Udaipur: The monthly poetry gathering of the city’s prominent literary organisation Lafzon Ki Mehfil was held in a dignified atmosphere at the Madhushree Banquet Hall, Ashoka Palace. Literary enthusiasts and poets from Udaipur and different parts of the region participated in the gathering and captivated the audience with their original compositions. Founder of the organisation Mukesh Madhavani said that participants of the poetry competition organised in September were felicitated during the programme. RajnIkant Manawat secured the first position, Sanjay Gupta Devesh stood second, while Shaikh Muhammad Hanif Razvi secured third place. The winners were presented trophies and special prizes in recognition of their performances. Programme coordinator Pt. Purushottam Shakdwipi ‘Premi’ said that the gathering featured poetry and literary presentations by Sanjay Gupta Devesh, Parwana Ajmeri, Rajnikant Manawat, Sudesh Chaudhary, Subhash Chandra Agarwal ‘Saqi’, Banshilal Lohar, Pt. Purushottam Shakdwipi ‘Premi’, Shyam Mathpal, Madhu Sehgal, Kulbir Nepatth, Shakeel Alauddin, Gulzar Chittorgarhi, Dr. Gopal Rajgopal, Advocate Riyaz Ahmed Kandhari, Vinod Upadhyay, Sabira Rani, Shahid Hussain ‘Shaida’, Chandresh Khatri, Shahida Shaukat of Iranian origin, Dr. Rajkumar Raj, Eng. Lokesh Choubisa, Umar Farooq Oman, Asma Begum, Nutan Bedi and other literary personalities. The programme was compered by Nutan Bedi and Umar Farooq Oman. At the conclusion of the gathering, the participating writers and poets pledged to carry forward literary traditions and work towards encouraging greater interest in literature among the younger generation.