Javed Akhtar sparks debate! Calls prose poetry ‘a deception’ at spectacular Soundscapes of India Season 2 launch

The three-day event, scheduled from November 10–12, has been organised by the Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) with support from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with MusiConnect India.

At the inaugural press conference, eminent lyricist, poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, who also chairs IPRS, set the tone with candid comments on poetry, creativity and India’s evolving artistic landscape. He was joined by IPRS CEO Rakesh Nigam and storyteller-screenwriter Mayur Puri.

Akhtar also conducted a special session on songwriting titled The Art of Song Writing, where he explored the intrinsic relationship between poetry and music. “Poetry is the music of language, and music is the poetry of sound,” he said, emphasising the shared foundations of metre, rhythm and harmony.

In a striking critique of contemporary writing styles, Akhtar called modern prose poetry “a deception” and “a fraud.” He argued that the form, by removing melody and structure, loses the core essence of poetry. “If it were poetic prose, it could be justified. But prose poetry takes away the rāga and rhythm that define verse,” he said.

Akhtar stressed that the strength of poetry lies in its melody, discipline and symbolism, urging young writers to deepen their understanding of rhythm, phonetics and literary tradition. “A poet should read poetry,” he said. “Words have lives of their own—they develop relationships and impressions in the subconscious mind.”

On the decline of quality in film lyrics, Akhtar pointed to broader societal changes. “You tell me about the society, and I will tell you about its aesthetics,” he remarked, lamenting that education today focuses more on employability than on understanding language and literature.

Speaking on the rising influence of Artificial Intelligence, Akhtar said AI cannot match human creativity. “Art is born in the no man’s land between the conscious and subconscious mind,” he noted, adding that artistic expression is built on emotion, imagination and craftsmanship—qualities no machine can replicate.

During the session, Akhtar also described India as “a country of music,” highlighting the untapped potential of regions such as Uttar Pradesh and the North East. Clarifying the objective of the festival, he said Soundscapes of India is “not a talent hunt but a showcase of talent—an effort to bring creativity and the market together.”

The second edition features over 100 artists, 24 bands, and 15 global festival directors, curators, and industry leaders. Performances range from folk-fusion and classical-fusion to hip-hop, jazz, metal, pop and rock, with linguistic diversity spanning English, Hindi, Konkani, Ladakhi, Tamil and other Indian languages.

Representatives from 15 countries, including Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain, Egypt and Thailand, are attending as festival directors, promoters and booking agents, offering international exposure for Indian artists.

The festival’s first edition served as a launchpad for emerging acts such as Bengali folk trio Bawl Mon, who went on to win the Busking World Cup in South Korea, and Delhi-based group Taal Frey, who later performed at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia.

Positioning itself as more than a cultural event, Soundscapes of India aims to build global pathways for Indian music. As the country’s artists gain international recognition, the festival underscores India’s growing influence as a creative force on the world stage.

(Photos: PR Team)