Neglected Poems is a collection of 60 beautiful poems weaved by the poetic pen of Gulzar. These handpicked poems will take readers through a kaleidoscope of issues, ranging from relationships to city life.
After the success of his first collection of poems, titled Selected Poems, Gulzar presents a collection of 60 more poems through his book Neglected Poems, a translated version authored by Pavan Varma.
Gulzar’s compelling writing makes readers take a look at their lives in a deeper way. Through the poems in this book, he explores major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New York. He also takes a fresh philosophical take on human relationships and the psychological impact that they have on people when they end. Gulzar also focuses on the themes of nature and day-to-day life in this collection of poems.
The translation of Gulzar’s work from Urdu to English is sure to delight people with a love for beautifully constructed verses. He is known for his trademark style and the translated version doesn’t take the sheen away from the original verses.
ग़ुलज़ार नाम से प्रसिद्ध सम्पूर्ण सिंह कालरा (जन्म-१८ अगस्त १९३६)[1] हिन्दी फिल्मों के एक प्रसिद्ध गीतकार हैं। इसके अतिरिक्त वे एक कवि, पटकथा लेखक, फ़िल्म निर्देशक तथा नाटककार हैं। उनकी रचनाए मुख्यतः हिन्दी, उर्दू तथा पंजाबी में हैं, परन्तु ब्रज भाषा, खङी बोली, मारवाड़ी और हरियाणवी में भी इन्होने रचनाये की। गुलजार को वर्ष २००२ में सहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार और वर्ष २००४ में भारत सरकार द्वारा दिया जाने वाला तीसरे सर्वोच्च नागरिक सम्मान पद्म भूषण से भी सम्मानित किया जा चुका है। वर्ष २००९ में डैनी बॉयल निर्देशित फिल्म स्लम्डाग मिलियनेयर में उनके द्वारा लिखे गीत जय हो के लिये उन्हे सर्वश्रेष्ठ गीत का ऑस्कर पुरस्कार पुरस्कार मिल चुका है। इसी गीत के लिये उन्हे ग्रैमी पुरस्कार से भी सम्मानित किया जा चुका है।
गुलज़ार का जन्म भारत के झेलम जिला पंजाब के दीना गाँव में, जो अब पाकिस्तान में है, १८ अगस्त १९३६ को हुआ था। गुलज़ार अपने पिता की दूसरी पत्नी की इकलौती संतान हैं। उनकी माँ उन्हें बचपन में ही छोङ कर चल बसीं। माँ के आँचल की छाँव और पिता का दुलार भी नहीं मिला। वह नौ भाई-बहन में चौथे नंबर पर थे। बंट्वारे के बाद उनका परिवार अमृतसर (पंजाब, भारत) आकर बस गया, वहीं गुलज़ार साहब मुंबई चले गये। वर्ली के एक गेरेज में वे बतौर मेकेनिक काम करने लगे और खाली समय में कवितायें लिखने लगे। फ़िल्म इंडस्ट्री में उन्होंने बिमल राय, हृषिकेश मुख़र्जी और हेमंत कुमार के सहायक के तौर पर काम शुरू किया। बिमल राय की फ़िल्म बंदनी के लिए गुलज़ार ने अपना पहला गीत लिखा। गुलज़ार त्रिवेणी छ्न्द के सृजक हैं।
गुलजार द्वारा लिखे गए पुस्तकों की सूची-
चौरस रात (लघु कथाएँ, 1962) जानम (कविता संग्रह, 1963) एक बूँद चाँद (कविताएँ, 1972) रावी पार (कथा संग्रह, 1997) रात, चाँद और मैं (2002) रात पश्मीने की खराशें (2003)
Sampooran Singh Kalra (Punjabi: ਸਮਪੂਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਕਾਲਰਾ, Hindi: संपूरण सिंह कालरा, Urdu: سمپورن سنگھ کالرا) known popularly by his pen name Gulzar (Punjabi: ਗੁਲਜ਼ਾਰ, Hindi: गुलज़ार, Urdu: گُلزار ), is an Indian poet, lyricist and director. He primarily writes in Hindi-Urdu and has also written in Punjabi and 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 Filmfare Awards. In 2009, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Jai Ho" in the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). 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: Pukhraj, Raat Pashminey Ki and Pandrah Paanch Pachattar. His short stories are published in Raavi-paar (also known as Dustkhat in Pakistan) and Dhuan).
How can one praise Gulzar? His imagery is a blend of the old and new, he breaks language barriers, and his verses are unconventional and familiar at the same time.
However I thought the translation by Pawan Varma was not optimal in this selection.
"काट के पेड़ ले गये कुछ लोग और साया पड़ा सिसकता रहा"
Truly neglected poems, to be honest.
I will prefer not to talk about the hiccupy ones here. They should not malign the magic his pen created otherwise.
There are pieces on war, on environmental degradation, humans' abuse of nature, love, religion, and about writing itself. Poets are often shamed saying they bury their thoughts and feelings in their poetry rather than living them. Gulzar accepts the allegations ... he writes shaming his own tendency to bury. Images are potent, and sometimes magical. I'm listing some of my favorites:-(no i don't like the english translations as much as the original ones)
- दोनों एक सड़क के आर-पार चल रहे हैं हम - बारिश होती है जब... - बग़दाद - गुजरात - दो परिनदे - मैं क़ैदी हूं - सरदार डैम - सामने वाली उस पहाड़ी पर - नौ साला फ़राज़ का कहना है... - उस कलसी का पेंदा नहीं है
This is not going to be a good review. There is no Indian person worth their salt, with a love for words, imagery, beauty, and poetry that has not heard of Gulzar. I received this book by chance. It came as part of a pay it forward book initiative - and I was open to the idea of something new. This was new.
I’d heard so much about the lyrical beauty of Gulzar’s poetry that I was assured this book was going to swim over me. It did not. It instead clanged like saucepans in a windy kitchen, insisting it be read and found profound.
Translations are always a tricky business. And Urdu as a language is throaty and deep, seductive and resonant. The English version has butchered the words of Gulzar. What I read has traces of sublimity and you can catch a whiff of what the poet intended. If you come to the table without any bias, you can call this book of verse vapid and sorely lacking in depth.
It’s true, I surprise myself as I write this review. I wonder if I have been impatient, harboured unreasonable expectations, or simply did not let myself be taken under by the intoxicant nature of poetry. But I cannot deny the abject nothingness and indifference I felt for this book. If I wish for one thing, it is to know how to read Hindi.
I love Gulzar... His movies, his writing and his thought inspire me to look out into the skies and wonder how far the human mind can fly.
This book however, was a put off. The translator could have done a better job and some of his poems were flat, without the usual Gulzar touch. Perhaps that is why the name neglected poems.
The meditation seems half sought and it feels as if the author and the translator both compiled work that had never gone off the shelf, only for the sake of bringing it off the shelf.
Inspite of all this, a Gulzar fan will find Gulzar in these poems and since he's been my ideal for a long time, I'd let this rest here.
It's always a treat (and ritual) to start each year with his books. After a while I picked up his poems.
The collection has works which are sublime and contemporary at places. (Even commentary on some burning current affairs as well). Collected (without section names) topic wise, almost, they preserve a theme and gradually takes you to the magical island of his words, nazm and misr. He takes you to mountains, makes you witness movements of planets and tells tales of loneliness.
The translations are not up to the mark. At places they are even wrong and at places some lines are even skipped to translate. Would have loved it if some pure Urdu words were translated in footnotes.
I must admit this is my first Gulzar book. Coming in with great expectations I wish I'd read the original work prior to the translation. While I am certainly grateful for the translation, it adds meaning to the work and makes it easier for me to understand, but it also took away from the beauty of the work. The translation made the poetry seem slightly comical, at certain points I truly sat there wondering why someone would write about this? What is the significance of this? Through the course of the novel, I came to appreciate the diction used by Gulzar and how much the author's choice of words adds to the text. Definitely worth a read though!
Most enduring poetry I read, after a long time. Poetry has changed so much in the recent times. It's only about heartbreaks and feminism nowadays. I love how Gulzaar Sahab talks about cities, mountains , rains, love, etc.
Pleasantly surprised by the hindi additional version in this book.
I think it's not worth the hype except few poems I don't like this collection. Maybe I'm not cut out for it. Also it was my first Gulzar's work and I had a lot of expectations for it. I didn't enjoyed reading it.
This collection features 60 of Gulzar's poems, with Varma's translations beautifully capturing the beauty and essence of the original works. I was pleasantly surprised to see a poem about the planet Pluto in the book.
मैं एक कैदी हूँ, कई पिंजरों का कैदी हूँ, मैं कई पिंजरों में रहता हूँ, मुझे कैद में रहना पसंद है, और अपनी मर्ज़ी से, अपनी अलग-अलग जेलें चुनता रहता हूँ...
This book of Gulzar ji has 60 poems. The first poem is about his daughter Meghna. There are poems written on places (Gujrat, Mumbai, Chennai etc). There are poems about rains (Monsoon Symphony, When it Rains etc). The book has a typical Gulzar ji touch and you can feel his magic as you go on reading. The translations are made in an easy language and do not affect the effect of original poems. As in “Selected poems” this book too, has the original poems in Hindi (Devnagri script) on the left and English translations on the right side. There is not a single long poem (Deergh Kavita) in this collection. The only minus point i could find was not about the type setting. The font used seems a bit small (but only if compared with the “Selected Poems”), otherwise it’s a very nice book. As far as the title concerned, I’ll share what Gulzar ji himself has said – “there are so many collections called Selected Poems; why don’t we name the collection Negelected poems instead? Pavan ji looked acutely embarrassed. He started to explain that the delay in translating the new poems was because of his change of office and designation... He hadn’t meant to neglect the poems somehow... Suddenly he saw a smile on my face and realized that i was joking.like two good friends we have stuck to the joke as far as the title of the book goes. It is now time to share the joke with everyone. Here they are then : Neglected Poems.” Here’s a poem to conclude with: Hame pedo ke poshako se itni si khabar to mil hi jati hai Ki badalne wala hai mausam..! Naye aaveje (nageene) kaano mein latakte dekh kar koyal khabar deti hai Baari aam ki aayi...!ki bas ab mausam-ae-garma shuru hoga Sabhi patte gira ke Gulmohar jab nanga ho jata hai garmi mein To jardo-surkh, sabze par chhapi, poshak ki taiyyari karta hai Pata chalta hai ki baadal ki aamad (aagman) hai
Pahado se pighalti barf behti hai dhulaane pair ‘Pine’ ke Hawayein jhaad ke patte unhe chamkane lagti hai
Magar jab rengne lagti hai insaano ki basti Hari pandandiyon ke paav jab bahar nikalte hai Samajh jaate hai saare ped, ab katne ki baari aa rahi hai Yehi bas aakhri mausam hai jeene ka, isse jee lo!!
After having attended an interactive session with Gulzar at the Bangalore International Literature festival, I was keen on reading some of his lyrics that were independent of films. I was lucky enough to find videos online where he recited some of his own poems in his captivating voice. Out of the many options I was given by online book stores, what intrigued me was a book by the name Neglected Poems.
Characteristically, the poems are not vigorously expressive. But the beauty in which common themes are narrated in the form of a poem with deep philosophical underlining and sometimes with the usage of witty metaphors, is ineffable.
The book consists of the original version in Hindi followed by an English version. Though I personally do not prefer the translated version, it extends the boundaries of cultural knowledge and helping out at times when stuck with a word or phrase. Like any other translations the translation has taken the edge off, giving the reader a feeling of having read simple anecdotes with beautiful similes and metaphors.
This collection of poems given a peculiar name "Neglected Poems" is definitely not to neglect. It contains 60 poems by Gulzar which you will absolutely love if you are fond of poems. Well, there's not much you can say about Gulzar, his name is enough to describe the depth and sensitivity of his words. When you read his poems you wonder this man seems to belong to some other planet than we live. No one, absolutely no one can see the world the way he does. Don't miss this book, it would be a crime for a poem lover to neglect these Neglected Poem. :)
I see why poems from the collection "Neglected Poems by Gulzar" are titled as 'Neglected' These poems have a certain offbeat nature. They bring forth somewhat contrast imagery to mind while reading them. Gulzar sahaab's imagination is at it's strongest in this collection. The reader has to actually read and re-read some the verses to actually interpret their meaning but its a rewarding experience once you are able to see what the poet means. Once you get it, you read that particular poem again to bask in it's beauty.
After all these poems don't deserve to be Neglected.
Gulzar’s poetry looks at the human mind and explores emotions that are so known yet unknown. How often we neglect things whose values we know yet not realize. He even looks at God from a different angle. He looks at life and observes it as it passes by; some are easy to imagine, easy to picture in our mind, and others take more time to understand. But it’s poetry, meaningful as it should be, and contemplative at best.
While reading few of the poems I was totally lost in the memories of the streets of my hometown and school friends. Each and every word came up with so real picture that all the time when i read these neglected poems (even multiple times) i was wearing a innocent smile my childhood left with me.