Mumbai, May 02 : Prominent lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, who has been a part of the industry for decades now, shared the key to staying relevant across generations.

Addressing an event organised under Spiral Bound, a writing platform created by actor Boman Irani, Javed Akhtar said that one should never think that they know it all and always be open to learning new things.

During the event, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan asked the renowned writer, "Youâ??ve worked with people of different generations, from those your own age when you began, to younger collaborators as you grew more senior. How do you remain relevant across generations?â??

Sharing his personal experience, the lyricist stated that the world belongs to the younger generation, and the rest are simply living in it.

He was heard saying, "When I entered the industry, I was working with my seniors. Everyone used to be older than us. Then, slowly, people our age started joining, followed by people younger than us. Now, I am working with people of my grandchildren's age. If you are open to understanding what this generation is saying, if you don't have this delusion that "I know the best", you will be relevant. We have to respect people."

"The fact is, we are overstaying. This world is theirs. This world is yours. It belongs to you. It is true that we know some things that you don't know. But it is also true that you know many things that we don't know. If we are open to learn from each other, then we are relevant," he went on to add.

Javed Akhtar's statement was met with huge applause from the audience.

Sharing the clip on social media, Boman Irani penned the caption, "When youâ??re surrounded by people who have seen decades of changeâ?¦ you listen more carefully. On stage with Javed Akhtar saab, we spoke about what it means to stay relevant. And the answer was disarmingly simple...stay open, keep learning, and donâ??t shy away from changeâ?¦.

I think that stayed with everyone in the room. (sic)."

/IANS