About The Evening
Of old school “baithaks” and joys of simple “mehfils”, Of love that knows no boundaries. The forgotten verses, the memories tucked away in hidden corners of our childhood homes. Of art, culture, craft and cuisine that binds us all together. A celebration of moments lost in the sands of time.
Standing tall as the custodians of “zardōzī”, Divani presents Mubarak: The Awadh Chapter in association with Anjuman-e-Arzoo; a legacy organisation from Lucknow preserving the past and reviving the culture of Awadh.
I was commissioned by Divani India to make images that when viewed, would relay the story of the evening unfolding. Thank you Sanya and Harshit.
The Details
The Poets, Singers & Stalwarts of Culture
Rana Safvi, @ranasafvi a renowned writer, scholar and translator. She is a passionate believer in India’s unique civilizational legacy and pluralistic culture which she documents through her writings, podcasts and videos. She has published nine books so far on the culture, history and monuments of India. These are Tales from the Quran and Hadith and the Delhi trilogy which includes Where Stones Speak, The Forgotten Cities of Delhi and Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi. Rana Safvi is a passionate believer in India’s ‘Ganga jamuni tehzeeb’ (syncretic culture), which she documents through her writings, podcasts and videos.
Fouzia, @fouziadastango the first female Dastango of modern times. Performing professionally since 2006, Fouzia has done over 500 shows all over India and internationally. For her contribution in the field of preserving and promoting Dastangoi, Fouzia has been recognized and felicitated by many prestigious awards. Fouzia specializes in telling stories from Mahabharat, Ram and Radha-Krishna in Urdu that aim to keep alive our Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb and promote communal harmony.
Sabika, @sabikaabbasnaqvi an award-winning performative poet and the Founder of Sar-e-Rahguzar: Poetry on the Streets. She is a story-teller, translator, alternative educator and campaigner. With two of her books set to release, she is soon going to be an author as well. Her work revolves around intersectionality, gender, minority, LGBTQI+ , and other progressive rights. She writes in Urdu, Hindi, Hindustani, and English. She believes in subverting public spaces with her poetry and story- telling. As an educator she helps create inclusive school curriculum based on social and emotional learning.
Namit Das, Taha Ahmad and Mr. Dhir.
The Beautiful Guests
The Mood
I have taken the liberty of re-using writing from the Divani India Instagram page and some of their posts.
Client Partners
Hospitality Partner – @jwmarriottdelhi
Beverage Partner- @indrisinglemalt
Delhi 6 flavour – @roshandikulfi
Event concept and design – @designereventsinc
Gifting Partner- @rafaycouture
Radio Partner – @bigfmindia
I specialize in making images for discerning clients when they want photographs that will capture and convey the essence of their meticulously planned celebration. I am able to make this claim after being a working photographed for the last 20 years, because of the number of times I have been told, “I’m seeing these photos, and it makes me feel like I was there.” I hope to continue to be able to bring that to my clients and their work for many more years to come.
Please visit this link to look through all my previous client work. And this link for a look through my personal projects.
When you would like to discuss your celebration with me, I can be emailed on [email protected] or called / Whatsapped on +919910022104. I am also easy to reach via DM on my Instagram @naina.
