Mushaira (Urdu: مشاعره, mušā’ira) is a poetic symposium. It's a term in Urdu used to describe an event (called mehfil, محفل) where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is a beloved part of the culture of Pakistan and North India, and it is greatly admired by participants as a forum for free self-expression.

A mushaira can take a number of forms. Traditionally, the ghazal is the specific poetic form employed, either recited or sung, but other forms of poetry, recitation and song may be allowed also. The poetry is often humorous in nature. Invited guest poets will usually be seated behind a long table at the front of the room, with often the most admired of them seated in the centre. One person will host the mushaira, inviting each poet to come and perform. However, the form is relatively free, and anyone can come forward and ask to perform. The host usually lets the most admired poet present be the last to perform.

The audience often interacts with the poets, most often with encouraging calls of wah wah at the end of appreciated couplets. If a couplet is particularly appreciated, there may be calls for the poet to repeat it, or the audience might spontaneously repeat it themselves. The latter is done when a poet's first couplet is appreciated. Sometimes a mushaira is more competitive. The Tarahi Mushaira is a particular form where a misra is given, and poets compose their ghazals using that misra and the behar (rhythmic metre) of the misra.

Rahat Indori (Urdu: ڈاکٹر راحت اندوری ) (Hindi: डॉ. राहत इन्दोरी ) (born January 1, 1950) is an eminent Urdu language poet and a bollywood lyricist. Prior to this he was a pedagogist of Urdu literature at Indore University.

He was born on January 1, 1950 in Indore to Rafatullah Qureshi, a cloth mill worker, and his wife Maqbool Un Nisa Begum. He was their fourth child. He did his schooling from Nutan School Indore from where he completed his Higher Secondary. He completed his graduation from Islamia Karimia College Indore in 1973 and has passed his MA in Urdu literature from Barkatullah University Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) in 1975. Equally competent in prose and poetry, Rahat was awarded a PhD in Urdu literature from the Bhoj University of Madhya Pradesh in 1985 for his thesis titled Urdu Main Mushaira.^{[citation needed]}

He started teaching Urdu literature in IK College, Indore. According to his students he was the best lecturer in the college.^{[citation needed]} He became very busy with Mushairas and started receiving invitations from all over India and abroad. He quickly became a well-known figure in the world of Urdu literature.^{[citation needed]} He was not only good at studies but was also the captain of the football and hockey team at school and college level. He recited his first sher in his college days when he was only 19. In those days his style of writing was surprising, advanced and had a freshness to it.^{[citation needed]}

Kumar Vishwas' (डॉ. कुमार विश्वास ) (also spelt as Vishvas or Vishwas) (born 10 February 1970) is a renowned Hindi Poet and a professor of Hindi Literature from Pilkhuwa[1], Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Kumar Vishwas was born on 10 February 1970, in Pilkhuwa, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh in a Gaur Brahmin family. He is the youngest among four brothers and a sister. He started his schooling from Lala Ganga Sahay School, Pilkhuwa where he spent a part of his childhood. His father Dr. Chandra Pal Sharma was Lecturer in R.S.S. Degree College, Pilkhuwa affiliated to Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut and his mother Smt. Rama Sharma is a home maker. After completing his intermediate from Rajputana Regiment Inter College, Pilkhuwa, his father wanted him to be an Engineer, but he had a passion for Poetry right from the childhood. He took no interest in engineering and decided to make career in the field of Poetry. He did Post Graduation in Hindi Literature.

Vishvas started his career as a professor in the year 1994 from Rajasthan. He has been teaching Hindi Literature to higher class students of Lala Lajpat Rai College for the last sixteen years.

Munawwar Rana (Urdu: منور رانا )is a renowned Urdu poet. He hails from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh but spent most of his life in Kolkata. He is considered one of the most successful poets at Mushairas and is popular outside India also.

Rana's poetry has also been published in Hindi and Bangla. The notable feature of his poetry is that he used the genre of ghazal to eulogise mother, which is unique, as ghazal was considered a poetic form in which lovers' conversed with each other. Apart from his poetry collection, Rana has also penned a memoir.

Though non-controversial, he had a public spat with poet Bashir Badr at a public function. Rana is known to be a sensitive poet who uses Hindi and Awadhi words in the couplets. He avoids using flowery language and shuns chaste Urdu in his couplets, which is a reason that he is successful in poetic meets in non-Urdu areas also.

He has also performed on stages. Recent one was at Culrav 2012 (the cultrural event of NIT Allahabad).