Veteran lyricist and author Javed Akhtar reflected on changing work cultures, secular values ​​and generational debates during his session at the 19th Jaipur Literature Festival, saying life lessons cannot be taught through shortcuts and real change comes from lived experience.

Speaking on the inaugural day of the festival, Akhtar said secularism is not something that can be instilled through a “crash course” or lectures, but should grow naturally as a way of life. He observed that in recent times the idea has increasingly been reduced to a “four-letter word”. He said, “If secularism is taught through points A, B and C, it becomes artificial and short-lived. But when you grow up seeing people you admire living those values, it becomes part of you.”

Akhtar, who identifies as an atheist, talked about growing up in a household of agnostics and atheists, where religion rarely came up in daily life. He recalled a formative incident involving his maternal grandmother, an illiterate woman whose moral clarity, he said, was the ability he wanted modern leaders to have. When his grandfather once tried to give him 50 paise to memorize religious verses, his grandmother angrily intervened, insisting that religion should never be imposed. Akhtar joked, “I lost 50 paise, which then felt like a fortune,” before noting that the episode shaped his thinking in a way that he only fully understood later.

The session, titled Javed Akhtar: Points of View, was marked by his trademark wit. When moderator Warisha Farasat praised his writing and linked it to literary giants like Shailendra, Shakeel Badayuni and his father Jaan Nisar Akhtar, he quipped, “I don’t have anything of my own.” Later, when asked to recite a poem during a pause, he responded, “Can’t you think of the next question?” Drawing hearty laughter from the audience.

Akhtar also refuted the idea that the younger generation is uniquely flawed, noting that such grievances have existed for centuries. “Even Aristotle complained about youth. The ‘golden age’ is never the current age,” he said, adding that every phase of time brings both progress and problems.

Taking inspiration from his experiences in cinema, Akhtar explained how the film industry has evolved, especially in its treatment of assistant directors. Recalling his early days, he said that there was a time when assistants were treated with little respect and they were restricted to doing chores on the sets. “Our job was to get shoes or coats. That was our life,” he said. “Today, things are much more streamlined. The supporting stars are on first-name positions. It scares me to see that – we never imagined it.”

The five-day Jaipur Literature Festival, which will conclude on January 19, will be attended by over 350 writers, thinkers and public figures including Vishwanathan Anand, Stephen Fry, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Bhavana Somaya, Manu Joseph, Ruchir Joshi and KR Meera.