Dr. Arfa Syeda Zehra & Javed Akhtar on Why Urdu Is a Civilization, Not Just a Language

Dr. Arfa Syeda Zehra & Javed Akhtar on Why Urdu Is a Civilization, Not Just a Language . Dr. Arfa Syeda Zehra and Javed Akhtar talk to Adeel Hashmi at Jashn-e-Rekhta about why Urdu is a tehzeeb and not just a zubaan, and what’s happening to it. She says Urdu took words from Sanskrit, Hindi, Persian, Arabic and more than 140 local tongues and made room for every one of them. That warmth is what turns a language into a culture. When Adeel asks why young people who live on English and tech jobs should care, she turns the question back on their elders. We traded ilm for hunar, she says, and aqdaar for miqdaar, and the young only learned what we taught them. The British left, but English stayed in charge. References to Manto, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Muztar Khairabadi frame a larger conversation about why literature matters. Humorous exchanges about translation and marriage bring warmth to the discussion. There’s some fun along the way, including her take on forced coinages like mukabbir-e-saut for the microphone. She ends on what tehzeeb really is. It isn’t perfume behind the ears. It runs in the blood, and it shows in your rawaiyya, in how you treat people, and in whether your zameer is still yours. . Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction to Dr. Arfa Syeda Zehra & Javed Akhtar 00:00:55 Why Urdu Is a Living Tehzeeb 00:02:02 The Power of Harf and Maani in Urdu 00:03:17 How Language Breathes Life into the Soul 00:04:21 English Imperialism vs Modern Urdu Youth 00:05:21 The Loss of Ilm and Rise of Materialism 00:08:07 The Absurdity of Literal Urdu Translations 00:10:06 Selling Zameer for Wealth Over Heritage 00:11:02 Why Tehzeeb Must Run Through Society's Veins 00:12:40 Why Real Tehzeeb Lies in Rawaiyya . About Jashn-e-Rekhta Jashn-e-Rekhta is the world’s largest cultural festival celebrating the beauty, depth, and living spirit of the Urdu language. Held annually, it brings together poets, musicians, writers, thinkers, and artists from across the world to create a space of poetry, music, conversations, and storytelling. From soul-stirring mushairas and spellbinding musical evenings to intimate dialogues and immersive cultural experiences, the festival is where language turns into emotion and heritage finds a contemporary voice. More than a festival, Jashn-e-Rekhta is a movement that keeps Urdu alive, relevant, and deeply connected across generations. . #urdu #urdulanguage #jashnerekhta #arfasyedazehra #javedakhtar #urdutehzeeb #rekhta . About Rekhta Foundation: Rekhta Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation committed to preserving, promoting, and celebrating the Urdu language and its rich literary and cultural legacy. Through digital archives, learning platforms, publications, festivals, and community initiatives, the Foundation works to make Urdu accessible and meaningful for audiences worldwide. By bridging classical traditions with modern platforms and voices, Rekhta Foundation ensures that the language continues to inspire, connect, and evolve with time. . IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE © Rekhta Foundation. All rights reserved. Unauthorised downloading, clipping, re-uploading, or reuse of this content (audio/video/visuals) is strictly prohibited without written permission. . External Links: Website: https://rekhta.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jashnerekhtaofficial/ Rekhta Books: https://rekhtabooks.com/ Rekhta Learning: https://rekhtalearning.com/