Love, Loss & Life: Poetry by Javed Akhtar & His Grandfather

Read Javed Akhtar and his grandfather Muztar Khairabadi’s poetic takes on life, love and childhood.

Javed Akhtar’s grandfather Muztar Khairabadi was a gem of a poet in his time. (Photo Courtesy: Rhythm Seth/ The Quint)

Urdu poet Iftikhar Hussain, better known by his pen name Muztar Khairabadi, was born in Khairabad in 1928. In 2015, his grandson, poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar released a collection of poems by Khairabadi.

According to reports, none of Khairabadi’s poems were published during his lifetime and most of his work was lost over time. On the other hand, Javed Akhtar’s work has been carefully documented, with the poet having been conferred with a number of awards and accolades for his poetry – including the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, a Sahitya Akademi award as well as five National Film awards.

Here’s a look at poems from the grandfather-grandson duo that experiment with the same themes:

On Love

Translation: Messiah, you can’t make the heart heal as it should. You can’t do good, I can’t be good. (Photo: The Quint)

From the 2001 Hindi film, ‘Soz’. (Photo: The Quint)

On Self Introspection

Translation: None of the eyes sparkle for me, no hearts lend me trust, something useless, I am a mere handful of dust. (Photo: The Quint)

From the 2011 Hindi film, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. (Photo: The Quint)

On Time

(Photo: The Quint)

From Javed Akhtar’s poem, ‘Waqt Kya Hai’. (Photo: The Quint)

On Childhood

Translation: With the promises of youth in my hands, where has the childhood slipped, in the time of sands. (Photo: The Quint)

From the 2010 Hindi film ‘Aisha’ (Photo: The Quint)

On Heartbreak

(Photo: The Quint)

A ghazal by Javed Akhtar. (Photo: The Quint)

Translation: Aaqib Raza Khan

Design: Rhythum Seth

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