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Javed Akhtar did his schooling at the Cambridge School-Bhopal, Calvin Talukadar College-Lucknow, Minto Circle-Aligarh, and graduated from Saifiya College-Bhopal in 1964.
In 1999, the President of India honoured Javed Akhtar with the title of "Padmashree" for his literary contribution. Javed Akhtar is an avid reader with a keen interest in politics. His poetry reflects both his political awareness and his literary concerns.
javed Akhtar believes that there can be more effort from Pakistan's side to improve the relations between the two countries. He says that India has been promoting various performers from Pakistan and in return Pakistan should also make some serious efforts to welcome Indian artists from different walks of life. He says that people of both the countries are willing to take a step ahead for building friendly relations and praises the Indian Government for decision to extend the ceasefire.
G21: What is the essence of the problem between India and Pakistan and how does Kashmir figure?
JAVED AKHTAR: I ... can I suppose give a lecture of 10-12 hrs about the problem between India and Pakistan. But the nutshell..I suppose - the partition,the
way partition took place was ugly and there are wounds which are still fresh
in people's memory. Besides that the basic difference that still stands is
Pakistan was made and this country was partitioned on [the] theory of two nations.
So ... as long as we say that we don't believe in [the] two nation theory, we don't accept Hindus and Muslims as two separate nations. Pakistan thinks that we are questioning their existence which is not true, which is not true at all.
Today obviously again the Indian Government, to Indian society or Indian people accept Pakistan as an independent sovereign country -- but we still don't believe in two nation theory. But when we say that we don't believe in two nation theory, they feel that we have some designs on them which is not true.
As far as Kashmir is concerned ... I mean it is such a complicated issue today that one cannot talk about it in a nutshell ... that won't be fair. Butthe fact remains that Pakistan's claim on Kashmir again is based on fact. Both right in 1947-48 when they made this claim that this is Muslim dominated state so in the light of two nation theory it should belong to Pakistan. But that's not right as a matter of fact. At that particular time, the people and ultimately the ruler of Kashmir also wanted to join India and they did and today ... Pakistan will have to accept it that Kashmir is an integral part of India.
G21: Do you see any variance within Pakistan between the Government's view and the general public's view?
JAVED AKHTAR: Oh yes. See as far as the people of these countries are concerned obviously they share so much, culturally, historically and linguistically that it so very easy for them to cross over the barriers of hatred that are created by the establishment. And they won't take anytime in becoming friendly and brotherly that they won't take anytime at all. But the establishment is aware of it and that puts some kind of a fear in them. And I would say, I'm not saying that Indian establishment is perfect and ... Pakistani establishment is nothing but evil, Indian establishment is totally white and Pakistani establishment is black, I'm not saying that. But at the same time, the fact remains that in this matter our record is much better than -- Pakistan's record.
See on [a] cultural level, I come from [the] cultural field -- so many people - artists, singers, musicians, actors, poets, writers - from Pakistan have come to India and we have given them great reception.Noorjahan had come to India, Nusrat Fateh Ali had come to India, Mehndi Hassen, Ghulam Ali gave great performances to packed auditoriums but this has not been reciprocated by Pakistan's establishment.
I have no problem with Pakistani people,the people love Indian artists. Indian fi lms are very popular, Indian music is very popular there and so on ... But the establishment, people who make the laws and implement them, they have some kind of a hesitation, they have never allowed Lata Mangeshkar to go to Pakistan Why? Noorjahan has come here and she had performed, Nusrat Ali had performed, why not it has been reciprocated?
If they are so keen to have good relations and rapport with us as we have -- We have had shortcomings, we have also made mistakes ,we may also have been on the ... wrong side. I'm willing to accept that. Iím not saying that we are all wonderful but [at] the same time, the fact remains that if you see in 23 years there has been more effort to be friendly from our side than their's and -- again by their I don't mean the people of Pakistan, I'm talking of the establishment .
G21: Ok. What would you like to say about the recent initiative launched by the Prime Minister [of India], the unilateral ceasefire decision and now its extension up to 26th January?
JAVED AKHTAR: Oh! I wish them all the luck and again I was one of those who went to Lahore in that famous bus with the Prime Minister and then we came back to read about Kargil. I hope this time it doesn't happen this way. And it ... I hope that it bears some positive fruits.
But I think it is very sad, the whole situation is sad .You know in both the countries the budget for defence is increasing, the budget for education is reducing.The level of illiteracy is increasing in our country unlike ... cases like Cameroon, Nigeria or Kenya, Zimbabwe .We are not looking into real problems and wasting energy in these matters.
One thing I would like to say -- this is to everybody who belongs to, who has any interest in South Asia -- If you pick up the map of the world you would come to know that itís not the [single] country that progress[es]... itss the regions that
do well or don't do well. You have North America, North America is in one
economic situtation; you have South America, there is another story; you come to Middle East there is one economical situation; you come to Eastern Europe, they are more or less in one condition. Western Europe is another part, you
go to far East ..you see one thing goes wrong and it is like a domino effect economically - when they are right , all of them are right. So we have to understand, the S.A.A.R.C. countires have to understand this, that either we move up together or together we go down.This is something that we should understand.
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Copyright 2004 Dhamaka News Network