Javed Akhtar's talk at the National Atheists' Conference, Sangli, 2023

I had known about Javed Akhtar Sahib's atheism for some time. However, I had not listened to his ideas about the concept in much detail.

 Here is a short bio from Wikipedia in case you are not familiar with him:

Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civilian honours.

Akhtar came to recognition in the duo Salim–Javed, and earned his breakthrough as a screenwriter with 1973's Zanjeer. He went on to write the films Deewaar and Sholay, both released in 1975; they earned a cult following, and had a significant impact in popular culture. He later earned praise for his work as a lyricist, winning the National Film Award for Best Lyrics five times and the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist eight times.

 

I came across this talk day before yesterday. He was probably invited as a guest at the National Atheists' Conference held in Sangli, Maharashtra, last month.

The introduction to Javed Akhtar by the host is in Marathi. However, his talk is all in Hindi. 

He touches on many ideas close to my heart, i.e., atheism, fanaticism, feminism, and minority appeasement. 

Lot of good points and food for thought.

Do give it a watch here.