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Gulzar (Wizard of words)

The melodious chords of ‘Dil dhoontta hai, Phir wohi fursat ke raat din’ fill the air and the name that automatically comes to mind is Gulzar. Aside from being a prolific writer and voracious reader, the first thing that comes to mind about Gulzar is his crisp white kurta and his golden mojris. I discovered in due time that the celebrated poet and filmmaker has been sewing the kurtas, for the last three decades, from Ashok Tailor’s in Santacruz. Gulzar was just 14 years old when he arrived in Mumbai to experience a whole new episode in his life that later turned out to be a journey of discovery.

Early life

Sampooran Singh Kalra, better known by his pseudonym Gulzar, was born on August 18, 1936 into a Sikh family of Sardar Makhan Singh Kalra and Sujaan Kaur in Dina (now in Pakistan). The family had to go through a lot of mental turmoil during the partition and eventually moved to Amristar. An avid reader of poetry and literature, Gulzar always loved meeting authors whose books he had read and this gave him immense motivation. He was absolutely clear and determined to become a poet or author. He was so inclined that he made a rubber stamp with his name on it and stamped it on a book just to get an idea of ​​what the book would look like with his name as the author. His family was of the opinion that he should become a Chartered Accountant. When his father realized his son’s ambition, he discouraged him from becoming a writer saying, “As a writer, you will have to depend on your brothers all your life.” Such caustic comments made little difference to his burning passion to pursue writing as a full-time career. One day, while traveling from Delhi to Mumbai by Frontier Mail, he got off at the Mumbai Central Railway Station. While in Mumbai, Gulzar joined Khalsa College but spent only one year there because the college did not offer Urdu and Persian literature. The following year he changed his base to National College in Bandra, which offered these two subjects much to his liking and interest. His early years in Mumbai were tough and he had to face many difficulties. He worked with Vicare Motors as a spray painter to make ends meet. Although some of his friends were connected to the film industry, writing for films was the last thing on Gulzar’s mind.

At home, Gulzar was considered the black sheep of the family. They wrote as a complete waste of time that did not give them financial stability. She was often given the example of a distant relative, a poet who was popular within her circle but never made any money and always ended up borrowing from others. Relatives had labeled him “Nikamma” and “Anpadh”. One day, when her older brother broached the same subject, Gulzar, thoroughly annoyed, replied, “There will come a day when your own children will read my books.” She moved out of her brother’s house and settled in Four Bungalows sharing a room with Debu Sen, a renowned Bengali-language journalist who worked with noted filmmaker Bimal Roy.

man of many identities

Gulzar has a reputation as a man of many identities. An extraordinary poet, accomplished filmmaker, screenwriter and dialogue writer, eminent author, and award-winning lyricist. His collaboration with Sachin Dev Burman on Bandini kick started his career as a songwriter which he continues to this day. The song Mora gora ang layee le, more shaam rang dayee de was highly appreciated and later he wrote songs for movies like Kabuliwala, Sannaata, Do Dooni Chaar, Biwi Aur Makaan, Khamoshi, Guddi, Anand. If he won awards and critical acclaim for writing dialogue for movies like Anand and Namak Haram, he also directed movies like Mere Apne, Koshish, Parichay, Mausam, Kinara, Khushboo, Angoor, Namkeen, and Ijaazat which garnered rave reviews.

His association with composer RD Burman turned out to be very fruitful. Together they created a melodious ocean and unleashed numerous scores that are appreciated to this day. Be it “Musafir hoon yaaron”, “Tere Bina Zindagi se”, “Tum Aa Gaye Ho”, “Is Mod Se Jate Hain”, “Aanewala pal”, “Tere bina jiya jaye na”, “O majhi re”, ” Bechara dil kya kare”, “Roz roz aakhon tale”, “Mera kuch samaan” or “Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi”, each one is a timeless classic that has the remarkable Gulzarish feel. Another hallmark of Gulzar’s genius is that he has effortlessly adapted to the composers and music of recent times. In the current era of social media, the pattern of music and also the grammar of songwriting has been seen to change rapidly. But Gulzar has embraced this change and created chart-topping hits like “Chaiyya chaiyya”, “Beedi jalaile”, “Kajra re”, “Jai ho” or “Dhan te nan”.

He received the Padma Bhushan in 2004 for his contribution to the arts and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002. Gulzar has won several National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards. In 2009, he won the Academy Award for “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire, which later earned him a Grammy Award. Summing up his passion for music and songwriting, the veteran says: “Music has a natural place in our lives. From the shlokas you recite at your morning puja and the milkman who comes whistling on his bike, to the fakir who sings while begging for alms and your mother humming while she did the kitchen chores. Music naturally fills our spaces. It will always be dear to us.”

don’t change my words

For this septuagenarian, whether at home or in his office, the place that remains very dear to him is his desk and his chair, surrounded by piles of books and papers. He loves to start early in the morning followed by yoga and going to play tennis at Bandra Gymkhana. Reading every day in the morning is obligatory for him as much as his cup of tea. At 10:30 he starts his day in his office. Gulzar is known to read multiple books at once and is disciplined to keep them on the shelves only after he has finished reading them.

He admits that he was unable to complete his intermediate level (class 12) due to various factors and eventually had to come to Mumbai to look for a job. Nowadays, things have changed and also the expectations of her parents. Parents need to spend more time with their children and help them understand that academic failure is not the end of the world. He is very possessive and careful about the words he uses and does not allow a single word of his lyrics to be altered. There have been several occasions where he has opted out of the project when he is not comfortable with the words he is being asked to replace or write. He firmly admits that “that’s not how I work. I never will.” In short, it is the deep thought of him that brings out the best in this Word Wizard named Gulzar.