Gulzar: Amidst dawn and dusk...

Teri aankhon ki namkeen mastiyaan,

Teri hansi ki beparwah gustaakhiyaan,

Nahin bhoolunga main

Jab tak hai jaan...

Jab tak hai jaan...

Tere haath se haath chodna,

Tera saayon ka rukh modna,

Tera palat ke phir na dekhna,

Nahin maaf karunga main,

Jab tak hai jaan...

Jab tak hai jaan...

Gulzar, a poet and a writer, is undoubtedly India’s greatest living poet since the birth of independent India. There are a few celebrated poets in India but in terms of charm and beauty, one often fells short.

Straight away from,

“Mora gora ang layle” – a girl’s unsung desire for her lover...

To, “Mera kuch samaan”- a heart-broken desire of recollecting memories of her love!!!

He has captured each and every nuance of one’s imagination and desires!!!!

He has been awarded with the prestigious Academy award and the Grammy for his epic “Jai ho!” None other Indian lyricist has even been closer to get a nomination there!!!!

“Aao na... Jhelum main beh lenge...

Waadi ke massom bhi..

Ek din to badalenge...”

This captures eternal love in the eternal abode of beauty and love- Kashmir!!

In this westernised Indian era, where “Bhaag DK Bose” and “Second hand jawaani” are the talk of the town, one man has stood still and etched to his poetry and prose is Gulzar saab!!

I have often wondered in my childhood about a poet’s vision, his ability of capturing human emotions and the kind of imagery one uses!!

“Unn aankhon ki mehakti khushboo” is a rare kind of imagery often used by Gulzar saab in his poems. He has always stuck to his kind of poetry and his poetry has been testified by the ages.

Straight away from kids, “ladki ki kaati” to adolescent love, “Humko maloom hai” to mature love, “Bol na halke halke” to dance numbers, “Kajraa re” to “Beedi jalaeile” to unrequited love, “Ae ajnabi!”, he has been the charming lyricist through all age groups!! He has words for every occasion, every emotion and every heart-break!!!!

With almost half a century years of active career, his poetry has been appreciated straight from the masses to the elite critics.

“Tere bina zindagi se shikwa” is every lovers’ delight even if it was recorded almost a few decades back.With each award in his collections, straight from the 'Filmfare' to the National Award, Sahitya Academy to the Academy and the Grammy, there is hardly anyone left who has not praised him!

I often wondered how “aap chaandni lapete the” and “surili ankhiyon waale” would mean. But since I have started understanding poetry and imagery, I have often illusions of such picturesque mystiques!!!

“Tere roop ki halki dhoop main..

Do hi pal hai jeene hain...”

It beautifies a relation beyond these worldly pleasures!!!

“Chood aayein hum wo galiyaan” and “musafir hoon yaaron” are two opposite depictions of a nomad’s journey- one symbolises a heart-broken tale of unrequited love while the other is a journey of hope!! One can only expect this from him!!! Truly majestic!!!

Recently, I read one of his books, “100 lyrics: Gulzar”. And since then, I have never stopped praising him!!! I never knew the depth of a lyric let alone of a song!!! It is straight from the heart and captures every possible emotion.

Urdu never seemed so beautiful until I acknowledged it in his words...

“Main uske roop ka shedaai,

Wo dhoop chaaoo sa harjaai..

Wo shoak hai rang badalta hain..

Main rang roop ka soodai!!!!”

I mean one would hardly understand such high notion of thoughts but who-so-ever understands it, knows that the beauty lies in its words!!!

“Wo yaar hai jo khushboo ki tarah,

Wo jiski zubaan urdu ki taraah..

Meri sham raat meri qayanaat..

Wo yaar mera saiyaan saiyaan!!!”

This sort of pleasure is only found in his poems!!!

“Ajnabi sehar” from one of his movies for which he had written lyrics, “Jaan-e-man”, is pictorially perfect imagination of a person in a new strange aura of love!!!

I can never stop humming his words or even praising him!!! He is something who inspires many dreamers and budding poets!!!

I wish I were a musician!

So that I could have made a few compositions for his words!!

Anyways, what would be a life without an impossible dream????

So, rounding up, I never wanted to end this article or even my poetic discussion, but as life says it all, every beginning has an end!!!

And we, all, are its mystics!

My all time favourite would always remain “Woh sham kuch ajeeb thi...”

Every time I hear this song, I, often, find myself lost in between love and fate!!!

He has a rare poetic sensibility which is very hard to find!!! And in the end, every poetic discussion, every imagery and every Gulzar praise is incomplete without his pinnacle poem:

“Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye..

Saanjh ki dulhaan,

Badan churaaye,

Chupke se aaye!!!!”

Straight from dawn and dusk...