Ek naql tujhe bhi bhejunga
yeh soch ke hi tanhaai ke neeche kaarban paper rakh ke main,
oonchi oonchi aawaaz mein baaten karta hun…
Alfaaz utar aate hain kaaghaz par lekin
aawaaz ki shakl utarti nahin
raaton ki siyaahi dikhti hai…
— Gulzar
“I shall send you a copy
Thinking this I’ve placed a carbon paper under my loneliness.
As I speak in a loud voice
The words fall on to the paper but,
The impression is not of the voice
All I see is darkness, as black as the night”.
Gulzar is a not a name unknown to any Indian. This may be one of his easy to read verses, but he has penned not just stories and stories in verse, but is an award-winning film writer and lyricist. Yet, he insists we talk only poetry and theatre and not films, as that’s what he’s bringing to Dubai this weekend.
The three-day event features three plays by theatre director Salim Arif based on Gulzar’s short stories — Kharashein, Sunte Ho, Arre O Henry — and a question-answer session. But, Gulzar says writing is only part of the entire scenario and the director is the real “captain of the ship”.
“The Gulzaar Theatre Fiesta comprises a set of plays adapted from my short stories by Salim Arif. As the director he becomes the core of the event. Salim Arif has worked magic, blending poetry into the prose of my stories to create a new form of theatre. Then there are brilliant performers such as Atul Kulkarni, Yashpal Sharma and Lubna Salim who will be part of these plays”.
On Saturday, Gulzar and Arif will hold Rubaru, where the poet will take the audience through his creative journey and read some of his works. Not disagreeing to the fact that readership of Urdu and Hindi poetry is declining with the younger generation in India, he believes that the art still enjoys a substantial following.
“A lot of Urdu and Hindi poetry is being written even today — and of a very high calibre. Moreover, it’s not just Hindi or Urdu but in several Indian languages such as Kannada, Oriya, Bangla, Assamese, Malayalam… so if one doesn’t hear it, it’s due to one’s own handicap, not because it doesn’t exist. Neither does it matter that there are less theatre-goers as compared to cinema-goers. It’s just a matter of choice”.
The Gulzaar Theatre Fiesta will be held at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, from Thursday, January 15, to Saturday, January 17. Tickets start at Dh125 for the plays and Dh150 for the Rubaru session. Call ADSS on 04-3692128.
