Javed Akhtar becomes first Indian to win Richard Dawkins Award

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has become the first Indian recipent of the honourable Richard Dawkins award. Always considering Richard Dawkins a hero, Akhtar received a pleasant surprise in the form a letter from Dawkins himself.

Shabana Azmi congratulated husband Javed Akhtar for the honour on Twitter. "Such marvellous news . Congratulations @Javedakhtarjadu.To win an award from your Hero is the ultimate validation," she wrote.

Here's her tweet:

Such marvellous news . Congratulations @Javedakhtarjadu.To win an award from your Hero is the ultimate validation jaduakhtarhttps://www.ndtv.com/video/news/news/javed-akhtar-wins-richard-dawkins-award-550966

— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) June 7, 2020

Anil Kapoor also congratulated Javed on the award. “Knowing that Richard Dawkins has been your hero since you read ‘The Selfish Gene’, the prestigious Richard Dawkins Award must be extra special for you @Javedakhtarjadu Saab! It’s a truly incredible honour! Congratulations,” wrote 'Mr India' actor.

For the uninitiated, Richard Dawkins is a well-known English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author. Apart from Javed Akhtar, Bill Maher, Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais were bestowed with the award in the past. Javed Akhtar spoke about the Indian political climate at the podium.