In Chandigarh, renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar praises the rich contribution of Punjabis to literature

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Waqt kya hai? …Ye kab se kab tak ka silsila hai? Well, for the fans and followers of lyricist-poet Javed Akhtar, the waqt ended with his session, Mera Paigam Mohabbat Hai: Poetry for social change’ at the Chitkara Lit Fest in Chandigarh on Sunday. And Akhtar saab was in no mood for technical or serious questions, he kept it light, funny and full of wisdom for the young minds.

Wearing the Karra for life

Did you know that Javed Akhtar wears a karra since 1964 and plans to keep it on his wrist for lifetime? Before he came to Mumbai and his Sikh friend, Mushtaq Singh, left for the UK, the latter gifted it to him. The two studied together in Safiya College, Bhopal.

‘Javed gave me courage’

Another story on Javed Akhtar came from Dum Maro Dum singer Usha Uthup. The singer shared that once actor Anupam Kher asked why she couldn’t find work in many mainstream Bollywood films, but before she could come up with a reply, Javed Akhtar intervened, “Because in films a powerful voice can never be that of a woman.” Usha, who joked how she would get the female villains or, if lucky, Mithun Chakrobarty’s songs to sing, expressed that Akhtar’s words gave her the courage that she desperately needed in those times. — Usha Uthup

When passion is profession

For lyricist Irshad Kamil, interest in writing developed while writing love letters and shayari for his friends’ girlfriends! The silsila didn’t end at Panjab University Chandigarh from where he graduated, but continued till Mumbai. Apparently, music composer Sandesh Shandilya, during his dating phase, used to call on Irshad’s landline and seek completion of his shayari. Kamil had gone asking for work, but Sandesh tried to impress his girlfriend with Irshad’s lines! As for work, Irshad says, ‘When your hobby becomes a profession, it never becomes a forced affair. I think the most challenging song for me was Hawaa Hawaa from Rockstar, as I had to incorporate Czech folk tale, Sleepy John, on AR Rahman’s music.”— Irshad Kamil

As for his recent Pakistan visit and the ‘courageous’ statement, he said, “While there is a debate on what I said, what was not noticed was that people of Pakistan were clapping while sitting in the audience. So, it’s not about the boundaries that we have drawn, but more about the people and their love. There will always be voices for unity.”

Another video from his Pakistan visit that has set the social media on fire is that of Ali Zafar singing and dedicating the song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga to Akhtar, who had penned the song for the film 1942: A Love Story. The lyricist shared the story behind its making. Akhtar, after a heavy discussion, convinced musician RD Burman that there should be a song in between the scenes and then completely forgot about it until the day of the meeting. Akhtar said, “Now in order to save my face, I thought of something on my way to the venue of the meeting. I said I had thought a lot for two days, which was a lie, and came up with the line, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga. I told him that it would be followed by only similes. And, RD was convinced. So, I created the antara and then he asked for two more. But truth be told, third was the hardest, kyunki similes khatam ho gayi thi.”

GREAT CONTRIBUTION

When in Punjab, it’s highly unlikely to not talk about the contribution of Punjabis in literature and poetry. Akhtar, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, admits how writers from UP and Punjab have often tried to run each other down, but he still praised the rich contribution of Punjabis to literature.

He added, “Their work is exceptional. I have met so many Punjabis who said they had a special akhbaar in Urdu because their grandfather would not read any other language. I would often ask them why they stopped reading and learning Urdu then.” He stressed, “Zabaan religion ki nahi hoti, region ki hoti hai.”