Secularism cannot be taught in crash courses, it must be a way of life: Javed Akhtar

Lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar on Thursday said secularism cannot be imparted through “crash courses” or formal instruction, arguing that it has to be lived and absorbed as a way of life.

Speaking at the inaugural day of the 19th Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), Akhtar said secular values take root not through lectures but through everyday practice and social environment.

“Secularism should be a way of life because when everyone around you is living like this, and then it comes to you automatically. If one day you are given a lecture and you remember points A, B and C, that is fake, that is artificial. It can hardly last,” he said during his session titled ‘Javed Akhtar: Points of View’.

“But if it is your way of life — the way you have seen your elders and the people you admire living — then it comes within you,” he added.

Akhtar said that in recent years secularism had been reduced to a “four-letter word”, even though its true meaning lay in lived experience rather than ideology.

Growing up without religious imposition

Reflecting on his childhood, the poet, who identifies as an atheist, said he grew up in a household of agnostics and atheists where religion rarely figured in daily life.

He said the only people he ever saw praying were his maternal grandparents and recalled an incident involving his grandmother that left a lasting impression on him.

Akhtar said his grandfather once tried to persuade him to memorise religious verses by offering 50 paise — a significant sum at the time. His grandmother, however, strongly objected, insisting that no one had the right to impose religion on another person.

“That was the end of my religious education,” Akhtar said. “At that time, I was unhappy because I lost the chance to earn 50 paise. But in retrospect, I think of her as a woman who could not even write her name, yet had this sensibility. I wish our leaders had even one-tenth of it.”

Wit and reflections on society

Known for his sharp humour, Akhtar repeatedly drew laughter from the audience. When moderator Warisha Farasat praised him as a writer who carried the best qualities of literary greats such as Shailendra, Shakeel Badayuni and his father Jan Nisar Akhtar, he quipped, “I have nothing of my own.”

Later, when Farasat asked him to recite a poem during a pause in the discussion, Akhtar replied, “You can’t think of the next question?” prompting peals of laughter from the audience.

He also challenged the widely held belief that the younger generation is uniquely flawed, saying criticism of youth has existed across centuries.

“The golden era is never the present era,” he said. “Even Aristotle complained about the younger generation more than 2,000 years ago. He said they had no manners and no concentration. This complaint has always existed.”

According to Akhtar, every period of history brings a mix of progress and decline, and nostalgia often distorts how the past is remembered.

Changes in the film industry

Drawing from his own experience in cinema, Akhtar said the film industry, like other fields, is often criticised for not being what it once was, but many changes have been positive.

“When I joined the industry as an assistant director, the position was not respected at all. Our job was to fetch shoes, coats and jackets. Today, assistants are on first-name terms with stars,” he said.

“I get scared when I see them calling heroes by their names. We could never have imagined that,” he added, underlining how professional relationships in the industry had evolved over time.

The five-day Jaipur Literature Festival, which concludes on 19 January, is hosting more than 350 writers, scholars and public figures this year.

The line-up includes Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq, chess legend Vishwanathan Anand, British actor and author Stephen Fry, former diplomat and writer Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Sahitya Akademi Award-winner Anuradha Roy, veteran film critic Bhawana Somaaya, and authors Manu Joseph, Ruchir Joshi and K.R. Meera, among others.