ہم غزل میں ترا چرچا نہیں ہونے دیتے………معراج فیض آبادی

ہم غزل میں ترا چرچا نہیں ہونے دیتے

تیری یادوں کو بھی رُسوا نہیں ہونے دیتے

کچھ تو ہم خود بھی نہیں چاہتے شہرت اپنی

اور کچھ لوگ بھی ایسا نہیں ہونے دیتے

عظمتیں اپنے چراغوں کی بچانے کے لئے

ہم کسی گھر میں اُجالا نہیں ہونے دیتے

آج بھی گاؤں میں کچھ کچے مکانوں والے

گھر میں ہمسائے کے فاقہ نہیں ہونے دیتے

ذکر کرتے ہیں ترا نام نہیں لیتے ہیں

ہم سمندر کو جزیرہ نہیں ہونے دیتے

مجھ کو تھکنے نہیں دیتا یہ ضرورت کا پہاڑ

میرے بچے مجھے بوڑھا نہیں ہونے دیتے

معراج فیض آبادی

ابھی ہجر کا قیام ہے اور دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

ابھی ہجر کا قیام ہے اور دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

یہ خبر شہر میں عام ہے دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

آنگن میں اُتر آئی ہے مانوس سی خوشبو

یادوں کا اژدہام ہے ، دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

خاموشیوں کا راج ہے ،خزاں تاک میں ہے

اداسی بھی بہت عام ہے ،دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

تیرے آنے کی امید بھی ہو چکی معدوم

نئے برس کا اہتمام ہے ،دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

خُنک رت میں تنہائی بھی چوکھٹ پہ کھڑی ہے

جاڑے کی اداس شام ہے ،دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

تم آؤ تو مرے موسموں کی بھی تکمیل ہو جائے

نئے رُت تو سرِ بام ہے ، دسمبر آن پہنچا ہے

لوگ کہتے ہیں زمانے میں محبت کم ہے……..ساغر صدیقی

لوگ کہتے ہیں زمانے میں محبت کم ہے

یہ اگر سچ ہے تو اس میں حقیقت کم ہے

چند لوگوں نے اگر محل بنا رکھے ہیں

اس کا مطلب نہیں کہ شہر میں غربت کم ہے

اک ہم ہی نہ تھے جو یوں فراموش ہوئے ورنہ

بھول جانے کی اس شخص کو عادت کم ہے

کیوں نہ ہم چھوڑ چلیں شہر کی رونق ساغر

ویسے بھی اب اسے اپنی ضرورت کم ہے

Jazib Qureshi

Jazib Qureshi  (born August 3, 1940) is a prominent Urdu poet, writer and critic from Pakistan.^[1][2][3] He has written many poetry books and works of criticism

Back ground

Qureshi was born on August 3, 1940 in Luchnow, India, where he spent his childhood.^[4] When he was six, his father died. As a result he could not study further and worked hard for his living.^[4] He migrated with his family to Lahore, Pakistan, in 1950.^[4] He gained work in the press. He recommenced his studies and began writing poetry, attending literary gatherings and reading his poetry.^[4] His first literary gathering was in the Shahi Qila, chaired by famous poet Ehsan Danish.^[4]
Qureshi was helped to write poetry by Shakir Dehlavi, who belonged to Dagh Dehlavi school of thought.^[4] Qureshi moved to Karachi in 1962,^[4] he worked in different magazines and newspapers.^[4] He qualified for master degree from University of Karachi.^[4] Later he became a teacher in a college.^[4] He also made a feature film, “Pathar Kay Sanam”, but it failed to gain a public response and experienced a financial loss.^[4]

Literary career

Qureshi has written many books.^[4] His first work of literary criticism was published in 1982,^[4] and he also published poetry and prose books.^[4] He is an admiredable poet at the literary gatherings.^[4] As a poet and writer he has visited 35 cities across the United States,^[4] and he has also visited Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi several times.^[4]

Bibliography

• Takhleeqi Awaz تخلیقی آواز^[4]
• Ankh aur Charagh آنکھ اور چراغ
• Shairee aur Tehzeeb شاعری اور تہذیب
• Doosray Kinaray Tuk دوسرے کنارے تک
• Meri TehreeraiN میری تحریریں^[4]
• Mein nay Yeh Jana میں نے یہ جانا
• Pehchan پہچان
• Neend ka Reshum نیند کا ریشم
• Sheeshay ka Darakht شیشے کا درخت
• Ashoab e JaN آشوب جاں
• Ujlee AwazaiN اجلی آوازیں
• Shakasta Uks شکستہ عکس
• Shanasaii شناسائی
• Jhernay جھرنے
• AqeedataiN عقیدتیں
• Mujhay Yad Haiمجھے یاد ہے
• Naat kay Jadeed Rung نعت کے جدید رنگ
• Meri Shairee Meri Musavari میری شاعری، میری مصوری^[4].^[4]

Kishwar Naheed

Kishwar Naheed   (born 1940) is a feminist Urdu poet from Pakistan. She has written several poetry books. She has also received awards including Sitara-e-Imtiaz for her literary contribution towards Urdu literature

Early life

Naheed was born in 1940 to a Syed family in Bulandshahr, India.^[2] She migrated to Lahore, Pakistan after partition in 1949 with her family.^[3] She struggled and fought to receive education when women were not allowed to go to school. She studied at home and received a high school diploma through correspondence courses. In Pakistan she went on to obtain Master of Arts degree in Economics from Punjab University, Lahore.^[1] Kishwar married a poet Yousuf Kamran^[2] and the couple have two sons. After her husband’s death, she worked to raise her children and support the family.

Career

Naheed has served major positions in various national institutions, as director general of Pakistan National Council of the Arts. She also worked and edited a literary magazine Mahe naw. She established Hawwa organisation (Eve). The purpose of the organisation is to support those women who have not independent income, providing financially opportunities through cottage industries and selling handicrafts.^[1]

Litlerary works

Kishwar has written six collections of poems between 1969 and 1990. Her first poetry collection Lab-i goya was published in 1968, that won the Adamjee Prize of Literature. She also writes for children and for the daily Jang. Her several poems have been translated into English and Spanish.^[1]
About her poem, Poetry Translation.Org writes;

“Her famous poem We Sinful Women gave its title to a ground breaking anthology of contemporary Urdu feminist poetry translated and edited by Rukhsana Ahmad published in London by The Women’s Press in 1991″.^[1]

Awards

• Adamjee Prize of Literature on Lab-e-goya (1969)^[1]
• UNESCO Prize for Children’s Literature on Dais Dais Ki Kahanian
• Best Translation award of Columbia University
• Mandela Prize (1997)
• Sitara-e-Imtiaz (2000).^[1]

Mahmood Shaam

Mahmood Shaam  on February 5, 1940, is a Pakistani Urdu language journalist, poet writer and analyst.^[1] He is one of the best known and most travelled journalist of Pakistan. After serving Pakistan’s largest newspaper Jang Group for more than 16 years continuously as Group Editor, he has joined Ary Digital Group on 21 September 2010 to launch a new Urdu Newspaper. He has written many books on different subjects

Background

Shaam received his bachelor’s degree in English literature, Persian and Philosophy from Government College Jhang in 1962. In 1964, he obtained Master’s degree in Philosophy from Government College Lahore, a well reputed educational institute from where Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz also graduated. He was editor of the college magazine Ravi. He began his career in journlism as a student and worked for his study needs.^[3]Shaam has visited several countries during his journalistic career including United Kingdom, Singapore, Burma, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Malaysia, Switzerland, Syria, Qatar, Egypt, Italy, United Arab Emirates, India and Canada.^[4]

Career

As journalist

Shaam started his career as a journalist and he has worked for 48 years including 16 years in Jang group. He has written 20 books including poetry books in which he describes condition of the oppressed people of Pakistan. His several books were banned by the military government of Sindh in April 1978, till December 1985. He was also arrested on August 4, 1977 by Martial Law Authorities but after 90 days detention he was released in 1978.^[5]

In his journalistic life he has interviewed the national and international leaders as like Yasir Arafat, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Indira Gandhi, Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger, Tun Abdul Razak, Benazir Bhutto, Pervez Musharraf. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, G.M. Syed, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Maulana Bhashani, Mufti Mahmood, Asghar Khan and Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi.^[6]

Pakistani media states about him;

“Shaam has been in journalism for almost 50 years and is known as an author and poet and in certain circles as a progressive intellectual as well. He was considered close at one time to Pakistan Peoples Party leaders, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, and was also jailed briefly during the martial law of General Ziaul Haq and saw his own weekly Mayaar (Standard) banned for some time under martial law regulations”.^[5]

Designations

He has worked as;^[6]

Assistant Editor “Qindeel” Lahore, (1962 – 1964)

Magazine Editor Daily “Nawa-i-Waqt” Lahore, (1965 – 1967)

Editor Weekly “Akhbar-e-Jahan” Karachi, (1967 – 1970) and (1972 – 1975)

Special Correspondent for Sindh for Daily “Musawat” Lahore, (Jul 1970 – Apr 1972)

Editor/Publisher: Weekly “Mayar” Karachi, (Apr 1976 – 1978) & (1980 – 1994)

Bibliography

Poetry

• Cardio Spasm (A Long Poem) 1969^[6]
• Akhri Raqs (Last Dance) 1971^[6]
• Chehra Chehra Meri Kahani (My Story on Every Face) 1975^[6]
• Nawishta-e-Dewar (Writings on Wall) 1980^[6]
• Qurbanion Ka Mausam (The Season of Sacrifices) 1991^[6]
• Mohallon Mein Sarhadein (Frontiers within Streets) 1999^[6]
• Ayyan Ayyan Yo Yo, Urdu poems for children^[6]

Other books

• Roo ba Roo (Face to Face)^[6]
• Larkana Se Peking (Larkana to Peking ) 1972^[6]
• Larkana to Peking 1973^[6]
• Kitna Qareeb Kitna Door (So Near So Far) 1974, A travelogue^[6]
• Bhutto Key Akhri Ayyam (The Last Days of Bhutto) 1979^[6]
• Nai Awazen (New Voices) 1987, Interview with emerging leaders^[6]
• Benazir Bhutto – The Way Out 1988^[6]
• Benazir Bhutto – Ek Hi Rasta 1988^[6]
• Bartania Mein Khizaan (The English Autumn) 1992, Travelogue^[6]
• Taqdeer Badalti Taqreerain (Speeches that Changed Destiny) 1993^[6]
• Khawateen-o-Hazraat (Ladies and Gentlemen) 1998^[6]
• Shab-ba-Kher (Good Night) 1999, A political novel^[6]
• Roo ba Roo (Face to Face), New Edition – Interviews from 1967 to 1977^[6]
• One to One, Interviews from 1977 to 2002^[6]
• Bharat Mein Black List (Black Listed in India)^[6]
• Amrica Kia Soch Raha Hai (Urdu), American visit after 9/11^[6]
• Visiting American Mind – English Version^[6]
• Mumlikat Aey Mumlikat 2007^[6]
• Pakistan Per Qurban, The day with Benazir Bhutto (1970 to 2007)^[6]

Website

He has a website^[6] of his own, which updates about his works.^[2]

جگہ جی لگانے کی دنیا نہیں ہے

 

جگہ جی لگانے کی دنیا نہیں ہے
یہ عبرت کی جا ہے تماشہ نہیں ہے
جہاں میں ہیں عبرت کے ہر سُو نمونے
مگر تجھ کو اندھا کیا رنگ و بُو نے
کبھی غور سے بھی دیکھا ہے تو نے…
جو معمور تھے وہ محل اب ہیں سُونے
ملے خاک میں اہلِ شاں کیسے کیسے
مکیں ہو گٔیٔے لا مکاں کیسے کیسے
ھؤے ناموَر بے نشاں کیسے کیسے
زمیں کھا گٔیٔ نوجواں کیسے کیسے
اجل نے نہ کسریٰ ہی چھوڑا نہ دارا
اسی پہ سکندر فاتح بھی ہارا
ہر ایک چھوڑ کے کیا حسرت سدھارا
پڑا رہ گیا سب یہیں کھاٹ سارا
تجھے پہلے بچپن میں برسوں کھلایا
جوانی میں پھر تجھ کو مجنوں بنایا
بڑھاپے نے پھر آ کے کیا کیا ستایا
اجل تیرا کر دے گی بالکل صفایا
یہی تجھ کو دھُن ہے رہُوں سب سے بالا
ہو زینت نرالی ہو فیشن نرالا
جیا کرتا ہے کیا یونہی مرنے والا؟
تجھے حسنِ ظاہر نے دھوکے میں ڈالا
وُہ ہے عیش و عشرت کا کؤی محل بھی؟
جہاں ساتھ میں کھڑی ہو اجل بھی
بس اب اس جہالت سے تُو نکل بھی
یہ طرزِ معیشت اب اپنا بدل بھی
یہ دنیأے فانی ہے محبوب تجھ کو
ہؤی واہ کیا چیز مرغوب تجھ کو
نہی عقل اتنی بھی مجزوب تجھ کو
سمجھ لینا چاہیے اب خوب تجھ کو
بڑھاپے میں پا کے پیامِ قضا بھی
نہ چونکا نہ چیتا نہ سمبھلا ذرا بھی
کؤی تیری غفلت کی ہے انتہا بھی؟
جنون چھوڑ کر اپنے ہوش آ بھی
جب اِس بزم سے دوست چل دیے اکثر
اور اُٹھے چلے جا رہے ہیں برابر
ہر وقت پیشِ نظر ہے یہ منظر
یہاں پر تِرا دل بہلتا ہے کیونکر
جہاں میں کہیں شورِ ماتم بپا ہے
کہیں فِکر و فاقہ سے آہ و بکا ہے
کہیں شکوہ جور و مکر و دغا ہے
ہر ہر طرف سے بس یہی صدا ہے
جگہ جی لگانے کی دنیا
یہ عبرت کی جا ہے تماشہ نہیں

 

Obaidullah Aleem

Obaidullah Aleem was a modern poet of Urdu language. He is ranked among the best Ghazal writers of modern times. He was born in 1939 in Bhopal, India. His father lived in Sialkot and was from the Butt family. He received an MA in Urdu from the University of Karachi. He began work as a radio producer, and then as producer for Karachi Television in 1967. He first married to Nigar Yasmin in 1970 and in late 1990s he married to Tehseen Fatima. In 1974 his first book of poetry Chand chehra sitara ankhhen was published. In 1978, he was forced to resign from his job following an edict issued against him in relation to him being an Ahmadi, a member of Ahmadiyyah Muslim Community. His book of poetry received the highest award in literature in Pakistan, the Adamji Prize. He wrote an article ‘Khurshid missal shakhs’ in memory of Khalifatul Maish III in 1982. His second collection of poetry Viran saray ka diya was published in 1986. He came to England in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996 and in 1997. In March of this year^{[clarification needed]} he suffered a severe heart attack in Punjab and was treated in Fazl-e-Omar Hospital for a few days. He returned to his residence at Nazimabad no 4, in Karachi, in comparatively good health. Aleem died from heart failure, following a second heart attack.

Nida Fazli

Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli popularly known as Nida Fazli   (born 12 October 1938) is an Indian Urdu poet

Early life

Nida Fazli was born in Delhi, India into a Kashmiri family and attended school in Gwalior. His father was an Urdu poet. During the partition of India, his parents migrated to Pakistan, but Fazli decided to stay in India.^{[citation needed]}

Career

While still young, Fazli was passing by a Hindu temple where a bhajan singer was singing a composition of Surdas about Radha sharing her sorrow with her maids at being separated from her beloved Krishna. The poetic beauty of the Pad, relating to the close rapport and bonding between human beings, inspired Nida to begin writing poems.^{[citation needed]}

During that period, he felt that there were limitations in Urdu poetry. He absorbed the essence of Mir and Ghalib to express what he intended. He was fascinated by the lyrical mood of Meera and Kabir and widened his knowledge of poetry by studying T.S. Eliot, Gogol, Anton Chekhov and Takasaki.

Bollywood

He moved to Mumbai in search of a job in 1964. In the early days of his career, he wrote in Dharmayug and Blitz dialects. His poetic style attracted the notice of filmmakers and writers of Hindi and Urdu literature. He was often invited to Mushairas, the prestigious recitation sessions of one’s own poetry.

He became known among readers and ghazal singers for his elegant presentation and exclusive use of colloquial language for ghazals, dohaas and nazms, while avoiding ornate Persian imagery and compound words to simplify his poetry. He wrote the famous couplet: ‘Duniya jise kehte hain jaadu kaa Khilona hai Mil jaaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai’. Some of his famous film songs include Aa bhi jaa (Sur), Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein (Aap To Aise Na The) and Hosh waalon ko khabar Kya (Sarfarosh).

Career

He wrote essays critical of contemporary poets of the sixties in his book Mulaqatein which outraged poets including Sahir Ludhianvi, Ali Sardar Jafri and Kaifi Azmi. As a result, he was boycotted in some poetic sessions.

His career improved when Kamal Amrohi, a filmmaker, approached him. The original songwriter Jan Nisar Akhtar working on the film Razia Sultan (1983) had died before completing the project. Nida wrote the final two songs and attracted other Hindi filmmakers^{[citation needed]}.

His celebrated lyrics were also used in Aap to aise na the, Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996) and Gudiya.

He wrote the title song of TV serials like “Sailaab”, “Neem ka Ped“, “Jaane Kya Baat Hui” and “Jyoti“. The composition “Koi Akelaa Kahaan” is another popular composition sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy. His ghazals and other compositions are sung by notable artists of the day. He teamed up with Jagjit Singh in 1994 to bring an album named Insight, which got appreciation for its soulful poetry and music.

He recently wrote columns for BBC Hindi website on various contemporary issues and literature.^[3]

Mirza Ghalib‘s works often get mentioned by him.^[4]

Style

“Hum laboN se keh naa paaye, unse haal-e-dil kabhi,

Aur wo samjhe nahiN, ye khamoshi kya cheez hai”

My lips were never able to express the state of my heart,

And she failed to understand what my silence meant.

– Nida Fazli : Film Sarfarosh

Nida Fazli is a poet of various moods and to him the creative sentiment and inner urge are the sources of poetry. He thinks that the feeling of a poet is similar to an artist: like a painter or a musician.^{[citation needed]} In contrast he found lyric writing a mechanical job as he had to fulfil the demands of the script and the director. Later he accepted the practical necessity of money which comes from lyric writing and helps one to ponder on creative work.^{[citation needed]}

He published his first collection of Urdu poetry in 1969.^{[citation needed]} Childhood imagery persistently reflects in his poetry as elements of nostalgia. Primary themes which run through his poetry are contradictions in life, the search for purpose, nuances of human relationships, differences between practice and preaching, and the groping for that which is lost.^{[citation needed]}

Contribution towards communal harmony

Nida Fazli disagrees with the partition of India and has spoken out against the communal riots, politicians and fundamentalism.^{[citation needed]} During the riots of December 1992 he had to take shelter in his friend’s house due to security concerns.^{[citation needed]}

He has been honoured with the National Harmony Award for writing on communal harmony.^{[citation needed]} He has 24 books to his credit in Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati— some of which are assigned as school textbooks in Maharashtra. He received the Mir Taqi Mir award for his autobiographical novel Deewaron Ke Bich^{[citation needed]} from the Government of M.P.^{[clarification needed]} His best known works are: Mor Naach, Ham Qadam, and Safar Me Dhoop To Hogi.^{[citation needed]}

List of works

Poetry collection

• Lafzon ke phool
• Mor Naach
• Aankh aur Khwab ke Darmiyaan
• Safar mein dhoop to hogi
• khoya hua sa kuch
• Duniya ek khilona hai

Award

• 1998 Sahitya Akademi award
• 2003 Star Screen Award for Best Lyricist for Sur
• 2003 Bollywood Movie Award – Best Lyricist for Aa Bhi Ja from Sur
• 2013 Padma Shri; the Government of India.^[5]

Filmography

Nida Fazli worked as lyricist for

• Razia Sultan (film)
• Tamanna-”Ghar se masjid hai”
• Sur-The melody of life
• Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin
• Aap To Aise Na The
• Yatra (movie)
• Sarfarosh hosh walon ko khabar kya be-khudi kya cheez hai..
• Sur (Aa bhee jaa, ai subha aa bhee jaa).^[1][2]

Gulzar

Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known popularly by his pen name Gulzar, is an Indian poet, lyricist and director.^[1] He primarily writes in Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) and Punjabi; besides several dialects of Hindi such as Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Haryanvi and Marwari. Gulzar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2004 for his contribution to the arts and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002. He has won a number of National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards. At the 81st Academy Awards, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Jai Ho” (shared with A.R.Rahman), for the film Slumdog Millionaire. On 31 January 2010, the same song won him a Grammy Award in the category of Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

 

Gulzar’s poetry is partly published in three compilations: Chand Pukhraaj Ka, Raat Pashminey Ki and Pandrah Paanch Pachattar (15-05-75). His short stories are published in Raavi-paar (also known as Dustkhat in Pakistan) and Dhuan (smoke). As a lyricist, Gulzar is best known for his association with the music directors Rahul Dev Burman, A. R. Rahman and Vishal Bhardwaj. He has also worked with other leading Bollywood music directors including Sachin Dev Burman, Salil Chowdhury, Shankar Jaikishan, Hemant Kumar, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, Rajesh Roshan, Anu Malik, and Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. Along with lyrics, he has also contributed in many films as script, story and dialogue writer. Films directed by him have also won numerous awards and have been critically acclaimed. He also had worked on small screen by creating series Mirza Ghalib and Tahreer Munshi Premchand ki among others. He wrote lyrics for several Doordarshan serials including Hello Zindagi, Potli Baba ki and Jungle Book.

Early life

Gulzar was born in a Kalra Arora Sikh family, to Makhan Singh Kalra and Sujan Kaur, in Dina, Jhelum District, British India, in what is now Pakistan. Before becoming an established writer, Sampooran worked in Mumbai as a car mechanic in a garage.^[2] His father rebuked him from becoming a writer saying “As a writer you will have to depend on your brothers”.^[3] He took the pen name Gulzar Deenvi after becoming an author.

Career

Gulzar is best known in India as a lyricist for songs that form an integral part of Bollywood. He began his career under the directors Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His book Ravi Paar has a narrative of Bimal Roy and the agony of creation. Gulzar started his career as a songwriter with the music director Sachin Dev Burman for the movie Bandini (1963).^[4] Shailendra who has penned rest of the songs of the movie urged Gulzar to write the song “Mora Gora Ang Layle”. This was picturised on Nutan. Gulzar’s most successful songs as a lyricist came out from his association with Sachin Dev Burman‘s son Rahul Dev Burman, whom he described as the anchor in his life.^[5]Gulzar has had award-winning associations with the music directors Salil Chowdhury (Anand, Mere Apne), Madan Mohan (Mausam) and more recently with Vishal Bhardwaj (Maachis, Omkara, Kaminey), A. R. Rahman (Dil Se.., Guru, Slumdog Millionaire, Raavan) and Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy (Bunty aur Babli).

 

Gulzar was a song writer or dialogue writer for several Doordarshan programmes for kids such as Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Guchche and Potli Baba Ki with Vishal Bhardwaj. He has more recently written and narrated for the children’s audiobook series Karadi Tales.^[6] For the peace campaign (Aman ki Asha) jointly started by India’s and Pakistan’s leading media houses, he wrote the anthem “Nazar Main Rehte Ho”, which was recorded by Shankar Mahadevan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.^[7]Gulzar has written ghazals for Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh’s albumbs “Marasim” and “Koi Baat Chale”. Both these albums were a great success.

As director

After writing dialogues and screenplay for films like Aashirwad, Anand, Khamoshi and more, Gulzar directed his first film Mere Apne(1971). The film was a remake of Tapan Sinha‘s Bengali film Apanjan(1969). Meena Kumari played the lead role of Anandi Devi, an old widow caught in between the local fights of unemployed & tormented youngsters. Anandi Devi’s death in one of the fights makes them realize the futility of violence. The film was rated “Above Average” at the Box Office.^[8] He then directed Parichay and Koshish. Parichay was based on a Bengali novel, Rangeen Uttarain by Raj Kumar Maitra^[9] and inspired from the Hollywood film The Sound of Music. Written by Gulzar, Koshish told a story full of struggle of a deaf-dumb couple. Sanjeev Kumar won National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in it.^[10] Year 1973 saw his another directorial venture named Achanak. Inspired by the real-life sensational 1958 murder case KM Nanavati v State of Maharashtra,^[11] the story writer K.A. Abbas earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Story.

 

Gulzar’s Aandhi, based on the Hindi novel “Kaali Aandhi” by Kamleshwar, told a story of a couple separated against the backdrop of politics. Along with various wins and nominations, the film also won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. Although believed to be based on the life of Ex-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the film was based on life of Tarkeshwari Sinha.^[12] However in the 1975’s emergency, the film was banned from theatres.^[9] Inspired from Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay‘s Pandit Mashay was his next film Khushboo. Mausam that won National Award for 2nd Best Feature Film,^[13] Filmfare Best Movie and Filmfare Best Director awards, along with other six Filmfare nominations was loosely based on the story “Weather”, from the novel, The Judas Tree, by A.J. Cronin. Sharmila Tagore for her roles of Chanda and Kajli received The Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd National Film Festival. In his 1982’s film Angoor, Gulzar took the story of Shakespeare‘s play The Comedy of Errors.

 

None of the Gulzar’s film were “Blockbuster Hits” on the Indian Box Office. His films told stories of human relationships entangled in social issues. Libaas was a story of extra-marital affair of an urban couple. Due to its objectionable subject the film never got released in India.^[14] Mausam pictured a story of a father who tries to improve the life of his prostitute-daughter. In Maachis, a young Punjabi boy pick up to terrorism to fight the situations only to realize its temporary nature. Hu Tu Tu dealt with corruption in India and how a man decides to fight it.^[15]Gulzar uses “flashback” in the narration of his stories very effectively (Aandhi, Mausam, Ijaazat, Machis, Hu Tu Tu). He also has mutual partnerships with various actors and other crew. The Gulzar – Sanjeev Kumar partnership resulted in few fine films (Koshish, Aandhi, Mausam, Angoor, Namkeen) which represent Sanjeev Kumar’s finest work as an actor.^[16] Actors like Jeetendra (Parichay, Khushboo, Kinara), Vinod Khanna (Achanak, Meera, Lekin) and Hema Malini (Khushboo, Kinara, Meera) worked with Gulzar to gain respectability as artists and delivered some of their best and most introspective work in films.^[16] With his situational lyrics and quality music composed by various famous Bollywood musicians in Gulzar’s films, his songs have always been the key point. R D Burman composed songs for almost all the movies directed by him in the 1970s and the 1980s (Parichay, Khushboo, Aandhi, Angoor, Ijaazat, Libaas). Many of their popular songs were sung by Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. These include “Musafir Hoon Yaron” (Parichay), “Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi” (Aandhi), and “Mera Kuch Samaan” (Ijaazat). Gulzar says,

“Music has a natural place in our lives. Right from the shloka you recite in your morning puja and the milkman who comes whistling on his cycle, to the fakir singing as he begs for alms and your mother humming around the kitchen…Music fills our spaces naturally. It will always be dear to us.” ^[16]

Although an Urdu writer, Gulzar’s directorial venture shows inspiration from various Bengali writers. In 1988, he directed an eponymous television serial Mirza Ghalib starring Naseeruddin Shah, shown on Indian television channel Doordarshan. About the serial he says,

“…My TV serial on poet `Ghalib’ was based on history, though the earlier movie version treated him as a myth.”^[12]

As Poet

Gulzar has vast knowledge of Urdu Poetry. He is creator of a new type of stanza named as Triveni. Few examples of which are,
01-

“… ज़मीं भी उसकी,ज़मी की नेमतें उसकी,

ये सब उसी का है,घर भी,ये घर के बंदे भी,

खुदा से कहिये,कभी वो भी अपने घर आयें!”

02-

“…मां ने जिस चांद सी दुल्हन की दुआ दी थी मुझे,

आज की रात वह फ़ुटपाथ से देखा मैंने,

रात भर रोटी नज़र आया है वो चांद मुझे!”