3 Lessons from Gulzarsaab!
Rashmi Shetty
Coach CXOs & Senior Leaders Globally to enhance their VOICE & Vocal Presence | Vice Chairperson at ICF Foundation| Facilitate leadership programs/Podcaster
“We all write to become popular and want to be taken seriously. But there are times when the author himself is left behind and his work goes beyond him. For example, when I heard students in. School singing Gulzar Saab’s song “Humko Man ki Shakti dena,” I asked them if they knew who had written the words. They said it was not a song, but a traditional prayer. The school children did not even know that it was Gulzar who had written the song the sang every da. Gulzar’s work has a life beyond him.” When eminent Hindi Poet Kedarnath Singhji said these words Gulzar Saab shares how humbled he was by this compliment in an interview.
One of the most prolific poet, film director, screenplay writer, author, translator of countless poems & books. Politics, Patriotism, romance, philosophy, name the emotion he has written a song for it. Conversational songs too. Simplicity is his hallmark? Today is his 90th Birthday. What a life he has lead! How lightly he takes himself! His interviews even now are humorous & simple. The imagery the lyrics and poetry evoke is an experience by itself.
It is not often that you are confused to choose a favourite song of a lyricist. With Gulzar Saab you are. What richness!? There are many aspects to understand what makes him so relevant.
Over 65 years of craft that make him so interesting to know. There is so much in him still & the simplicity with which he plays with words is a dream. Winner of Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, National Awards, Jnanpith Award, Sahitya Academy, 22 Filmfare awards, a Grammy , and an Oscar, Gulzarsaab is still fresh at 90!
?There are 3 important lessons he taught me when I look back on his career.
Adaptability: When he started assisting Bimal Roy, he knew as a lyricist , his chances were bleak as the industry thrived with amazing poets & lyricists. So he soon became a dialogue & screenplay writer. Had movies like Aashirwad Anand & Guddi in his kitty. Then moved on to direction in 1972 with Mere Apne. With Koshish in the same year and the National award for both him & Sanjeev Kumar,? Gulzar was here to stay. Aandhi and Angoor followed. His quick witted dialogues and story telling won him a loyal fan base.? The rest like they say is history.
Simplicity was his bottom line. Though fluent with Urdu , he always kept his lyrics simple if it was a requirement. He was also clear in expression. His characters were real and believable. You could identify his characters around us. I still remember how much Koshish stayed with me for years after I saw the film. The way Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan acted , there was no need for dialogues. It was an unforgettable experience.The subtlety of Suchitra sen’s words and expressions, make Aandhi an all time classic. The comic timing in Angoor is too good. Sanjeev Kumar & Devan Varma? were spot on! What amazing films!
When in?Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa toh nahin?Lataji?sings?"Jee main aata hai teri daaman mein sarr chupa ke hum rote rahen," its such a vivid description so beautifully penned!
Staying relevant? was his challenge and he could do it with his command over words. From Mora Gora Ang to Badte Chalo In Sam Bahadur, the beauty of Gulzar Saab is his command over language. Urdu , Hindi and Awadhi, Gulzar Saab knew his vocabulary as much as the folksy “Beedi jalaile” or “Kajra re”.His ability to mould himself to the ask of the scenario made him relevant and kept him fresh as he not only came up with amazing expressions but made them sound good as well. Loved it when he explained in an interview, “Lyrics are not read but heard and seen in a film. If you’re reading a poem, you can underline a word you don’t understand, but when you see the song on the screen or hear it playing, there is nothing you can do.”
Talking about Lekin, Lata Mangeshkar had shared this in an interview.
"I had produced the film and my brother (Hridaynath Mangeshkar) had composed the music. Gulzarsaab?directed the beautiful ghost story and wrote the lyrics. I love every song in the film.?Yaara sili sili?became very popular.Main Ek Sadi Se Baithi Hoon?is a song filled with pain and longing.?Jaise koi kitne sadiyon se dard mehsoos karr raha hai.?It describes the pain of?intezaar?with such exceptional clarity. Gulzarsaab's?words are lucid and singing them is like painting a picture."
Some of my all time favourite Gulzar songs are:
Aane wala pal, Humko man ki shakthi dena, Naam gum Jaayega, Tujhse Naraaz nahi, Humne dekhi hai un Aankon ki, Ruke Ruke se qadam, Dil to Baccha hai, Chaiyya Chaiyya, Tere bina, Musafir hoon yaaron….and the list just goes on.
Would love to know your list this Sunday.
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“I might not have vision, but I have a vision to be a hardworking Civil Servant”.
Beno Zephine -India's first visually challenged Foreign Service Officer and podcast guest on this Independence Day special on the 159th episode of the Human Library Audio Podcast "U n' I with Rashmi Shetty."
Beno Zephine N.L, IFS is Under Secretary Policy Planning and Research, Ministry of External affairs.Beno received the “First Women’s Award” from the hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in January 2018 for becoming India’s first visually challenged Foreign Service Officer. She secured 343rd rank in the all-India Civil Services Examination 2014. She was instrumental in bringing out MEA’s Annual Report 2019-2020 in Audio format for the benefit of public.
She excelled in learning French language, as part of her compulsoryForeign Language. At the Higher Secondary level, Beno attended GlobalYoung Leaders conference in the US in 2008. She had Secured first place in the Secondary level Examinations, at the state level, among Visually Challenged Category.She was instrumental in making the Government of Tamil Nadu pass a Government Order for honouring visually challenged students who secured the first 3 ranks in the Board examinations at the state level.
She is the recipient of several awards like Woman of the Year Award by Deccan Chronicle and best Woman by Ritz Magazine. Google has published her quote, “We are too precious to let disappointments enter our minds” as part of its Google doodle on International Women’s day 2019.Beno has a Masters in English Literature and believes?Disability should not inhibit anybody from reaching the Stars in the Sky. Listen in as Beno shares her love for life , her positive attitude and why she believes women are Precious.
For the full conversation click on any of these links:
Youtube:
https://youtu.be/GpUFmHBVzlc ( video extract)
https://youtu.be/q_n4atLtacM ( full audio)
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Senior Software Engineer at DST Worldwide Services India Pvt. Ltd.
2 个月Great one ?? ?? tribute to Gulzar????
Fascinated by how behaviors influence performance @ work. Leveraging BELBIN to transform performance of people and teams. ICF PCC Mentor Coach.
2 个月wow Rashmi Shetty ! what a tribute to the Kannadasan of hindi cinema as I see Gulzar ! you almost picked my top 10 Gulzars.. let me add 'is mod se jaate hain' .. like many kannadasan classics, these words are relevant in their own way as one takes sust kadams as life moves on!