Go on a poetic journey with Javed Akhtar's Lava

Renowned lyricist, poet and one of India's most articulate liberal thinkers, Javed Akhtar spoke to CNBC-TV18 about his new book of poems 'Lava'.

At the recently concluded Jaipur Literature Festival, Akhtar held the centre stage with his views on religion and ugly circumstances that prevented Salman Rushdie from attending it.

Below is the edited transcript of Akhtar's interview with CNBC-TV18.

Q: A book of poems after more than 15 years. Lava will be your second book of poems after Tarkash?

A: Yes, 15 years.

Q: Thematically for a poet when you decide you have enough to put out as a book how different is Tarkash from Lava or Lava from Tarkash?

A: Like Tarkash, Lava is also collection of my poems and gazals that I have written over so many years. They are on different topics so it is eclectic collection of my poems and gazals.  Now when I look back it was not intentional but when I give it a second look I realize that there is a difference.

Tarkash was my first presentation and there was lot of nostalgia in it, thinking of the childhood, in the house that I lived in my childhood and mother. Now the poetry has taken one step forward. It is much more objective, it is looking around instead of looking back. Even Tarkash had poems about social injustice, woman's emancipation or time but in this book is more dominant than personal reflections.

Q: The book will be available in book stores in a week-two weeks time. You read out some poems there and I was very moved by this poem called 'aasu' (tears).

A: Yes, I remember all my poetry by heart so I don't have to read it out.

Q: This is one of the most profound thoughts I have heard in recent times and it was so beautiful. I wish I could express my appreciation more eloquently, but I think you have understood how impactful that poem is.

A: Thank you.

Q: I saw the response that you, poets, authors got at the Jaipur literature festival. When you were there you look around and you see intellectuals, liberals, book lovers if not anything else. Do you feel a sense of, 'you know what everything is right with the world, there is hope'?

A: I don't feel that everything is right with the world. Things are so wrong with the world that they even start reflecting on these occasions also. But there is hope, we should never lose hope. As a matter of fact what is happening and it is a matter of extreme concern, I am afraid that nobody is bothered about it and people who matter, people who can make a difference are totally unconcerned, indifferent and unaware perhaps.

While on one hand we are moving forward materially, the standard of living of urban middle class has gone up by miles. But somewhere we are loosing something, the esthetics, culture, traditions, tolerance and manners. We are totally disconnected with literature, folk music, folk dances, poetry.

Q: The Hindi movies or the movies in general, something you know better than most people, are the most potent and obvious form of culture isn't it? Would you put this charge at the door of cinema that culture today if you are saying is diluted?

A: Cinema sometimes I am afraid is given the kind of compliment and respect that it hardly deserves. I wonder if cinema is that powerful because ultimately it is a commercial endeavor. People who are making films are looking towards the society. They are looking at the society what do they want and there is a kind of desperate salesmanship. So, it is the society that is governing the cinema.

When the middle class was educated, tradition bound, had some kind of connect with the rural India you had films like 'Do Bigha Zameen' and 'mother India' or 'Ganga Jamuna' or 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai'. When the middle class became totally indigenous without any connection with rural India, rural India vanished. When the language changed in society, the language of cinema also changed.

For the complete show watch the accompanying videos.