Richard Dawkins congratulates Javed Akhtar on winning award named after him: 'Couldn't be more pleased'

World-renowned English evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on Tuesday said that Indian lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar has been conferred with the prestigious 2020 Richard Dawkins Award for his critical thinking, holding religious dogma upto scrutiny.

“Javed Akhtar @Javedakhtarjadu is the 2020 Richard Dawkins Award winner and I could not be more pleased,” tweeted the Dawkins.

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Javed Akhtar @Javedakhtarjadu is the 2020 Richard Dawkins Award winner and I could not be more pleased. The Center for Inquiry, on whose board I sit, has designated him this year's recipient for his courageous public stands on behalf of atheism, rationality, and freethought.

— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) June 9, 2020

“The Center for Inquiry, on whose board I sit, has designated him this year’s recipient for his courageous public stands on behalf of atheism, rationality, and freethought,” the tweet further read.

The legendary poet who has become the first Indian to win the award is being conferred with it for his “critical thinking, holding religious dogma upto scrutiny, advancing human progress and humanist values.”

Akhtar who has written the screenplay for iconic movies like Deewar, Zanjeer, and Sholay along with Salim Khan, has earlier been awarded Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2007).

The veteran lyricist and screenwriter also have five National Awards for Best Lyricist to his name and even the Sahitya Akademi Award.

(With inputs from Asian News International)