Latest news with #Gulzar
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Survivors of terrorism lack access to counselling
Located just 45 kilometers from the Afghan border, Peshawar has been in the grip of terrorism since the last 15 to 20 years, with thousands of people losing their lives and livelihoods to the war on terror. However, not a single rehabilitation center could be built in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) to help victims of terrorism and their families to recover from their trauma. In 2009, Yasir Khan lost six members of his family in the horrific bomb blast in Peshawar's Pipal Mandi. "More than 15 years have passed since the incident, but even today, when a terrorist incident occurs, my mind goes into shock again for a few moments. Perhaps the trauma of that incident has been buried deep within me. About 150 people were killed in the blast while about 250 were injured. The survivors are suffering from post-traumatic stress, but they have not been able to access psychological help," said Khan. Likewise, in 2014, Arif Aqeel, a school teacher was badly injured in two suicide attacks at the All-Saints Church in Peshawar. Hailing from the Christian community, Arif lost one of his legs and a large chunk of his memory due to severe head injuries. Three years later, Arif's wounds could not heal, and he passed away. "First the shock of the explosion and then the death of Arif left a lasting impact on his wife and children. The family has not received counseling till date, due to which they are still suffering from psychological problems," shared Arif's brother-in-law, Augustine Jacob. Similarly, Sir Naeem Gulzar, who was injured in the Peshawar Qissa Khawani blasts twice, shared a poignant narration of what goes on in the mind of a survivor coping with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even though ten years have passed since the tragedy, even today Gulzar is fearful of leaving the house and going to work. "Whenever I hear the sound of a vehicle, rickshaw, or a tyre bursting, I run away, thinking it is an explosion. Despite my efforts, I cannot get rid of the fear in my mind. My family has taken me to a psychiatrist twice, but it has not helped," shared Gulzar. Gulzar's experience is not an isolated case. With the alarming increase in terrorist activity over the past few years, more and more people directly impacted by extremist atrocities are stuck in a cycle of trauma. According to data obtained by The Express Tribune, in 2022, 200 incidents of terrorism were reported in K-P and the tribal areas, while in 2023, 560 incidents of terrorism occurred. In 2022, a total of 83 police officers and 96 soldiers were martyred, while in 2023, 167 police officers and 101 soldiers were killed. These incidents include the Peshawar Police Lines blast, the suicide attack on the Peshawar Kocha Risaldar Mosque and the explosion at a public meeting in Bajaur. In 2023, cases of terrorism witnessed a surge of about 70 per cent in K-P and the tribal areas, while 2024, saw a further 20 per cent increase in such incidents, with 630 incidents reported throughout the year. Talking about the impact of terrorism on the quality of life, Professor Dr Jamil Chitrali, Chairman of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Peshawar, revealed that in the past 20 years, 70,000 to 80,000 people have been killed in terrorist activity in Pakistan, out of which about 60,000 were civilians while 20,000 were personnel from the police, armed forces and other government agencies. "The APS attack, Pipal Mandi and Khyber Bazar blasts were such big tragedies that it seems that people in every street of Peshawar have experiences their trauma. Unfortunately, however, there are only 500 mental health professionals in the country for a population of over 240 million. Until or unless there is a district-level rehab center for victims of terrorism and their families, these people will continue to suffer from despair, depression and psychological problems," implored Dr Chitrali. Dr Uzma Ali, a clinical psychologist, told The Express Tribune that survivors of terrorism required clinical treatment and community support to deal with the post-traumatic stress disorder. "Furthermore, the families of such victims also need counseling. People going through trauma should be supported by family, and relevant institutions such as health, social welfare, and the district administration. These victims should be considered under the Victim Support Program, which could help them cope with their trauma," said Dr Ali.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Gulzar, unique and a paradox
What can you give a man who already has 22 Filmfare awards, a Grammy, an Oscar, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement in Indian cinema? The answer: a Jnanpith award, which is similarly a lifetime achievement award in Indian literature. It was given to Gulzar a few days ago. No person has come even close to winning both these awards before, and that represents both the uniqueness and the paradox of being Gulzar. Known primarily for his film lyrics, Gulzar has become a part of the emotional landscape of several generations of Indians. But cinema in India is still considered common and low-brow and carries a taint. Gulzar's cinematic celebrity has thus served to obscure his literary achievement as an Urdu poet of the highest order. His naghme (lyrics) have eclipsed his nazmen (poems), rather as Rahu eclipses the moon. Gulzar himself prizes literature far above cinema. As he once put it, films are like clouds that come and rain and then roll away while literature has a permanent presence, like the blue sky above. Gulzar's daring originality as a poet begins with the fact that his staple form of composition is not the ghazal but the nazm. The more popular ghazal is a series of stand-alone couplets linked together only by the clackety-clack rhyme-word, which is a sure-fire applause-catcher. A nazm, in contrast, is a poem on a single theme, which the poet explores at some length. It is often quietly contemplative in tone. Gulzar has gone further by often renouncing rhyme, which even Faiz and Firaq relied on in their nazms. Crossing another boundary, his unrhymed verse often turns into free verse, as he discards metre too in favour of lines of uneven length. Another feature that makes his poetry cosmopolitan and modern is his penchant for short imagist poems, where the vividly evoked image speaks for itself. Love and burning cars In terms of his themes too, Gulzar has liberated Urdu poetry from its high-rhetorical Indo-Persian conventions and time-worn collocations. His subjects range from the dehumanising mundanity of metropolitan life to cosmic speculations. Each morning, he says in a nazm, he is granted an allowance of a day but by the evening, it has slipped from his pocket or been snatched by someone; the day ends up like a shorn and bleating lamb heading to slaughter. But nature heals. Gulzar offers us a glimpse of boats with sails fully puffed up, as if holding their breath. We see mountains with their peaks floating among clouds, their feet planted firmly in icy water, and a lofty air about them of solemn stillness. And even higher above are the cosmic bodies. This sun is a dwarf/ It can't light up each cranny of my being. Gulzar's love-poems too are refreshingly different. His lovers are not half-mad adolescents yearning for they know not what; rather, they are adults who have already experienced bittersweet love with multiple unions and separations. I broke off a couple of dry branches from my past/ …You too produced some old and crumpled letters/ With them we lit a fire and warmed our bodies/Stoking up dying embers through the night. In the wide world beyond, cars burn on streets and rioters go rampaging in gangs. Why don't you show this too, the poet asks, in a Republic Day tableau? The whole spectrum Besides poems, Gulzar has also written over a hundred short stories, a novel, books for children, and screenplays for biopics on Mira and Ghalib. He made a tele-series on Premchand's short stories, and has translated two volumes of Tagore's poems into Urdu. He has edited a 954-page anthology — titled A Poem a Day — of 365 poems by 279 modern poets from 34 different languages, with both Hindi and English translations. It took him nine years to complete. He is a writer soaked in literature and devoted to all forms of it. The lyrics and the poems of Gulzar are rather like twins born of the same womb but then separated, to follow widely different life-trajectories — as in many old Bollywood films like Ram Aur Shyam. Last year, in a fortuitous but even-handed development, over 650 of Gulzar's nazms/ poems were published in a bilingual Urdu/Hindi-English edition titled Baal-o Par/ Fur and Feathers (with English translations by Rakhshanda Jalil), while 500 film songs of his were collected under the title Gungunaiye (Hum Along). Travelling together with Gulzar once, I overheard at the Goa airport a sophisticated-looking lady of a certain age whisper to her companion in a tremulous tone: 'Can't believe I'm standing just 10 feet away from Gulzar saheb!' One hopes she could not only hum some songs by Gulzar but had also read some of his nazms, the real stuff. The writer taught English at Delhi University.
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Never imagined Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan's wedding would be Kajra Re's outcome': Vaibhavi Merchant recalls Aditya Chopra predicted song's iconic status
Today marks 20 years of Shaad Ali's 2005 blockbuster romantic comedy Bunty Aur Babli, and also two decades of arguably one of the most popular 'item' songs of Hindi cinema: 'Kajra Re'. Featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and Abhishek Bachchan, the track, composed by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, sung by Alisha Chinai, and written by Gulzar, was choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, she opens up on her memories of filming the song. Do you remember the brief you got for Kajra Re? I'd already shot for 'Dhadak Dhadak' and 'Chup Chup Ke'. After that, I was in for a surprise when they told me they want to do a song with Mr. Bachchan and Abhishek. They wanted to do a fusion qawwali-meets-mujra, if I can call it that. I remember I was also called for the song recording. It was one of the first songs to be recorded at Yash Raj Studio, so that turned out to be lucky. Everybody thought Kajra Re was a slow-burn. But Adi (Aditya Chopra) and Shaad thought it was very rooted and had the perfect ingredients of a mass song. When Adi saw the entire choreography, he said to me, 'This is going to be a song revered for a long time. It's going to be extremely popular and going to go down in history.' So he had the vision to predict it would be a chartbuster. But it wasn't entirely accessible, thanks to Gulzar's lyrics, right? How did you work around that? He gave some unbelievable lyrics! When I heard the line, 'Ballimaran se Daribe talak,' I asked Gulzar sahab, 'Ye kya hai?' (laughs). I had to really acquire the taste of Gulzar sahab. I had to do my homework and go back to the legendary work he'd done in the past, like Aandhi (1975). Of course, I had already worked with him in (daughter) Meghna Gulzar's Filhaal (2002, her directorial debut), and briefly in a film of Vishal Bhardwaj. I could spend hours and hours of listening to his anecdotes. I even had the audacity to ask him to make the lyrics simpler (laughs). Can you walk us through the shoot? How thrilling or chaotic was it? When I began choreographing, I had my two lucky mascots — Abhishek and Rani Mukerji — they arrived for my rehearsals on Day 1. We'd become great friends through Bunty Aur Babli. We were pals, would hang out at Shaad's place, have the most amazing kebabs and biryani. When I choreographed the beginning, 'Aisi nazar se dekha uss zaalim ne chowk par,' Rani and Abhishek would go all 'wah wah, wah wah!' We started shooting on Abhishek's birthday. We were cutting his cake, and I said, 'Guys, when are we shooting the song?' I have only four days. Adi had given a very tight deadline. We started only post-lunch. I told everyone, 'Let's give Abhishek his best birthdays shoot and do this song well.' Kajre Re also turned out to be an iconic song because of its casting coup, right? Yes, it was the first song of the father-son duo, Bachchan sir and Abhishek, together. Abhishek was quite nervous. But I told him not to worry, and that I'd balance it out well. When Mr. Bachchan is on set, he's not a father. There are no personal equations coming in the way. He's a thorough professional. He'd remain in character. He'd even appreciate the costume designer for giving nice costumes to the back dancers. Meanwhile, Abhishek is a different temperament on set. He's all about fun and pranks. Then Adi broke the news to me much later, about a month before the shoot, that the female lead in the song would be Aishwarya Rai. That was like life coming a full circle because I'd worked with Aishwarya in Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999, for which Merchant won a National Award). I'd also worked with her in Devdas (2002), Kuch Naa Kaho (2003), and Kyun! Ho Gaya Naa… (2004). Aishwarya had not done anything like Kajra Re before, so she asked me if she'd be able to do it. I said, 'Of course!' Aishwarya was also a surprise for the audience, right? Yes, Aish was on a sabbatical before Kajra Re. This was her coming back. She came back with a different energy. So I worked on her ada and nuances. We almost had to announce her return. Non-social media days had their own advantages. We've forgotten the joy of being swept away by the euphoria in a cinema hall. People were dancing in single screens! They felt they were a part of the film. The industry also sat up and took notice. I won all the awards, except Filmfare. I'm still terribly upset with them (laughs). I think 'Kaisi Paheli Zindagani' from Parineeta won the award that year. Aishwarya is wooing Amitabh Bachchan as Abhishek tries to woo her, where did that come from? I hadn't gotten any brief on that, but they shot the scene before that on the set. So when Aishwarya says, 'Aye handsome,' and it's directed towards Mr. Bachchan, that set the tone for the song. So we shot it like a proper musical, which follows the staging of a scene. So, all the fun and masti in the song comes from Abhishek, the ada comes from Aish, and of course, the swag, style, and let-me-show-you-how-it's-done business comes from Mr. Bachchan. So you had three different characters working together in the song. A couple of years later, when Abhishek married Aishwarya, did you give yourself some credit? This is my story with a lot of actors, who start out as friends and turn into lovers on my set. I'm happy these divine interventions do happen, and I get to be a part of them. Sometime, I could even write a book on this (laughs). But obviously, nobody thought of it then. I never imagined this as the outcome of that moment. They were all thorough professionals. Did Rani not have FOMO that she wasn't a part of Kajra Re? No, not really. Her character was pregnant in the film during that scene, so she couldn't have danced. And Rani is a team player! She's like a co-director on the film. She understood this song was extremely important for the film at that point. Imagine the cop, who's chasing the thief, is dancing with him! This can happen only in Indian cinema! My favourite song from Bunty Aur Babli is 'Dhadak Dhadak'. How did you crack that one? Since Shaad comes from the Mani Ratnam school, he structured the song very differently. Usually, in a duet, the male and female voices jam with each other. But in 'Dhadak Dhadak', we first see Bunty's world, then Babli's, and then we see them intercut with each other. We shot across the ghats of Varanasi, lanes of Kanpur, and a palace in Lucknow. Shaad is from Kanpur so he knew the city inside out. Then we also experimented with the back dancers so that we get the faces of small town right: there are panwalas, hawkers, Naga Sadhus. The train was the connection between both the characters. So we had to time our shots in a way that we caught the train coming in the background. Also Read — Shaad Ali reveals Amitabh Bachchan was initially hesitant about 'Kajra Re': 'Yeh gaana shoot hi mat karo, yeh nahi chalega' Finally, 'Chup Chup Ke' is a tribute to the Yash Chopra brand of romantic songs. What are your memories of making that one? Shooting with Shaad Ali is like 70% of madness on set. He'd think of going where no one has. We shot the song in Ladakh, where none of us had filmed before. Abhishek had shot at these tough terrains for Refugee (2000, debut film) so he had come prepared. Rani was also doing fine. But a lot of crew members were falling sick. We didn't see the sun for days, there was an overcast. It was freezing, but Rani and Abhishek had to touch the stream water and look all pristine. We just survived on cup noodles on that shoot (laughs)!
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
No peace in South Asia without Kashmir dispute resolution: APHC
ISLAMABAD: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Sunday said that clouds of war will remain hovering on the horizon of South Asia as long as the Kashmir dispute, the oldest one on the UN agenda is not resolved in the light of UN Security Council resolutions and in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people. According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC vice Chairman Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar in a statement in Srinagar terming the Kashmir dispute a major impediment to stability and progress in South Asia said that in order to avert the looming catastrophe, this issue must be resolved permanently on the basis of justice without any further delay. Gulzar said it is not only a significant bottleneck, hindering the bilateral relationship between India and Pakistan, but also has a catastrophic impact on the lives of ill-fated Kashmiris who have been subjected to violence for nearly eight decades. APHC vice chairman said that the Kashmir issue is an Apple of discord and a major source of tension, wars and political and economic instability. 'The present standoff between India and Pakistan has again proved that it is a volcano and, if neglected, may potentially lead to nuclear war in the region,' he warned. Terming just the resolution of this core issue a prerequisite, he said that the Kashmir issue is not a territorial or border dispute but a human issue relating to the well-being of millions of Kashmiris. Demanding justice for hapless Kashmiris, he warned that if this volatile issue is not resolved on the principle of justice, peace and stability will remain elusive. Advocating tripartite dialogue on Kashmir, he said Kashmiris are not warmongers but peaceful people, and they want a peaceful resolution to the issue. Reiterating that APHC' s principal stand, he impressed upon India and Pakistan to start meaningful, result-oriented, and time-bound dialogue and include Kashmiris' genuine leadership in the process to reach an honourable and permanent settlement. He also stressed the need for a conducive atmosphere for any dialogue process and impressed upon India to stop human rights violations, withdraw its troops, repeal all black laws, and release all political prisoners in Kashmir. While welcoming the offer for mediation from US President Donald Trump, UN secretary general Antonio Guthrie' s, Turkey, Iran, and other countries, Gulzar said that third-party mediation can lead to an amicable and just resolution of the dispute. He said that no occupation lasts forever Kashmiris' resilience will outlast India's repression as history is witness that empires fall, but the spirit of resistance survives. The APHC leader appealed to the international community to come forward, intervene, and implement UN resolutions on Kashmir for the permanent peace in the region.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
I must admit, I always had my eye on the Jnanpith: Gulzar
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.
