Pune: Renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar on Saturday warned that rapid social progress was coming at the cost of cultural depth, expressing concern over declining vocabulary, weakening cultural connections and restrictions on artistic freedom.Speaking at the inauguration of the seventh Symbiosis Literary Festival (SLF 2026) at Symbiosis Ishanya Bhavan in Vimannagar, Akhtar compared society’s development to a tree growing taller without strengthening its roots.“We are gaining speed at the cost of depth, which is dangerous,” he said, stressing the need to preserve cultural roots alongside material progress.Akhtar also flagged the shrinking vocabulary of younger generations, arguing that a limited command of language affected their ability to articulate their thoughts clearly. “You need vocabulary to be able to communicate,” he said.The two-day festival, organised by Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) on Oct 24 and 25, is themed ‘Where Stories Gather’. Akhtar also participated in a discussion on Hindostan Humara, a poetry anthology edited by his father, noted Urdu poet Jaan Nisar Akhtar.Highlighting literature’s role in fostering empathy, he said it helped readers understand diverse experiences and recognise shared human values. He said younger generations were beginning to realise what society had lost through its weakening connection with art, culture, traditions and language.Akhtar also called for freedom of artistic expression, including on political issues, saying that banning poems and books was unhealthy for society.Asked what conviction he would like to instil in Generation Z, he said, “Be reasonable and rational.”The inaugural ceremony also highlighted the importance of education and the need to bridge the divide between science and the humanities. Symbiosis founder and president Prof S B Mujumdar said education could not be complete without the humanities, despite the significant contributions of science and technology to human progress.“The education system has compartmentalised knowledge, leaving many science students with limited exposure to literature, history and culture, while humanities students often lacked familiarity with scientific developments,” Mujumdar said.He stressed the need to address this divide through an education system that nurtured human values alongside professional competence.Akhtar, meanwhile, said no country could be considered developed without education. He criticised govts and political parties for not giving education the importance it deserved and praised citizens and institutions working to bridge gaps in the sector.Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, chancellor of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) and Dr Shweta Deshpande, director of SSLA, were among those present at the inaugural ceremony.
