Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar, who is known for his liberal and progressive thoughts, lauded the Hindu community, saying that "democracy exists in India because of Hindu culture and tradition". The poet made the statement while speaking at a Deepotsav programme organised by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in Mumbai.
'Hindus are generous and large-hearted'
Akhtar also expressed concern over the growing intolerance in society. He underlined that while there have always been some intolerant individuals, Hindus, as a community, are generally seen as having a wonderful quality of being benevolent and open-hearted. He stressed the importance of preserving this quality and not adopting the intolerance that some others may display. Moreover, he asserted that Indians have learned from Hindus' way of living and no one can leave that.
'Proud to be born in the land of Ram and Sita'
Javed Akhtar, who calls himself an atheist, also asserted that he was proud to have been born in the land of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita.
Furthermore, he raised 'Jai Siya Ram' slogan at the event and said that 'Ramayan is India's cultural heritage'. He also cited an example of Bollywood cult movie 'Sholay' and said that if the film was released today, there would likely be a massive controversy over the dialogues by Hema Malini and Dharmendra inside the temple.
