Silences

by गुलज़ार, Rina Singh (Translator)

Translation of selected poems of Gulzar. Translated by Rina Singh.

Genres: Poetry, Love

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

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).

Reviews

[Rahul Rajendran · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read in poetry. . Didn't disappoint me really. But they're a translation of Urdu poems. Don't know how his actual poems would be, but I did fall in love with the English version by Rina Singh. A total of 76 poems, all a tribute to various aspects (or figments) that exist. The most favorite poem that I loved, ends like this. .

"This body,
my soul mistook
for a flute
It slipped in
maybe
to find a note"

It says about the soul locked inside the chaos of skeleton. .
Some seemed to be confusing me, maybe I'm blind to see what Gulzar saw. Many made me think,"How could he even think like this!" In the end, the book has encouraged me to read more from this genre. .

[Samiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and reread these poems so many times, each time finding new meanings for so many of them. It would be hard to describe why these poems are so beautiful, because the beauty is so layered - sometime with melancholy, sometimes with love, sometimes with the colour of emotions that bleed through human beings and sometimes with the darkness of inhumanity.

This is not an easy book to find, and if you do, hold on to it like I do.

[Versha · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I rate poetry? It is always through intense feeling a poem is formed, so every poem is special in its own way whether it rhymes or not it has its own deeper meaning attached. So this is neither my rating nor review it’s just a view or emotions that I felt when I was reading. This collection of Gulzar poetry is a translation but never once I felt it was written in any other language. If the translation was this beautiful I wonder how it would feel if I read it in its original language.
This collection of poetry has touched all aspects of life; love, grief, desire, death, evening, burden and so on. From comparing a day to an empty box and night to wood, from creating a poem on poem to a poem on the life story of Vincent Van Gogh (my favourite), every verse, I felt was talking to me, telling me what is in my heart it’s all here in these verses in this book. No other book could've been better than this to start my year. Beautiful just beautiful.

[Sritama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulzar Saab never disappoints with his words and intricacies woven in them. His poems are more than just words written together that rhyme, they're much deeper. One of the best Urdu poets in the Indian subcontinent, no less than a legend whose words will continue to echo in the decades to come, or maybe even centuries. His books can't be read in the conventional way of a chapter by chapter order. You suddenly get the urge to open a book and a certain page, and it's a never-ending process. You get sucked into the world of Gulzar deeper and deeper.

[Dechen Yoesel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the collection.

[Abhidev H M · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now you are here
Now you are not.
Remember not to disfigure
the face of death
with any wrinkle of life."

[Suraj Dhakal]

Gulzar uses metaphors from nature and that's amazing.

[Rajat TWIT · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words have failed
The emotions have won;
Sometimes,
Just few of the times
Such visceral poems,
Makes your thinking rational;
Because to remain sane in this world,
You have to become insane,
Or a poet…..

This is an excellent collection of Gulzar’s poem translated in English. The choice of poems are excellent and the translation is amazing. Read on, to breath the words of this master of emotions called as Gulzar!

[Dhaval · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are only 4 stars because its a translation, and I feel the some part of soul is lost in translation. I prefer the Hindi-Urdu version.

Apart from that as always I bow down to Gulzar sahab. His metaphors and imagination tinged at times with realism and at times with surrealism, are beyond serene.

[Prahlad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess it's quite a challenge to translate a poem without losing the soul/essence, particularly for Urdu poems. Perhaps that's the reason why most of the translations in this book didn't work for me. Nevertheless, my fondness/respect for Gulzar/his compositions remains intact.

[Purnima · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anybody who enjoys poetry or who is a fan of Gulzar!

Silence speaks deafeningly loud. This speaks volumes of silences.

[Saimaliranjha]

Great