At the end of an evening of poetry, flavoured by Urdu poets from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, Jnanpith award-winning playwright Girish Karnad spoke of how Urdu lyrics, which once defined Bollywood, are now dead.

"I think the main culprit is AR Rahman. He is a great musician, his orchestration is beautiful and overpowering, as a result of which one misses the beauty of lyrics that once defined songs in Bollywood," the playwright said.

Talking of technology and creativity, Karnad said: "I was once chatting with Javed Akhtar and told him that ever since DTP took over, Kannada has been flooded with bad poetry. He replied: 'In Urdu, we've managed it even without any technical help'!"

The poetic Tuesday evening at Alliance Francaise, hosted by Chiranjeev Singh, along with the All India Urdu Manch, saw many anecdotes and literary experiences touch a chord among connoisseurs.

Khaleel Mamoon, who put the show together said, "This is the centenary year of Saadat Hasan Manto, which is why we've brought these talented writers from across borders to India." While Bangladeshi poet Ahmed Illyas spoke of poetry as the tool that elicits spontaneity, Bangalore-based poet Shaista Yusuf confirmed that Urdu poetry is much appreciated the world over.

Asghar Nadeem Syed, poet, playwright and screenplay writer of many hit Pakistani television serials, confirmed that Karnataka, like Bengal, has a good artistic, cultural and literary atmosphere. "And Karnad's Tughlaq and Tipu Sultan are popular in Pakistan too. I much appreciate his role in the film Dor and Ek Tha Tiger. In fact, all Hindi films released in Pakistan are sold out on Day 1!" he beamed.