Mumbai

Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi recently launched an Urdu poetry album 'Shayarana - Sartaj'.

Speaking at the event, Javed Akhtar emphasised the importance of the Urdu language and the role Punjab played in its past growth and prominence. Javed Akhtar also said that Urdu doesn't belong to Pakistan or Egypt, it belongs to 'Hindustan'.

He said, "Urdu hasn't come from any other place...it is our own language. It isn't spoken outside 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 said that Kashmir is ours...will you believe that? I think 'No'! Likewise, Urdu is a Hindustan(i) 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".

He further said, "Language is not based on religions, but 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."

Talking about the event, the heart and soul behind the Urdu album is Dr Satinder Sartaaj. It comprises beautiful poetries in the nearly extinct 'Urdu' language from Punjab.

Coming back to Javed Akhtar, he recently created a buzz with his statement against Pakistan.

Javed Akhtar was heard saying that the perpetrators and conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were still "roaming freely" in Pakistan.

A video of the poet-lyricist went viral on social media where he is purportedly heard speaking about "bitterness" in the hearts of Indians over the 26/11 attacks.

Responding to someone in the audience while attending a poetry festival in Lahore, he was purportedly heard in the video, "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 with garlands?"

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Akhtar said, "I wouldn't hesitate to say that though we have organised so many grand functions of Nusrat (Fateh Ali Khan) sahab and Mehdi Hassan sahab in our country, you couldn't organise a single event of Lata (Mangeshkar) ji."