Gulzar: an old man with young ideas

I have never had the privilege to meet Gulzar sahab in person. But yes, I have visited him many a times in my imaginary world. He lives in a castle on a forested mountain, in solitude, far from the madding crowd.

There is not just one pathway that leads to the top of that mountain. In fact, there are over half a dozen stone stairs and narrow tracks—that embrace the mountain from all sides—which lead to the foggy mountaintop where his abode actually is situated. And experience of every journey has become a different travelogue of sorts.

The signboards on different pathways introduce him differently. He is an Urdu poet and writer, a Bollywood lyrics writer, a filmmaker, a screenplay and dialogue writer, a translator, an academic and a pioneer in children’s literature.

“Mujhko bhi tarkeeb sikha koi yaar julahe,” a nuanced nazm that he recites in his deep baritone voice in Marasim, a music album that he brought out in collaboration with ghazal maestro, Jagjit Singh introduced me to Gulzar. And this introduction seamlessly grew into familiarity in no time and eventually turned into a unique bond, prompting me to know more about his life and work.

Every time I climb the stairs, it’s a different experience along the way up to his castle—which has as many doorways as the stairs or serpentine tracks on every mountainside. Enter his solitary abode through whichever doorway, a man of multiple talents dressed in trademark starched white kurta-pajama and wearing mojaries embellished with smooth golden zari embroidery, welcomes you with a familiar smile.

“I am not a philosopher. I don’t have a lot of things in my mind. But I do have many in my heart. That’s why I feel more and think less,” says Gulzar who refuses to grow old even at 83. And he is certainly not the one who rests on his past laurels.

His new book, translated by Dr Rakhshanda Jalil, Footprints on Zero Line: Writings on the Partition, which is an evocative collection of Gulzar’s poetry and short stories was launched at an event marking the opening of the Partition Museum in Amritsar on Thursday.

Born as Sampooran Singh Kalra in 1934 on this day in Dina, Pakistan, Gulzar has been contributing to peace and harmonious relationship between India and Pakistan. His plays and poetry continue to make the younger generations aware of the pangs of Partition and communal bigoty.

Someone who is comfortable in several Indian languages and has a flair for folk literature and music, Gulzar began his career in film industry when he wrote Mora gora rang lai le song for Bimal Roy's classic Bandini in 1963. And in 2017, he rehashed and presented a newer version of Tap tap topi topi, top me jo dube, the opening credits song of the animation show, Alice In Wonderland. The song turned out to be immensely popular romantic score Tippa in Rangoon.

Gulzar, who has won nearly every award in the film industry including Academy Award for the song “Jai Ho” in Danny Boyle's 2007 Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t seem to have ever lost touch with the pulse of the youth and social trends in the past 54 years of his illustrious Bollywood career.

Though he chose to stay away from film work for some years, when he made a glorious return with his soul-stirring lyrics for Dil Se (1998), he set new benchmarks with AR Rahman. Since then, he has been writing songs which have invariably been attaining the cult of modern-folk.

His item songs like Kajra re, Jhoom barabar jhoom, Namak Ishaq ka and Beedi jalai le show his lyrical prowess. A literary giant who has written intense lyrics like Rukay rukay se kadam, Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa tau nahin, Tujh se naaraz nahi zindagi, Is mod se jaate hain, Khaamosh sa afsaana, Mera kuch saaman and many more in the past, had no qualms writing quirky lyrics like Iban-e-Batoota for Mika and Horn ok please for Yo Yo Honey Singh in recent years.

Besides lyrics writing, he has also co-authored the dialogues of Saathia (2002) and screenplay of Mirzya (2016).

It’s arguably Gulzar who has introduced the young generation to the old literary stalwarts of the subcontinent like Mirza Ghalib, Munshi Prem Chand and many more iconic writers of Urdu, Hindi and Bengali languages through his TV serials for Doordarshan.

Earlier this year, he launched an album, Gulzar in conversation with Tagore, that has been reviewed as ‘a love letter from one poet to another’. A tribute to Rabindranath Tagore, it has seven translated poems of Tagore, who is known for his Rabindra Sangeet, and brings out a different aspect of the Nobel Laureate.

While his prayer that he wrote for the 1971 film Guddi, Humko man ki shakti dena is sung in many schools even today, his iconic song, Chaddi pehen ke phool khila hai in the 1990s, was recreated for the American fantasy adventure film “The Jungle Book” directed by Jon Favreau in 2016.

“Don’t talk to me about old things, discuss the present,” he was repeatedly heard as saying resolutely to the queries of his admirers and media regarding events from his past life, on various occasions in recent years.

Gulzar famously says in one of his songs: Jinkay sar ho ishaq ki chaaon, paaon ke neechay jannat hogi (Those who walk in the shade of love, Must have paradise under their feet) and believes Ishaq (love) is harf-e-awwal (first word among others) for him. This philosophy seems to be the source of his wisdom and youthful exuberance.

And his iconic song Dil toh baccha hai ji testifies to the enigma called Gulzar.