A four-day theatre festival “Mera Kuch Samaasn”, followed by poetry readings and a question-answer session brought Delhi audiences closer to the lyricist-poet
So much is known about poet-lyricist-director Gulzarsaab, that a journalist interpreting him at 75 years, must first wade through an intimidating terrain of familiarity. Where must you look for the lesser known aspects of his blazing talent and come out with what was possibly overlooked by the hundreds who have reported and written about him?
Then you notice, yet again, his spotless white kurta pyjama, and realise suddenly there is something strongly symbolic in its starched crispness and the way it naturally crinkles here and there. Never has his pen taken an arbitrary route; never has he been apologetic about anything either. He rues that the world knows him only for his work with Hindi cinema, but it may be time for him to rethink this half a grouse. His nuances have begun to define him. Those crinkles in his crisp kurtas are like layered nuances in his poetry — silts of longing on the one hand laced with irony on the other.
Which is why whenever Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar comes back home to Delhi, and makes a statement like “my life experiences are not enough, I still need to learn from others’ experiences to evolve more,” the city smiles and wonders.
Rightly so. His lyricism remains unrestrained and shows no signs of tiring. Beedi jalaile of Omkara or Jai Ho of Slumdog Millionaire or his poetry compilations — Raat pashmine ki and Pukhraaj, he stuns the listener, the reader. In conversation with theatre director Salim Arif at Kamani Auditorium on Saturday, Gulzar gave another example of his indulgence in learning as he recited his “Hindustani” (he chooses not to call it Urdu) translations of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry. The event titled “Mera Kuch Samaan — Celebrating Gulzar” was created around his 75th birthday and was an apt conclusion of a four-day theatre festival organised by Arif. The festival opened on Wedneday with Gulzar’s lesser-known play titled Atthanniyaan— the poet’s take on poverty in Mumbai slums, which was followed by Lakeerein on the second day. Lakeerein is the story of a wireless operator with the Indian Army who is posted at the lone outpost in Jaisalmer. The third play, staged on Friday, was Kharashein, which is based on four poems and 25 short stories by the poet on riots in the country.
So much is known about poet-lyricist-director Gulzarsaab, that a journalist interpreting him at 75 years, must first wade through an intimidating terrain of familiarity. Where must you look for the lesser known aspects of his blazing talent and come out with what was possibly overlooked by the hundreds who have reported and written about him?
Then you notice, yet again, his spotless white kurta pyjama, and realise suddenly there is something strongly symbolic in its starched crispness and the way it naturally crinkles here and there. Never has his pen taken an arbitrary route; never has he been apologetic about anything either. He rues that the world knows him only for his work with Hindi cinema, but it may be time for him to rethink this half a grouse. His nuances have begun to define him. Those crinkles in his crisp kurtas are like layered nuances in his poetry — silts of longing on the one hand laced with irony on the other.
Which is why whenever Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar comes back home to Delhi, and makes a statement like “my life experiences are not enough, I still need to learn from others’ experiences to evolve more,” the city smiles and wonders.
Rightly so. His lyricism remains unrestrained and shows no signs of tiring. Beedi jalaile of Omkara or Jai Ho of Slumdog Millionaire or his poetry compilations — Raat pashmine ki and Pukhraaj, he stuns the listener, the reader. In conversation with theatre director Salim Arif at Kamani Auditorium on Saturday, Gulzar gave another example of his indulgence in learning as he recited his “Hindustani” (he chooses not to call it Urdu) translations of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry. The event titled “Mera Kuch Samaan — Celebrating Gulzar” was created around his 75th birthday and was an apt conclusion of a four-day theatre festival organised by Arif. The festival opened on Wedneday with Gulzar’s lesser-known play titled Atthanniyaan— the poet’s take on poverty in Mumbai slums, which was followed by Lakeerein on the second day. Lakeerein is the story of a wireless operator with the Indian Army who is posted at the lone outpost in Jaisalmer. The third play, staged on Friday, was Kharashein, which is based on four poems and 25 short stories by the poet on riots in the country.
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