India, Sept. 12 -- India has had an age-old tradition of passing knowledge, skills and spirituality from the teacher to the disciple. This practice has always had a very special place in the creative arts, ranging from music, dance, painting and sculpture to, more particularly, poetry, which traditionally calls for rhyme and rhythm. It was in this context that the Haryana Sahitya Akademi in Panchkula organised a seminar to explore this tradition in Urdu poetry. Titled 'Ustad-Shagird Parampara' in Urdu poetry, it delved into the history of the giver and the taker, which continues to this day in both formal and informal ways.

Held under the guidance of the senior members of the Akademi, Professor Kuldip Chand Agnihotri and Dr Chander Thrik...