Indian poet Javed Akhter Expresses Disappointment Over Recent Political Unrest

News Desk

Lahore: “The rivalry and hatred between the neighbouring countries have spread through language and culture. Some so-called messiahs of language on our side say remove this particular word because it is not ours. You keep removing, the language will keep getting poorer,” said Javed Akhtar.

At the 7th Faiz Festival in Lahore, the 78-year-old lyricist and screenwriter spoke extensively about language, including both English and the mother tongue, whether it be Hindi, Urdu, or a regional one, and the need to treat them all with the same respect. He also expressed his love for the great Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

Screenwriter mentioned that Faiz is still extensively read and followed in India. “His artwork has a certain enchantment. They are written and read in Devnagri in addition to Urdu. There are supporters of his outside of Pakistan and India,” he added.

Renowned actor said that a language is never created in a single day; new words are constantly being added. Our language contains everything of our cultural history. Word prohibitions cannot suffocate a civilization. The most significant identity for a man is his language. “When you stop speaking a language, you also stop speaking your entire culture, your identity, and your heritage,” he remarked.

Akhtar opined that it’s “very saddening to see children in the sub-continent learning English at the cost of their mother tongue. That should not happen. Whatever your mother tongue is –Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto – you must know it.”

After the festival, a number of videos featuring celebrities like Sarwat Gilani, Ali Zafar, Resham, and others spending the evening entertaining the poet with live music and poetry went viral on social media. On Kishore Kumar’s ‘Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main’, Akhtar and Zafar were seen jamming.