The territory will remain the same &mdash; Juhu&rsquo;s Prithvi Theatre &mdash; but, this weekend, Irfan Qureshi&rsquo;s role undergoes a script change.
<img title="Irfan Qureshi, steward at Prithvi Cafe, will perform this Sunday. Pic/Shadab Khan" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/nov/Irfan-Qureshi.jpg" alt="Irfan Qureshi, steward at Prithvi Cafe, will perform this Sunday. Pic/Shadab Khan" /> Irfan Qureshi, steward at Prithvi Cafe, will perform this Sunday. Pic/Shadab Khan
From senior host at the theatre&rsquo;s iconic cafe to poet, Qureshi (37), will be among several artistes chosen to engage audiences that arrive at the venue&rsquo;s 32-year-old annual theatre festival, in between shows, with what are called platform performances.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always exciting to recite in front of an audience,&rdquo; says Qureshi, who will present an Urdu ghazal between 4 pm and 8 pm this Sunday. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve performed earlier, in 2013 and 2014, at Prithvi and another cultural venue in Bandra, and every time I feel a adrenaline rush when the audience applauds. It&rsquo;s worth working late into the night, which is when I usually do my ghazal writing.&rdquo;
Qureshi&rsquo;s imagination belies his class 5 education. Financial constraints, he says, forced him to quit the Urdu medium school he studied in. &ldquo;When I was nine, I worked with craftsmen in Mahim, making ladies&rsquo; handbags. I did sporadic tailoring assignments, and later, sold fabric on the pavements of Mahim on Novena Day (Wednesday).
Then followed a 12-year stint at a restaurant in Saudi Arabia, after which I have been at Prithvi,&rdquo; he shares when we meet him at Shivaji Park. Inspiration for his poetry comes from all around &mdash; at the workplace, and even while travelling from his Mahim home to the theatre.
Curious onlookers stop to hear him recite a ghazal from a notebook he carries with him. Mein toh jhonka hoon Hawa ka Uda le jayoonga Jaagti rehna, tujhko tujhse chura le jayoonga. A few appreciative comments make Qureshi break into a smile. It is afternoon and the traffic is relatively thinner.
Youngsters crowd Shivaji Park&rsquo;s selfie corner, aiming their mobiles at themselves. But for Qureshi, songs like Seflie le le re are an embarrassment. &ldquo;Urdu will not die; in fact, it is back in fashion now,&rdquo; he says.

From senior host at the theatre&rsquo;s iconic cafe to poet, Irfan Qureshi (37) will be among several artistes chosen to engage audiences that arrive at the venue&rsquo;s 32-year-old annual theatre festival

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From senior host at the theatre&rsquo;s iconic cafe to poet, Irfan Qureshi (37) will be among several artistes chosen to engage audiences that arrive at the venue&rsquo;s 32-year-old annual theatre festival

Mumbai: Prithvi steward to recite his poetry at theatre festival

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Mumbai: Prithvi steward to recite his poetry at theatre festival

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