Bhubaneswar: Legendary poet, writer, lyricist, and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar will be visiting Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University here on Saturday, November 29, where he will be honored with the SOA Sahitya Samman for 2025.
Akhtar is scheduled to attend the inaugural function of the two-day 3rd SOA Literary Festival, which commences on November 29 at the SOA auditorium. The festival will be inaugurated by the Odisha Governor, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati.
The SOA Sahitya Samman has been introduced this year and will be presented annually to an eminent litterateur in recognition of his or her contribution to literature.
In a video message released earlier, Akhtar expressed his happiness regarding his visit to SOA, stating he was delighted to be part of the SOA Literary Festival. He extended his congratulations to the university authorities for organizing the festival and wished the participants well.
Akhtar belongs to a family lineage that can be traced back to seven generations of writers. He is an acclaimed figure who has received five National Film Awards and 15 Filmfare Awards throughout his career.
He was honored 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 counted among the best-selling works in modern Hindi literature and have been translated into several Indian and foreign languages.