Main Har Ek Pal Ka Shayar Hoon…

Renowned script writer, lyricist, poet and activist, Javed Akhtar is the recipient of two of India’s highest civilian honors – the Padma Shri (1999) and the Padma Bhushan (2007). He received the Dostoevsky Star Award in 2025. Known for his contribution to Hindi cinema leading to 15 Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricist and Best Screenwriter and five National Awards for Best Lyricist, he is also the recipient of several honorary doctorates including one from SOAS, University of London. His first collection of poetry Tarkash is in its 21st edition in Hindi and 9th edition in Urdu. It has been translated into English, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi and recently in French. His books Talking Films and Talking Songs have been hailed by film critics as the most definitive works on Indian Cinema and are in the libraries of major Ivy League Universities. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha as a Member of Parliament by the President of India in 2010. He is the architect of the Copyright Amendment Bill that has finally given copyright royalties to writers and music directors.

Mudar Patherya is a businessman, garbage picker, Urdu lover, butterfly-chaser, stock picker, social activist and writer. He runs Trisys, India’s oldest agency for corporate financial communications. He is a prominent activist in Kolkata, responsible for cleaning urban water bodies and for the turnaround of the Rabindra Sarobar. He inspired the creation of the NGO, Kolkata Gives, mobilising resources during the pandemic. He kickstarted the trend of painting electricity boxes around eminent Kolkata personalities and masterminded and organised the Live in Lakes musical events at Rabindra Sarobar. He initiated the clean-up of Vivekananda Park, Lily Pool, Avenue Sammilani lighting, water sprinklers inside Rabindra Sarobar and the open-air gallery inside Rabindra Sarobar. He helped replant 149 fallen trees in Rabindra Sarobar and Subhas Sarobar in 2020.