Padma Bhushan recipient Javed Akhtar, a shining star of Indian cinema and literature, a magician of words, renowned poet, dialogue writer, lyricist and social thinker, will be conferred with the SOA Sahitya Samman in 2025 for his outstanding and lifelong contribution

The eminent literary figure will be felicitated at the inaugural function of the two-day 3rd SOA Literary Festival to be held on November 29 at the University of Education and Research (SOA) campus. The SOA Literary Award, instituted by SOA University, is given to eminent personalities who have made outstanding contributions to the field of literature in the country. The humble objective of the SOA Literary Award is to honour eminent writers, poets and thinkers who have excelled in their fields, who have shown creativity and intellectual depth.

Javed Akhtar reached Bhubaneswar on Friday evening to receive the award. Javed Akhtar himself had announced the award through a video message.A dialogue writer, lyricist, poet and thinker at the same time, Akhat’s writings have enriched the emotional and cultural landscape of modern India. His work as a lyricist of the highest caliber has further enriched Indian cinema.

Javed Akhtar, the son of renowned Urdu poet and dialogue writer Jan Nisar Akhtar and teacher and writer Safia Akhtar, has been associated with the literary world for seven generations. A five-time National Film Award winner and 15-time Filmfare Award winner, Akhtar was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999, the Padma Bhushan in 2007 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014. His poetry collections ‘Tarkash’ and ‘Lava’ are considered to be the best-selling books in modern Hindi literature and have been translated into various Indian and foreign languages. Known as the word magician of Indian cinema, Javed Akhtar’s literature has inspired many young people.

The literary festival is being organized by the Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PRACHINA), run by the SoA. The theme for this year is ‘Culture, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence’.

This year’s literary festival is expected to feature over 100 distinguished writers, poets, painters, novelists, translators, publishers, thinkers, playwrights, and media personalities from all corners of the country. The two-day festival will feature 30 different sessions.