Poet, lyricist, screenwriter Javed Akhtar says Urdu ‘doesn’t belong to Pakistan or Egypt, but to Hindustan’
Veteran poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has emphasised the importance of Urdu and the role Punjab played in its growth and prominence during an Urdu poetry album launch event. He was accompanied by his wife and veteran actress Shabana Azmi for the launch of Shayarana – Sartaj.
Speaking at the event, Akhtar said that Urdu doesn’t belong to Pakistan or Egypt, it belongs to “Hindustan”.
The 78-year-old said, “Urdu hasn’t come from any other place. It is our own language. It isn’t spoken outside of Hindustan. Pakistan also came into existence after partition from India, earlier it was a part of India only. So, the language isn’t spoken outside Hindustan…”
He added, “Punjab has a big contribution towards Urdu and it is the language of India! But why did you leave this language? Because of partition? Because of Pakistan? Urdu should be given attention. Earlier it was only Hindustan – Pakistan later separated from Hindustan. Now Pakistan says that Kashmir is ours…will you believe that? I think ‘No’! Likewise, Urdu is a Hindustani language and it remains (so). Nowadays, new generation youths speak less Urdu and Hindi in our country. Today more focus is on English. We must speak in Hindi because it’s our national language.”
Akhtar continued, “Language is not based on religions, but is of regions. If language was based on religion, then the whole of Europe would have one language. That’s why the language is not of religion, but of the region.”
The heart and soul behind the Urdu album Shayarana – Sartaj is famous Punjabi singer Dr Satinder Sartaaj. It comprises beautiful poetry in the nearly extinct Urdu language.
Akhtar had recently created a buzz with his statement against Pakistan. He said that the perpetrators and conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were still “roaming freely” in Pakistan.
A clip of the poet-lyricist speaking about “bitterness” in the hearts of Indians over the 26/11 attacks had gone viral on internet. Responding to an audience member while attending a poetry festival in Lahore, he was purportedly heard saying, “When you visit your homeland, do you tell your fellow citizens, ‘we (Pakistanis) are good people, we don’t just bomb people but also greet them with garlands?’”
“Blaming each other won’t solve our problems. We saw how Mumbai was attacked. They (terrorists) didn’t come from Norway nor Egypt. They are still roaming freely in your country. So you shouldn’t be offended if there’s a grouse and bitterness in Indian hearts over the 26/11 attacks,” Akhtar said at the literary event held in the memory of Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Akhtar added, “I wouldn’t hesitate to say that though we have organised so many grand functions of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hassan in our country, Pakistan couldn’t organise a single event of Lata Mangeshkar ji.”
(With inputs from agencies)
