mushairan.

1905 Imperial & Asiatic Q. Rev. 3rd Ser. 20 160 Dr. Leitner was also the founder of what at its time was a very good association..under the auspices of which was held a Mushaira, where the literary men of the day used to get together to read papers on different literary subjects.

1927 R. Babu Saksena Hist. Urdu Lit. iii. 31 Symposiums or Mushairas were literary arenas where poems on a set refrain or otherwise, were recited to the admiration and applause of fellow poets.

1941 A. Yusuf Ali in L. O'Malley Mod. India & West 405 His mushairas (meetings which were the occasion of poetical contests) had definite subjects given out to them, like ‘Rain’, ‘Patriotism’, ‘Bigotry’, &c., and not mere rhymes to cap.

1991 Daily Tel. 3 May 18 Eyes would well up with tears, and cries of ‘Once again!’ were heard when a particularly touching verse was recited. Then—like an Urdu poet at a mushaira—the actor would render the verse again.