Jāved Aḵẖtar

In Hindi by Javed Akhtar:

"Geen Geen ke sikkey haath Mera khurdura huaa,
Jaati rahi lams ki narmi - buraa huaa"

English Translation by David Matthews:

"From counting coins my hands grew gnarled - and that was sad.
I lost the softness of my touch - and that was bad."


The book starts with a noteworthy self introduction by Javed Akhtar which gives a glimpse in his struggling days and the way his personal life has shaped.

The poems come in original Devnagri script followed by English translation by David Matthew. The translations have come out as close to the original as is possible. However I preferred reading in Hindi in which the poems bloom to their fullest.

Other than the depth of thoughts, what I cherished most in this collection of poems by Javed Akhtar is the wit with which he puts forth his thoughts. Quiver is a collection of poems that sees the celebrated poet writing about love, relationships, criticism on aspects of himself as well as those of the world around him.

Do read Quiver if you love poetry.


In Hindi by Javed Akhtar:

"Sab ka khushi se faasla ek kadam hai
Har ghar mein buss ek hi kamra kamm hai"

English Translation by David Matthews:

"All of us are just one step from happiness;
In every house we always seem to lack one room."… (más)