Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Power of poetry praised as Javed Akhtar gets literary award

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London honoured the iconic writer amid commons celebration of his work

Power of poetry praised as Javed Akhtar gets literary award

“IT IS not just the responsibility but the right of every poet andwriter to speak freely, challenge the status quo and usher in social change in the world”, proclaimed the Indian poet, lyricist, screenplay writer and activist Javed Akhtar.

He was speaking after being honoured for his contribution to the world of letters, literature and culture with an honorary degree of letters (DLit) from the prestigious SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London last Thursday (7).


Zeinab Badawi, the president of SOAS and a well-known media personality, awarded the degree at the convocation at Friend’s House, which was attended by graduates, post graduates, faculty and students’ families. The SOAS director, Professor Adam Habib, spoke about the vital need for knowledge exchange which can happen with widening of cultures, and how SOAS was honoured in honouring the writer.

Akhtar’s extensive work can be divided into four different segments. His monumental work in screenplay writing in partnership with Salim Khan shaped the angry young man persona of Amitabh Bachchan (in films including Sholay, Deewar, Trishul and others). His lyric writing, both for Hindi cinema and non-film albums, includes the historical collaboration with Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his Urdu translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s works. His own Urdu poetry extends the lineage of seven generations of poets and writers in the family.

LEAD Inset Shabana Azmi Javed Akhtar Farhan Akhtar scaled Akhtar with wife Shabana Azmi and son Farhan Akhtar

And last but not least, his activism and interventions in the playback industry, most notable being the amendment of the Music Copyright Act which disabled the monopoly of music companies and legally validated music rights to be shared by singers, lyricists and music composers.

Akhtar has also been nominated as a member of India’s parliament and has been conferred the Padmashri and Padmabhushan – some of the highest civilian awards by the government. Recently he has won the Prestigious Richard Dawkins award.

When he received an e-mail from the SOAS director announcing the honorary degree award, he had no information about the nomination. He called and asked me to check with SOAS if this was a genuine letter, which I did, and then started the well-planned machinery around the convocation and the dinner hosted in honour of the poet at the Senate House.

The son of poet Jaan Nisar Akhtar and writer Safiya Akhtar, and nephew of the radical Urdu poet Mazhar, Akhtar explained that poetry is born in the paradoxical space between complete passion and complete craft.

In his acceptance speech, he described the power of poetry to the students. “Good poetry is born in a no-man’s land between conscious and subconscious. It comes from the depth of the poet’s psyche and that is why it holds magic, charm and connects to the reader’s subconscious,” he said. Akhtar referred to important poets around the world who have turned their pens into swords, including Pablo Neruda of Chile, Mehmood Darvesh of Palestine, Nazrul from Bengal, Faiz from Punjab, and his own uncle Mazhar.

He also spoke of the Progressive Writer’s Movement, a revolutionary phase of literary history in India, “a pan-Indian literary movement, in which writers wrote in different Indian languages, against colonialism, economic exploitation and women’s empowerment”.

Addressing the students, he asked, “Is it just a coincidence that the fascist ideologies of the world have not been able to produce one major poet? That is because poetry is the language of love, peace, justice and equality. It offers beauty and solace but also sensitises the heart to injustice and sufferings of the world.”

The same evening, SOAS hosted an exclusive dinner in honour of Akhtar in the Senate House. He recited some of his poems (Mera Angan Mera Per, Yeh Khel Kya Hai and Waqt). The English translations were read by his wife, the legendary actress Shabana Azmi, and his actor-director son, Farhan Akhtar.

“On occasions like this we must remember it is the art that is honoured, not the artist,” Akhtar said.

“I am really humbled and overwhelmed by this honour. My first collection of poetry was translated in English by Prof David Mathews who taught in SOAS. I have visited SOAS for poetry events and discussions with students, also presented by Baithak UK.

“Life has been kind and I have been given many honours but few are very precious to me, definitely this award from SOAS and the University of London.”

Last Friday (8), MP Virendra Sharma hosted a reception at the House of Commons, to celebrate Akhtar’s achievements, as well as the Indo-UK arts and education relationship. It was organised by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK, the oldest and largest network of Indian students and alumni in Britain.

More For You

Rachel Zegler’s ‘Evita’ Performance Sparks Broadway Buzz

Rachel Zegler stuns in Jamie Lloyd’s Evita as Palladium crowds grow nightly

Instagram/officialevita

Rachel Zegler shines in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘Evita’ as West End hit eyes Broadway transfer

Quick highlights:

 
     
  • Rachel Zegler plays Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s radical Evita revival at the London Palladium.
  •  
  • A viral moment features Zegler singing live from the theatre’s balcony to crowds on the street.
  •  
  • Lloyd’s stripped-down staging amps up visuals and sound but sacrifices storytelling depth.
  •  
  • Talks are on for a Broadway transfer as early as 2026 with Zegler confirmed to reprise her role.
  •  
 

Rachel Zegler commands the London stage as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s daring reimagining of Evita, a production that trades subtlety for spectacle and could soon be heading to Broadway.

Following the success of Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd’s signature stripped-down style meets rock concert intensity in this revived version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical. Zegler, in only her second major stage role, dazzles with commanding vocals and presence, even as critics debate the show’s dramatic clarity.

Keep ReadingShow less
K Anis Ahmed

K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative

AMG

K Anis Ahmed’s 'Carnivore' serves up satire, class war and moral rot

From the blood-soaked backstreets of Dhaka to the polished kitchens of Manhattan’s elite, K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative. A satirical thriller steeped in class tension, culinary obsession and primal survival, Carnivore follows Kash, a Bangladeshi immigrant-turned-chef who launches a high-end restaurant serving exotic meats – only to become embroiled in a sinister world of appetite and ambition.

But this is no simple tale of knives and recipes. Ahmed – a seasoned journalist, publisher, and president of PEN Bangladesh – brings a sharp eye to the grotesqueries of power and privilege. In this exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, he speaks about his passion for food, the moral murkiness of his characters, and why even the most ordinary people can spiral into extraordinary darkness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artists respond to a world shaped
by division at Summer Exhibition

Visitors view works in the main gallery

Artists respond to a world shaped by division at Summer Exhibition

THE theme of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2025 is “dialogues”, prompting the question: can art help bring together the people of India and Pakistan? Or, indeed, Israel and Iran – or Israel and Palestine?

It so happens that the coordinator of this year’s Summer Exhibition is the internationally celebrated artist and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, who is of Iranian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kanpur 1857 play

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 'Kanpur: 1857'

Pleasance

Niall Moorjani brings colonial history to life with powerful new play 'Kanpur: 1857'

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Kanpur: 1857, an explosive new play that fuses biting satire, history and heartfelt storytelling. Written, co-directed and performed by Moorjani, alongside fellow actor and collaborator Jonathan Oldfield, the show dives into the bloody uprising against British colonial rule in 1857 India, focusing on the brutal events in Kanpur.

At its centre is an Indian rebel, played by Moorjani, strapped to a cannon and forced to recount a version of events under the watchful eye of a British officer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lubna Kerr Lunchbox

Scottish-Pakistani theatre-maker Lubna Kerr returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with 'Lunchbox'

Instagram/ lubnakerr

Beyond curries and cricket: Lubna Kerr’s 'Lunchbox' challenges stereotypes at Edinburgh Fringe

Acclaimed Scottish-Pakistani theatre-maker Lubna Kerr returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with Lunchbox – the final instalment of her deeply personal and widely praised ‘BOX’ trilogy, following Tickbox and Chatterbox.

Inspired by her own upbringing as a Pakistani immigrant girl in Glasgow, Lunchbox is a powerful one-woman show that tackles themes of identity, race, bullying and belonging through the eyes of two teenagers growing up on the same street but living vastly different lives. With humour, honesty and heart, Kerr brings multiple characters to life, including her younger self and a troubled classmate, as she explores whether we are shaped by our environment or capable of breaking the cycle.

Keep ReadingShow less