Kaavshaar 2025

Ghazal Manch Surrey held its annual Kaavshaar event at the Fleetwood Community Centre in Surrey on December 21, 2025. The people of Surrey showed their unwavering support, resulting in a full house and the need to add additional seating. The stage was expertly led by masters of ceremony Rajwant Raj, Dashmesh Gill Firoze, and Davinder Gautam, whose professionalism ensured a smooth and engaging program.

December 21 holds deep significance in every Sikh’s heart as a day to honor the supreme sacrifice of the Sahibzades. In keeping with this spirit, the program opened with a Canadian-born young participant Sonal Jabal who sang a poem dedicated to the Sahibzades. Ruby Aulakh further honored the day by reciting a shabad. Members of the audience were heard praising Ghazal Manch Surrey for respectfully commemorating this historic sacrifice.

Due to the overwhelming response and time constraints, many poets unfortunately had to be turned away. Priority was given to young participants, in line with our vision to support South Asian youth by providing them with a positive platform to showcase their artistic talent.

The diverse presentations of poetry and song kept the audience fully engaged for nearly three hours. Feedback highlighted the event’s strong organization and the rich variety of artistic expression. The young poets delivered outstanding performances, presenting their poetry in short behr, blending wit, humor, and deep emotion. The audience savored every word, responding with sighs, spontaneous applause, and vocal appreciation. Such interaction is every performer’s dream.

Ghazal Manch Surrey also honored one of Surrey’s senior poets, Inderjit Singh Dhami, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. President Jaswinder, along with team members, shared heartfelt words in recognition of his contributions. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of a $2,100 award. Mr. Dhami was visibly moved by the honor and expressed deep appreciation for both the recognition and the monetary award.

Overall, the event was a resounding success, beautifully honoring the sacrifice of the Sahibzades, celebrating exceptional performances, and recognizing a lifetime of literary excellence.