{"id":344994,"date":"2023-08-01T23:27:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T04:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=344994"},"modified":"2023-08-02T01:26:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T06:56:49","slug":"jadunama-throws-light-on-twists-and-turns-of-javed-akhtars-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/jadunama-throws-light-on-twists-and-turns-of-javed-akhtars-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Jadunama throws light on twists and turns of Javed Akhtar\u2019s journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The photographs, the sketches and images published along with the text have not  just highlighted what\u2019s written but has also brought to life each one of  those incidents in his life and also the  characters involved. Each photograph and sketch published in Jadunama – Javed Akhtar\u2019s journey, authorded by Arvind Mandloi stands out, holds out. A book review by Humra Quraishi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Title of\u00a0 the\u00a0 book- JADUNAMA <\/strong>–\u00a0\u00a0 Javed Akhtar\u2019s\u00a0 Journey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author \u2013 Arvind Mandloi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translator –  Rakhshanda Jalil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher –\u00a0 Amaryllis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pages -339<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Price \u2013 Rs 2999<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, as the title of this volume relays, focus  is on Javed Akhtar\u2019s  journey, along the  personal and  professional strain. Several plus elements to make it a highly readable volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foremost, the photographs and the sketches and  images published along with the text  have not  just  highlighted what\u2019s written  but also brought to life each one of  those incidents in his life and also the  characters  involved. Must comment, the publishers been absolutely focused on the production quality. Each photograph and sketch published in this volume stands out, holds out. This indeed is a sleek and sophisticated production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another highlight is short and long conversations –\u00a0 gulftagus <\/em>–\u00a0 of the author of this\u00a0 volume, Arvind \u00a0Mandloi, with the\u00a0 various personalities who came into Javed Akhtar\u2019s life. Many of them still around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The text seems brimming with details. Javed Akhtar coming forth with details of the various turns and twists in his life. And as they say, childhood  memories never really fade or diminish, so let me quote  Javed Akhtar from this book, on one of  his first memories. A painful memory, lasting to this day.  \u201cToday life is good for me in every way, but I still remember that day from my childhood: 18 January 1953. The place is Lucknow, my nana\u2019s house. My distraught khala takes my younger brother Salman, who is six-and-a-half  years old, and me by the hand and brings us to the big room in the  house. There, many women are sitting on the floor. My mother, wrapped in a white shroud, is placed on a takht<\/em>; her face  is uncovered. My nani sitting at the head of the takht, is crying, softly, slowly, as though she is  exhausted. Two women are supporting her. My  khala takes both of us children to the  takht and says, \u2018 See  your  mother for the last time.\u2019 It was just yesterday I had turned eight. I am old enough. I know what death is. I look closely at my mother\u2019s face so that I remember it well. My khala is saying, \u2018Promise her that you will become something in life. Promise her that you will do something in life.\u2019 I am unable to say anything. I just keep looking at her till some woman pulls the shroud over my mother\u2019s face, covering it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This volume is laced with anecdotes and happenings and incidents from Javed  Akhtar\u2019s life. One after another \u2026many! All recounted by him in one of those direct and un-complicated ways. That\u2019s perhaps the forte and backbone of this volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the way he mentions about his first love letter. To quote him: \u201cI am a  little older. I am fifteen years old. I am writing a letter to a girl for the first time in my life. My friend Biloo is   helping me. We prepare this letter together. The next day, I meet that girl in an empty badminton court. Gathering all my courage, I  give her the  letter. This is the first and last love letter of my life. (I have forgotten what  was written in that letter but  I remember that girl even today. ) I am leaving Aligarh after matric. My khala is crying copiously. My khalu is trying to quieten her by saying, \u2018You are crying as though he is going to the battlefield and not Bhopal.\u2019 (at that time  neither he nor  I  knew that I was indeed going to a \u2018battlefield\u2019).\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The photographs, the sketches and images published along with the text have not  just highlighted what\u2019s written but has also brought to life each one of  those incidents in his life and also the  characters involved. Each photograph and sketch published in Jadunama – Javed Akhtar\u2019s journey, authorded by Arvind Mandloi stands out, holds out. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[650,23,2205],"tags":[17128,17127,17126,17125],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344994"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344994"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":345082,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344994\/revisions\/345082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/344995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}