In today's Chaitime we talk to the famous Hindi/Urdu poet and lyricist, Javed Akhtar. It was an incredible honor and experience talking to Javed Akhtar Saheb and listen to him talk about his incredible journey, and life lessons.

Interview with Journalist and Author Sanjay Patel

ChaiTime Radio is a weekly Stanford-based radio show celebrating global arts, literature, music, film, and culture. With more than 2.13 million streams across 100+ countries, the program reaches a worldwide audience through KZSU, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and SoundCloud. Over the years, ChaiTime has featured an extraordinary range of artists, thought leaders, musicians, authors, social reformers, and academics, including Begum Parveen Sultana, Javed Akhtar, Padma Shri Prahlad Singh Tipaniya, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Anna Hazare, Suresh Wadkar, Kailash Kher, Mahesh Kale, Shaan, Rajdeep Sardesai, and numerous distinguished scholars from Stanford University and the University of California system.

Pranjali Sirasao is a researcher, educator, linguist, and media producer whose work bridges language, culture, technology, and community engagement. She has held faculty appointments at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis, and has contributed to language and AI technologies at Google and Apple. Pranjali is the Founder and President of ChaiTime Media, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to cultural storytelling and community connection. She also serves as Co-Organizer of Kavya Connection in San Francisco and as a Board Member of the Ethnic Arts Foundation, USA, while volunteering with the Sankara Eye Foundation and Omkar Trust. Since 2012, she has been the producer, host, and creative force behind ChaiTime Radio, documenting and amplifying diverse voices, traditions, and artistic journeys from around the world.