“Jaadon ki narm dhoop aur aangan mein let kar
Aankhon pe kheench kar tere daaman ke saaye ko
Aundhe pade rahen kabhi karwat liye huye!” (Listen)
Can life be any more beautiful? More beautiful than Gulzar saab’s words? I really don’t remember when Gulzar saab entered my life. Growing up in a household which loved music and Bollywood, I had a dose of beautiful songs very early on in life…Kishore da, Rafi ji, Asha ji… the melodious voices filled the days and nights. I was always surrounded by them and my friends would often wonder at my choice of songs.
But the earliest recollection I have of a ‘Gulzar’ song is ‘Aane wala pal’ (Listen) Once upon a time, it was my dad’s and my favourite song. Since then, there’s always been a Gulzar song on my favourites list. I didn’t realize until later that I loved these songs for the lyrics. Gulzar Saab connected me to the lyrics of a song in a way that has lasted forever. Even today, I listen to the words first, the music later.
The magic of his poetry is that it captures life, in its minutest and most intricate detail. The mundane feels beautiful in his words. The simple emotions we normally shove into the corners (Corners) of our minds resurface on listening to his songs. The innocence of childhood, the dreamy ideas about friendship, the bittersweet romanticism of young adulthood, the ‘ruthna-manana’, the sad, yet hopeful heartbreaks – every emotion on this roller-coaster ride is etched in memory with a song by Gulzar.
“Aap ki aankhon mein kuch mehke huye se raaz hain, aapse bhi khoobsurat aapke andaaz hai” (Listen) – you can woo me with this song any day!
“Mera kuch saamaan tumhari paas pada hai” (Listen) reminds me of a breakup I saw from close quarters.
And much later, when life and responsibilities happened, he was there too –
“Jeene ke liye socha hi nahi dard sambhalne honge, muskuraye to muskurane ke karz utarne honge” (Listen)
But if you think, Gulzar saab is all about serious, real-life poetry and shayari, you are wrong. Look at ‘Jiya jale’, ‘Dil to baccha hai ji’, ‘Kajra re’, ‘Bidi jalai le’ (yes! this one is Gulzar’s too), and we are forced to wonder, “are these written by the same person?” He never ceases to amaze!
I don’t claim to be an expert on Gulzar saab’s songs, nor do I claim to understand every bit of them. But, when it comes to love, I can’t help writing about him. And his songs are the one true love of my life… Oh, did you think I forgot mentioning his non-filmi poetry? No, that’s a story for another time.
Till then enjoy this –
“Adatan tumane kar diye waade
Adatan hamane aitabaar kiya
Teri raahon men baaraha rukakar
Hamane apana hi intazaar kiya
Ab na maangenge zindagi ya rab
Ye gunaah hamane ek baar kiya”
Happy listening! By the way, do you have a favourite song memory too? Share it with us!
