Books as tourmates

Books have always been my tourmates. On my traveling to Bilaspur, CG, I picked up some books from my shelf, which is a regular practice with me. This time I decided to carry Amitava Kumar’s recent publication: Evidence of Suspicion. Of course, I’d covered few pages already and this is an interesting reading.

While going through the AH wheeler‘s latest collections at railway station, I located a collection of poems by Sarveswar Dayal Saxena, eminent Hindi poet, edited by Prayag Shukla. Immediately I picked up it as I had not read many of his poems. Recently, a kind of hullabaloo was also surfaced on his Ibn Batuata . Gulzar composed a lyric for a Hindi cinema .The daughter of late poet SD Saxena alleged that his father has not been given due credit by Gulzar for using the first line of his poem on Ibn Batuta . Gulzar argues that the historical name Ibn Batuta is not registered under Copyright Act, hence not mandatory to give credit to any one. I had read both the poems and produce the same for others which Gulzar himself had released for the press to dispel the confusion.



Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena’s poem



Ibn Battuta
Pehen ke joota
Nikal pade toofan mein
Thodi hawa naak mein ghus gayi

Thodi ghus gayi kaan mein
Kabhi naak ko
Kabhi kaan ko
Malte Ibn Battuta

Isi beech mein nikal pada
Unke pairon ka joota
Udte udte unka joota
Pahunch gaya Japan mein
Ibn Battuta khade reh gaye
Mochi ki dukan mein



Gulzar’s lyrics



Ibn-e-Batuta
Ibn-e-Batuta
Bagal mein joota
Pehne toh karta hai churr
Ud ud aave, dana chugeve
Ud jave chidiya phurr

Agle mod pe, maut khadi hai
Arre marne ki bhi kya jaldi hai
Horn bajake, aa bagiyan mein
Ho durghatna se der bhali hai
Chal ud ja ud ja phurr

Dono taraf se bajti hai yeh
Ai hai zindagi kya dholak hai
Horn bajake aa aa bagiyan mein
Arre thoda aage gatirodhak hai
Ibn-e-Batuta


Many readers are not aware that Saxena’s Ibn Batuta was written for children and first composed while he was accompanying his daughter to school. That’s what his daughter ruminates now.



I read Saxena’s poems from the recent collection and would like to share one poem:

‘Pyar’ by Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena



Ek safed chidiya
Aati hai aur chali jati hai
Bina chhode koi bhi chinha sangit ka.

Kshan bhar ko
Is gahare andhakar mein
Pad jati hai darar
Jo dekhte hi dekhte mit jati hai
Par meri atma mein
Fir- fir wohi pratikshya kaundh jati hai

Ek safed chidiya
Aati hai aur chali jati hai .

All the poems in the collection absolutely bear sensibility of a true poet. Thanks to Prayag Shukla for his endeavour.

Like millions, I am also an ardent fan of Gulzar’s lyrics and of his poems. We all are aware that Gulzar is an unbeaten experimentalist in his own way. His creative urges find outlet through various genres of art: lyrics, poems, stories, cinema and screenplay .

Of late, I saw another book called: Aaandhi by Gulzar in Wheeler’s cabin. Aandhi was made a motion picture by Gulzar in 1975 and created substantial storm in the world of cinema during the period. Critics have already pointed out that life and living of Indira Gandhi is reflected in this picture while Mrs Gandhi was on the pinnacle of her power. I don’t remember to have seen Aandhi .Now I wanted to read, at least, the book for different reasons. I was interested to know the technical difference between screenplay and scenario. Gulzar has explained it nicely in the book: in screenplay the techniques of ‘cut’, ‘dissolve’ and others are also written down as directions, which are helpful to the director. Even the time of the ‘set’ is noted down to denote whether the action takes place in the morning, evening, afternoon or night. xxxx a scenario is best suited for a continuous flow of reading, so that it reads like a novel, without any hindrance.’’


Besides other things, Gulzar has revealed in the book that how Kamkeshwar and he decided to write a novel and a scenario simultaneously on the subject for mutual benifits. Needless to say, Kamleshwar wrote the novel ‘ Kali Aandhi ‘and Gulzar scripted Aandhi. Now my turn is to read ‘Kali Aandhi ‘after reading of Gulzar’s Aandhi is finished.

Yes, I swear that I ‘ll finish reading Evidence of Suspicion without further dealay and , if possible, to write a review on the book also.

Let us hope for the best