It was a rare occasion when Javed Akhtar and Aparna Sen came to Oxford Bookstore-Gallery for a poetry reading session on 6th February 2002. The poems were recited both in Urdu and English from Akhtar’s much acclaimed ‘Quiver’. The gallery was jam-packed with invitees and ardent fans of the talented duo.

While conversing with Javed- poet, lyricist as well as scriptwriter, one realizes that there is no secret to success. Dedication, faith and practice have shaped Akhtar into the man he is today.

The maestro explained at length the various types of poetry in Urdu literature, different arts of poetry writing and shared interesting details related to creativity with his audience. When asked if there is a dearth of good poets today, Akhtar paused for a while. Then he commented that young poets today are even more energetic and sincere than earlier times. This is mainly because Javed feels in his time, poets were thinking of making a living out of poetry. These days however, he feels poets are much more rational and realize the losses that have been incurred earlier. Thus, they do not wish to repeat mistakes and thus make their decisions early in life. 

When asked about his future plans, Akhtar revealed that two of his film scripts are nearing completion. He added that he had a lot of faith in the young film directors of today though he did not mention his son Farhan and the stupendous success of the latter’s ‘Dil Chahta Hain’. When asked about his childhood, Akhtar smilingly said that he led a very normal childhood.

After a mesmerizing poetry-reciting session, Akhtar obliged autograph hunters and distributed signed copies of the book among his admirers.