Faiz’s poetry is like moonlight: Javaid Akhtar

LAHORE: The session with Javaid Akhtar ‘Talking Life’ with Adeel Hashmi as the moderator in Hall 1, showed how people wanted to hear words of wisdom from Javaid Akhtar and he did come up to their expectations.

They thronged him with questions about life, love, parenting, habits, how to tackle poverty, advice for youth, how to overcome distances and much more. He said Faiz’s poetry is like moonlight. He recited a few couplets from Faiz’s poem Zindaan. There was a question thrown at Javaid Akhtar on how to tackle poverty, to which he said it is the domain of economists. “We have a collective sensibility. Mentally we are very gifted people. We need a little honesty and focus. Countries alone cannot get very far. Regions do,” he said.

“In India we have done well. We are one of the most industrialised countries of the world. If other countries of the region cooperate, if trade and people to people interaction increases, it can make a big difference,” he said. “Amritsar city centre is only 30km from Lahore but people know very little of each other. They are living in ignorance,” he said sharing how he met a girl in Lahore who was surprised to hear there are Punjabi Hindus as well.

He recalled how when Faiz went to India, it seemed a head of state was there, he got so much protocol. “We had arranged grand events for Mehdi Hassan, Madam Noor Jahan in India. I do not know of a function for Lata in your city,” he said. “We need to make effort to bring people together. It is up to the establishments on both sides of the borders,” he said. Asked about his creative process, he said he can write anything anywhere but not when a song is playing. He shared how he wrote a song that became hit—“Aik larki ko dekha tau aisa laga’ which was literally at the spur of the moment. He came up with the idea and lyrics all by himself. That was impressive.

Talking about love, he said, “Without friendship there is no love. Without respect there is no friendship. There is no respect without empowerment. My friendship with Shabana is such that even marriage couldn’t do it any harm. People can only be happy when they genuinely respect their spouse, understand their aspirations and appreciate them.” A mother asked for advice on how to raise children. He said, “Don’t scold children before anyone. Don’t talk at him, talk to him. Children don’t do what we want. They do what we do. My children saw us reading and they read a lot.”

Asked about advice to the youth, he said he used to drink alcohol a long time back but when he left, he left that forever.

“Nobody should drink,” he said, “because there is nothing good in that.” A girl asked for advice to people in their 20s and he said, “I honestly believe they are much better people than us. They have better sense of fairness, justice and better gender relations. You are in a club where people before you have built something. You do your bit.”

Adeel asked if he could name 3 Pakistanis, he wished were India, to which he said, first, Faiz, second, a cricketer he would not name for political reasons, and third, Adeel. Adeel requested him to bring all his family members, Shabana, Zoya and Farhan along with him next time. He said he could not promise that.

He is leaving tomorrow. “I was here only for three days. I will request the organisers to give me at least one week in Lahore if they invite me again because when I start loving people it is time to leave,” he said.