Javed Akhtar and Pervaiz Alam come together at Jashn-e-Rekhta for a sharp, necessary conversation on the Urdu script debate, Rasm-ul-Khat, and the relationship between Hindi and Urdu.
Javed Akhtar begins with a clear argument. There is no problem with the Urdu script. The real confusion lies in mixing up script with language. Through examples from Punjabi, English, French and German, he explains how grammar, not script, defines a language.
He also challenges the idea that Urdu is foreign or belongs to one religion, while reflecting on Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam, everyday Hindustani vocabulary, Bollywood’s shrinking language, and the class snobbery around speaking one’s own language well.
The conversation also looks at Nastaliq, Devanagari and Roman scripts, the role of Rekhta in digital preservation, and the danger of losing access to literary heritage. The session closes with Javed Akhtar reciting his nazm “Zindagi.”
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