Jaipur: A language cannot belong to one religion alone, it belongs to everyone, says actress Shabana Azmi while speaking at a national discourse on Urdu at Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday. The debate was held by a panel comprising of Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, national spokesperson of Janata Dal Pavan K Varma and historian Rana Safvi. They also discussed language politics.
ToI has quoted Javed Akhtar as saying, “Urdu writers and writing occupied the front row when it came to raising their voices against the Indian subjection at the hands of the British. There was a call for social justice as they examined the society, the condition of women and several other evils.” He reminded that ‘Inquilab Zindabad, which became a cry for freedom after it was popularized by Bhagat Singh, was coined by Maulana Hasrat Mohani.