The 'Jadu' of Javed Sa'ab!

What?

A Book Reading hosted by the leading publishing house, HarperCollins India.

When?

Monday, July 27.

Where?

India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi.

Monday Blues were there no more when I received an invitation from the pioneer in publishing, HarperCollins India. A Book Reading, it said.

I have attended plenty, I thought to myself. This one was bound to be different, I realised.

Why not, when you have the Wizard of Words to give you company?

The one whose is an enigma of expression.

None other than the legendary lyricist, poet and scriptwriter, Javed Akhtar! :)

~~~ 

I could not wait for Monday evening to arrive and for the clock to strike 7. That was when Javed Sa'ab would be amidst us. As for me, I was there at the said venue well before time.

The Stage Was Set. :) 

Karthika was there too. Yes, the Publisher and Chief Editor at Harper, Karthika V.K. whom I had met later this month at the #GetPublished Book Launch.

Meenakshi gave a warm welcome to the luminary in our midst, as he stepped on stage at a punctual 7:15.

Accompanying him, was Ali Husain Mir, who had taken the onus upon himself to translate Sir's writings into English.

That's Mir, attentive to Meenakshi's introduction, while Javed Sa'ab glances at his writings. 

Javed Sa'ab was thankful to the members of the audience for having taken the time to attend the session. 

We were thankful to him for having given us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He courteously laid out a pointer for the audience, though. That was very humble of him though.

अगर आपको लगे कि नज़्म कुछ ज़्यादा लम्बी हो गई हैं, 

तो खाँस दिजिएगा। 

There was profound poetry, that followed. 

Introspective. Reflective. Real. True. 

Questions. Seeking Answers. 

An elaborate audio recording of the same, awaits towards the end of this post. 

Twenty-two minutes of time, for you to sit back and absorb yourself in Javed Akhtar's voice, on a relaxed Sunday. 

An exclusive shot of Javed Sa'ab enveloping the audience with his interactivity! :) 

A succinct QnA followed, which consisted of reflections on the language 'हिन्दुस्तानी', the fact that there are schools to teach skills - paint, dance, music et al - but not writing. That is because writing skills develop with reading skills. 

Also, the fact that discipline to sit down and write, in a defined time-frame on a regular basis counts. 

There was also a discussion on the basis of which a language is formed. 

Javed Sa'ab opined that it was the Grammar of each Language which defined its foundation and set it apart, endowed upon each, a certain uniqueness. 

~~~ 

Did I also tell you that Yours Truly got her one-and-a-half minutes of fame too? 

My interaction with Sir also awaits your attention towards the closing of this post. 

Amid the paucity of time, and Meenakshi prompting some 'last question(s)', Javed Sa'ab wittily remarked: 

जी, अगला Last Question किसका है? :) 

Towards the end of such an inspiring evening was the customary photo-op for media representatives, which was followed by book signing. 

Here's leaving you with an exhaustive recording of the choicest writings from Javed Sa'ab's pen, which spans over twenty two minutes and a short recording of my interaction with this gem of a person. 

I asked him something concerning Zoya and Farhan, and that lent a light moment to the evening too. 

Hear both the audio uploads for yourself! :) 

~~~ 

~~~ 

जी, हस्ताक्षर तो एक उपहार हैं ही, 

पर यह एक-दो मिनट की गुफ्तुगू भी एक अनमोल तोहफा है। 

~~~ 

तहे दिल से शुक्रिया, जावेद साहब! :)