Gulzar takes the audience on a poetic journey
During the event, Gulzar spoke about the scars of the partition, which are reflected in his writings, songs, and films.
Much like his nazms and ghazals, the legendary writer-filmmaker, Gulzar, took Lucknowites to different worlds during the Rubaru event organised by the Hindi daily, Hindustan, at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan on the Saturday evening.
During his conversation with poet-author Yatindra Mishra, Padma Bhushan Gulzar opened the evening by expressing his affection for Lucknow. “Hikayaton main bahut zikra rehta hai, sunai deta Lucknow dastaano main... (There is a lot of mention about Lucknow in stories.) I have seen changing landscape which is a good sign of progress. A lot of history used to reflect in the buildings and landscape, which is seen less now. I see the city in two ways – one that can be seen physically, and the other is its tehzeeb, which remains etched in our memories like idioms. You can change its landscape, but its tehzeeb will remain intact with us and reflect in our work,” he said.
The 89-year-old writer took the audience on a journey through various aspects of his life, starting with his childhood, the inspiration he drew from Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the partition, his days with the progressive writers association, his entry into the film industry, and his encounters with lyricist Shailendra, composer SD Burman, and director Bimal Roy.
“Three Bengalis have had a profound impact on my life – Tagore, Roy and my wife (Rakhee Gulzar, actor). Tagore’s book ‘The Gardener’ turned me towards serious reading, while Roy played a significant role in introducing me to the film industry,” he shared.
He also spoke about the scars of the partition, which are reflected in his writings, songs, and films.
Humbly, he denied taking sole credit for the popularity of his songs. “I never thought the song ‘Bidi Jalaile’ (from Omkara) would become so popular. I wrote it on a Sufi note, but the audience embraced it differently. So, it’s not just the writer who makes a song popular – the singer, composer, and many others contribute. It’s the audience’s acceptance that makes a song popular. Hence, I’m not to blame!” he added on a lighter note.
Before the event, he was welcomed by Shashi Shekhar, Editor In Chief of Hindustan.
