I must admit, I always had my eye on the Jnanpith: Gulzar

Hindustan Times

23-05-2025

MUMBAI: Renowned writer Gulzar was honoured with the 58th Jnanpith award for the year 2023 for his 'outstanding contribution to Indian literature and the world of Urdu writing' at a warm, informal ceremony at his Pali hill residence on Thursday.
In his brief acceptance speech delivered in impeccable Urdu, Gulzar, dressed in spotless kurta-pyjama with a stole wrapped around his shoulders, advocated the need to strike a greater rapport with Indian languages which, he pointed out, sparkle with myriad moods and metaphors and cater to a larger readership across geographies and cultures.
'You can't dismiss Marathi, Tamil, Bangla or Gujarati as regional languages,' he said. 'They boast a rich tapestry of experiences and expressions. These tongues remind those writing in big-ticket languages that they have better writers under their wings.'
Likening writing to a game of hopscotch, Gulzar said, 'Today, a poet or a writer will have to draw more marked-out squares on India's soil as we face graver social issues: a decline in secularism, human values, the environment and gender justice.'
Lauding the Jnanpith award for taking in its sweep all Indian languages and their varied literary forms and styles, Gulzar said, 'The Jnanpith is like the final 'thappi' (pat) on a writer's back.' He added, tongue firmly in cheek, 'I must admit that I had my eye on the Jnanpith. The award is like a lighthouse amidst a stormy ocean.'
Acknowledging Gulzar as 'the voice of our times', the Jnanpith citation praised him for blending the plebeian and the classical in his vast literary oeuvre. In his use of the language, Gulzar has amply demonstrated how contemporary Urdu is willing to adapt and modify to the exigencies of the age we live in, the citation added.
The award carried a silk shawl, citation, traditional 'shreefal' (coconut) and a bronze replica of Vagdevi Saraswati, the Goddess of learning, knowledge, self-control and introspection.
Accepting a cheque of ₹11 lakh from Mudit Jain, one of the trustees of the Bharatiya Jnanpith, Gulzar remarked wryly: 'Anyone envious of the award amount is allowed to take a look at the cheque only once', even as a serene Buddha, frozen in marble, kept a kind vigil over the gathering.
When a friend asked after his health, Gulzar, 90, quipped, 'Jee, thoda nasal irritation hai, but I feel romantic when I sneeze.'
The Jnanpith team came to Mumbai as Gulzar missed the official function, held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi last week with President Draupadi Murmu in the chair, as he was unwell.
In her speech, President Murmu praised Gulzar's contribution to literature and prayed for his speedy recovery. She felicitated Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharyaji, renowned Sanskrit scholar and the second recipient of the award.
Gulzar's close friends attended the exclusive do at 'Boskyana': noted music director Vishal Bharadwaj and his wife, well known vocalist Rekha, Ashok Bindal, Pawan Jha, Ajay Jain, senior journalist Vishwanath Sachdev, publisher Arun Shevte, photographer Pradeep Chandra and his son-in-law Govind Sandhu, an entrepreneur and music buff. Meghna, Gulzar's film-maker daughter, was away location-hunting for her next film, said Sandhu.
Talking to HT, Sachdev recalled Gulzar's 'powerful and soul-stirring imagery and his perceptive understanding of human emotions.'
'Shorn of well-worn cliches such as 'husn-ishq', 'shama-parwana' and the hapless 'bulbul' held captive by a ruthless 'sayyaad' (huntsman), Gulzar-ji's poetry displays ample resilience and creative force to tackle contemporary themes,' he said. 'Moreover, Gulzar-ji gladly dips into Bhojpuri, Brij, Haryanvi, Bagheli, Maithili and Punjabi, North India's rustic dialects, to deepen the literary content of his poetry.'
Pointing out that the young generation was 'kind of hooked' onto Gulzar's poetry, Divyesh Bindal said, 'He is there on Facebook and YouTube. What I like about him is that he can pack one or two lines with great meaning. It's mind-blowing.' The 18-year-old Gulzar admirer, who is preparing to go to the US for further studies, had come along with his grandfather to congratulate his favourite poet.
Cinema experts say that Gulzar's oeuvre is incredible: film scripts, plays, essays, travelogues, short stories, monologues and anecdotes—and, of course, the lilting film lyrics that mirror India's changing moods over five decades from 'Mora gora ang laiee le' ('Bandini', 1963) to 'Bidi jalayeele' ('Omkara', 2006).
Gulzar's poems such as 'Kitaabein jhaankti hai band almariyon ke sheeshe se', 'Saans lena bhi kaisi aadat hai' and 'Aadmi bulbula hai paani kaa' have acquired the status of proverbs in the public consciousness, said Jha.
Gulzar is currently gearing up to finish his book 'Aamchee Mumbai' on the city that gave him shelter and hope in circa 1960.