Rekhta was launched on 11 January 2013 in New Delhi, India.^[12] The portal came into existence after the idea of "Urdu virtual library" was introduced by Sanjiv Saraf to professors of Urdu from across leading universities. The literary works, including Urdu poetry were collected from the different private and public libraries across the major cities of India such as Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Aligarh, including India's capital Delhi.^[13]

Rekhta Live edit

Following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, it launched an "online mehfil" (live seasons) of literature, music and poetry across its social channels via third-party software component. It was attended by the people across the five continents, leading the website to receive over two million views.^[14][15]

Festivals edit

The Foundation celebrates various literary festivals, including Jashn-e-Rekhta, in which people from different walks are invited to participate in literary works such as Urdu poetry, music, short stories. It also engage the literary figures in direct conversations to promote Hindustani language along with the Urdu literature.^[16][17][18] The two day event is organized every year at Delhi.^[19]

Shaam-e-Sher edit

The Foundation has also begun organising mushairas, a literary event called Shaam-e-Sher (evening of poetry). It is generally attended by the young adult poets aged between eighteen and thirty. It was primarily adopted to promote Urdu literature where ghazals and nazms are recited by the event attendees.^[20]

Aamozish edit

Launched by the Foundation in 2017, Aamozish is an e-learning initiative that seeks to promote the Urdu script.^[21]

Sufinama edit

Sufinama^[22] is a Rekhta Foundation initiative that preserves and propagates 400 years of Sufi writing and philosophy. It also provides the largest online collection of Hazrat Amir Khusrau's work and the translations of his Persian ghazals.^[23]

Hindwi edit

The Foundation also launched Hindwi, a website dedicated to Hindi literature, in July 2020.^[24][25]

RekhtaLabs edit

RekhtaLabs^[26] is the research wing of Rekhta, aimed at advancing NLP research for Urdu, by collaborating with universities and independent researchers working at the intersection of Computer Programming and Urdu.

Anjas edit

The Foundation also launched Anjas, a Rajasthani website dedicated to Rajasthani language, art, literature and culture in October 2022.^[27]

Rekhta Gujarati edit

The Foundation launched Rekhta Gujarati, a literature initiative in Gujarati language in March 2024.^[28]

The organization made changes in the Jashn-e-Rekhta event by replacing Urdu with the Hindustani language, although the organization was established for the promotion of Urdu literature through its portal. On 13 December 2019, it made official announcement during its sixth edition of the mehfil held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The posters, which were received by the event speakers mentioned "Jashn-e-Rekhta: The Biggest Celebration of Hindustani Language and Culture" (not mentioning "Urdu" word). Later, the Urdu speakers criticised the changes citing "It seems Jashn-e-Rekhta has surrendered to the powers that be". An Indian writer and journalist Ziya Us Salam called the changes unfavorable and linked it to the Delhi High Court's decision after it ordered the police "to cut down on “difficult” words in Urdu". An Indian poet Gauhar Raza subsequently called the changes "unfortunate" and "problematic".^[29]

• Official website
• Rekhta Foundation