dubai–London flight, pondering success and loss. The evening ended with a heartfelt couplet for a childhood friend, underscoring poetry’s enduring power and its bond with meaningful expression.