Desires are the dreams of a human-being. The weaker ones are unable to fulfill their desires but the ones who walk in the journey of life like a soldier convert their desires as destiny. A person having pen as his earning medium for about seven generations in his family started his journey from the famous city of Gwalior moving to the city of culture–Lucknow–and then to the city of learning—Aligarh. Aligarh famous of the manufacturing of locks and its University result of the devotional efforts of Maulana Azad. From this city he locked the learning in his percipient brain and moved to the city of Bhopal and then to the city of dreams–Mumbai–and then finally to the Parliament of the biggest democracy of the world.
On the 17 day of the year which was two years before the year of Independence a child was born in the famous city of Gwalior to the family of Jan Nisar Akhtar lyricist and Urdu poet and singer Safia Akhtar a teacher and writer. The birth name given to this child of the independence year was Jadoo—the miracle. But this was changed by the closest synonym Javed. The lineage to this Jadoo Javed Akhtar, connects to Muzter Khairabadi his grandfather–a milestone in Urdu poetry–where as he is also connected to Maulana Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi–philosopher, poet, religious scholar and who was one of the main figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, who also edited the first works of Famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib–and also to Majaz who was his maternal uncle.
The initial life of this famous and now among the 50 most Powerful people of India as rated by India Today, was full of tragedies. The first school for a person i.e. the mother’s lap was snatched from this towering personality at a very younger age and thus he had to spend his life in the homes of his relatives as his father was in Bombay penning lyrics as his livelihood. He was made to move to Lucknow the city where he had his earlier education. At the age of eight he was addmited to the famous Lucknow-Calvin Talukadat College to class six at a monthly fee of Rs. 17 (very expensive in those days). This college was on where the sons of the aristocracy were to study. He was often scolded by his by his grandfather, “At least you pass your matriculation, and you may find a job stamping letters in a post office”. It was in these days that young Javed dreamt of becoming rich when he will grow up.
He was made to part from his other sibling and taken to Aligarh at the age of fourteen and there he was admitted to class nine at Minto Circle School. In his teen Javed was attracted to the fiction world of Indian cinema. He loved the songs and was more interested in them rather than the usual book of school. He was not allowed to listen to the songs at home but he used to sing them along the way to home from school. On the other hand he was more interested in the novels and used to find them interesting. Peer group for him were the students of the University who were elder to him as his school was near the university. He did not find harmony in his age group. His love for the Urdu language made him to represent his school at all the mushaira–Urdu poetry programme–conducted at the university level, where he was the most listened one due to his award winning poetry. This made him popular at the university level and all the elder started to recognise him. For his matriculation he had to bid farewell to Aligarh towards Bhopal.
It is the life that teaches a person in the early age and all which he deals with becomes his foundation on which his later life stands as rock. On getting to Bhopal Javed had to stay with his step mother and soon tasted the vinegar. Reasons known to God, he moved to stay with one of his friend who happened to be his unknown benefactor. Bhopal was somewhat a place for Javed where he faced problems, having seen the worst time, but the desire to become rich was burning in him and this made him to strive ahead. He won the Rotary Club Prize for three years in a row in debate. His flair for debating made him to travel to Delhi representing Vikram University at the National Youth Festival. In the college election this keen and brilliant speaker was in demand for both the parties and happens to the only person–probably in the history–to do canvassing for both the candidates contesting for a particular post.
In the eight month of his last teen year Javed landed in his dreamland, Bombay on 4th October 1964. He had to face the music of this city of illusions but still clinging to his childhood dream of becoming a rich person on day. He started to write dialogues for just Rs. 100. City of Bombay made grilled the personality of this writer and the impurities parted which is the process of cleaning gold. He came across the dusted Filmfare trophies with which he used to fantasies and practice, behind the close door, his wining the same one day. For a quiet longer time Javed had to face the cruel lashes from the city of dreams. He was offered to do ghost writing for a person who promised him salary of Rs. 600. To this kind of a job and the repercussions and the future showed only darkness and the end of being lost in the crowd without being rich made him to turn down the offer. The span of five years made the personality of Javed a rock one and thus the day came and the Midas touch worked. Goddess Lakshmi started nearing him and resultant in his first house, his car and then meeting Honey Irani at the set of film—Seeta aur Geeta. It is true that when He–the Almighty–pay heeds to your efforts things start to change drastically and same started to happen with Javed. In the forth month of meeting Honey Irani both were married and the next two year made them proud parents of daughter Zoya and a son Farhan.
Yakeen was one of the early films which he had scripted to be a flop. His association with Salim Khan became a turning point in his life and both jointly–Salim Javed–wrote many blockbusters—Andaz, Seeta aur Geeta, Sholay and Don. Javed used to write in Urdu and the Hindi of the same was done by his assistant, and the one liner was written in English by other person. His life change a bit when his father died on 18th August 1976, making him to realize as to what he is doing in the film industry as his father was a successful lyricist. It was in the year 1980 that he started to use his inherited genes of writing lyrics in the film industry. Since then, there has been no turning point in his life but the only change was that of Honey Irani replaced by Shabana Azmi.
Javed Akhtar was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1999 and received the Padma Bhushan in 2007. Akhtar has also won the Filmfare Award fourteen times, seven times for Best Script, and seven times for Best Lyrics for "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha..." in 1942-A Love Story, "Ghar Se Nikalte Hi..." for Papa Kahte Hain, "Sandese Aate Hain...." for Border, "Panchhi Nadiyan Pawan Ke Jhonke..." for Refugee, "Radha Kaise Na Jale" for Lagaan, "Kal Ho Na Ho" for Kal Ho Na Ho , "Tere Liye..." for Veer-Zaara and "Jashn-e-Bahara" for Jodhaa Akbar.
Akhtar has won the National Award five times. In 1996 he won for Best Lyricist for the film Saaz and in 1997 he won the National Award forBorder. He again won the National Award in 1998 for Godmother. In 2000 he again won the National Award for the song "Panchhi Nadiyan Pawan Ke Jonke..." from the film Refugee and in 2001 for "Radha Kaise Na Jale" from Lagaan.
He has won the 1995 and 1997 Screen Videocon Awards. He also won first Zee Award for Best Lyricist for "Sandese Aate Hain" from the film Border. He was awarded a Videocon Screen award as well as a Zee Lux Cine award for "Panchhi Nadiyan Pawan Ke Jhonke..." for Refugee.
In 2001 Akhtar received the "National Integration Award" from the All India Anti-Terrorist Association and the Avadh Ratan from the U.P. Government. He also won the 2003 Hakim Khan Sur Sammaan Award from the Maharana Mewar Foundation, Udaipur.
It was on the 20th April 2010 that the towering personality of Javed Akhtar was facilitated on becoming the member of Rajya Sabha, by the President–Sirajuddin Qureshi–of the Indian Islamic Cultural Center, New Delhi. He was presented with the honorary membership to the cultural center and speaking on the occasion Mr. Sirajuddin said, “It is indeed honour to have Mr. Javed Akhtar in the parliament who has the courage to voice the needs and the desires of the common people on the floor of the house”. On the eve of the occasion, Javed said that he has paved his way to the biggest house in the Indian democracy. He said, “As the people have appreciated his lyrics and dialogues, it will be his honest endeavor to speak on the floor of the house as the representative the common Indian”. “I have now the proper place to deliver my thoughts as an Indian for the benefit on the people and thus help India to become more beautiful,” he further added.
The people gathered on the occasion were lucky enough to see a very different face of philosopher Javed Akhtar. During his speech he described the relationship between two people as one should be caution with the person who say goody about you and never objects to your lesser ability. The person should never be trusted upon and he can never be a good friend of your. One must approve to dissension and this can only help a person to understand his weak points which only a true friend can indicate to you. He said that we are a part of a community where we have people of different ideologies, thought process, myths etc. All the communities must believe in openness and start to respect to the feeling of the other, and Build bridges instead of wall and you will have a friend, which is the key factor to the progress of India. He said, “It is evil to vulgarize or disseminate person or region without any rime or reason”. “This process leads to hatred and thus hampers the progress of the nation on the whole,” he further added. “We all must sit and understand each other and find an amicable solution for all the problems,” he said. “We people sometimes become heard liners and this leads only to confutation and this should be stopped. Now I am at a place where I can voice your thoughts and find the solutions to the problems to the prevailing problems, which are genuine and honest,” he concluded to the end.
Javed on stage and the people don’t get the nectar of his poetry has never and will never happen. He recited his much loved sestet, ‘Woh kamra yaad aata hai’. Now being the part of the Indian political arena he also respected the demand from the public in the hall and recited another famous couplet which is also the title of this article ‘Kabhi jo Khaab tha woh paliya hai; magar jo kho gai woh cheez kya thi’. (By Armaan Amrohvi)
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