By Subhash K. Jha, IndiaFM

When Shabana Azmi, wearing her mother’s 60-year old shocking-pink-and-green Kanjeevaram sari and her ‘letter’-half Javed Akhtar, wearing a simple white kurta-ensemble, waltzed into parliament on Delhi on Wednesday to recite a poem written to commemorate 60 years of independence, they didn’t know what opulent ovation awaited them.

Javed’s tryst with modern-day destiny started one fine morning when the poet received a call. Recalls Javed, “At the beginning of July I got a call from the Speaker’s office requesting me to recite a poem in the Parliament to celebrate the 60th year of India’s Independence. I was awed. You can imagine how I felt about the magnitude of the honour. Then began my turmoil on how to go about writing a poem for such a historic occasion. Ultimately I decided on going by what I firmly believe…good poetry is about ‘felt-thought’, a decorous synthesis of feeling and thought. That’s the impact I wanted to create with my poem 15 August. I hope I’ve succeeded.”

The poem’s English translation which was rendered by Shabana on the occasion was done by the couple’s friend Nasreen Rehman from Cambridge University is remarkable for getting right the tenor and metre of the original .

By IndiaFM News Bureau

Popular writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar and actress wife Shabana Azmi will recite Hindi poem in the Parliament of India on the eve of the Indian Independence day.

Javed Akhtar has composed a poem especially in honor of 60 years of Indian Independence. He will recite Hindi poem with wife Shabana Azmi who will recite English translation of the same. The event will be followed by a performance by Pandit Jasraj, who will sing ‘Aadhi Raat Ka Suraj’ that has been written by Javed Akhtar.

Actress Shabana Azmi, who is quite excited about the event, informs that the event was supposed to be held at the stroke of midnight on August 14, but that got cancelled.

By IndiaFM News Bureau

Popular writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar and actress wife Shabana Azmi will recite Hindi poem in the Parliament of India on the eve of the Indian Independence day.

Javed Akhtar has composed a poem especially in honor of 60 years of Indian Independence. He will recite Hindi poem with wife Shabana Azmi who will recite English translation of the same. The event will be followed by a performance by Pandit Jasraj, who will sing ‘Aadhi Raat Ka Suraj’ that has been written by Javed Akhtar.

Actress Shabana Azmi, who is quite excited about the event, informs that the event was supposed to be held at the stroke of midnight on August 14, but that got cancelled.