stats map

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Wo jo shayar tha...

There is something timeless about Gulzar. There is something in his writing that makes it so elemental, so basic, so rooted in the essence of life that it becomes impossible to restrict the meaning of his lines to a one-dimensional interpretation. Be it the universal pain and wisdom of tujhse naraaz nahin zidagi, hairaan hoon,or the happy-sad longing of chhod aaye hum wo galiyaan or the haunting Mera kuch Samaan, you are quite likely to be humming the same Gulzar song in two very different moods without finding the song not suiting the mood. Such is the man’s grip on emotions that, when he ends his poem “mujhko bhi tarqeeb sikha koi yaar julahe” with the lines “maine to ik baar buna tha ek hi rishta .. par uski saari girhein saaf nazar aati hain mere yaar julahe..” you can almost feel the pain touching you. Even after five decades of songwriting, his work is always reflection of a man who exactly knows what he wants to convey, and, I have a feeling, always smiles after finding such an appropriate expression.

Gulzar’s songs or never just a bunch of rhyming lines with some catchy, repetitive or beaten words thrown in. Every line, every word, every nuance of a dialect feels like tender strokes of a master sculptor working towards creating a greater entity without ever losing its individual significance. It’s sheer genius to be able to write songs likeBeedi and Namak from Omkara, Kallu Mama from Satya, and, I’m sure we all sang this song as kids, Lakdi ki Kaathi from Masoom.

If his songs are a treasure trove of emotions, his other creative pursuits of poetry, short stories and movies are equally poignant. Some of his movies rate among the greatest in Indian cinema. Aandhi, Angoor and Ijaazat are right up there with the greatest and the best that Hindi films have produced. In his long journey, Gulzar has shown unmatched multifaceted creative genius which has touched millions of lives worldwide. His words have been the silent lamp in long, lonely nights to some; naughty and brash youthfulness to others. From deep philosophies in simple words to funny gibberish that bring out the child in you, there is nothing that this man has not touched and, consequently, turned into gold.

It was for these and many other reasons that I decided to dedicate my first PFC post to Gulzar Sa’ab – the man who could well be the reason I got into writing. Thanks for the words Sir!


“Ik baar waqt se, lamha gira kahin..

Wahan daastaan mili, lamha kahin nahin..



3 comments:

  1. Beautiful. Gulzar sure has been around us from the childhood till now. No emotion known to man, it seems,has not been touched by him, and still it feels as if, with every song of his, he finds newer expressions of poetry.

    Wonderful post Piyush. Makes you want to play his songs and live the ups and down of life with each and every song of his.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks a ton bro! i'd recommend dil dhoondhta hai.. right now.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I sing that one song day and night these days. Office blues, what to do?

    ReplyDelete