A love letter to Gulzar

Today while sorting important document and old paper keepsakes I found a delicate pink paper. The letter page of onion shade and made of onion paper. A scratchy and messy handwriting in a language somewhat familiar. You haven’t read it for sometime and words take forms in your mind. 

Oh it’s that letter. Did I post it? Did I send a copy? Was this the original version. I hope I sent a neater page. This one looks like written by a 10 year old. That too to an almost 80 year old now. That time he was not any younger. The date says February 2010. 

I did send it to an address found on the internet. The name of his bungalow named after his daughter. A daughter who is even older than me. But my love for him is platonic although his words titillate me to core. It’s not that I am in love with him, it’s his words. So I hope to listen to him speak the soulful poems. 

I was 28. Not too young but still not old enough to be writing to older men. Now I simply blush as I read this silly letters. I do remember positing it but there was no serial no, just the name of the bungalow and Bandra. Did it ever teach him? Did the postman do his job? Did he even know where Gulzar lives. At least in Gulzar’s stories they do. This is what his stories make me believe. The poetry in day to do things. 

I also like him because he writes in Hindi and Urdu which are the two languages I grew up with. We got three newspapers at home. English for my father, Hindi for my mother and grandmother. Urdu for my grandfather. My love story with these languages started then. I would keep Hindi and Urdu Punjab Kesari’s side at side and compare. Soon I realised both the languages are going in opposite directions. Very few authors have been keeping the age old beauty of these languages alive and Gulzar is one of those beacons.

A boond ous ki, Bosky.

His daughter’s name. His songs set in soulful Melodies strings at my heart. His words for the beauty of a woman and the love for her touches my soul. I wish for a love story like that. I wish for a lover like that. If this is not love then what is.

I think I have a girly crush on him where I wish for him to write poetry for me. Like I good wife I did try to get my romance quotient from my husband. His two lines on me go like this -

Ae gulbadan, kab hoga humara Milan.

It did make me blush. The cheeky fellow and I decided to marry him eventually. For reasons other than his bad poetry. He sang borrowed songs for me if not render an original poetry. My Love story is not exactly Gulzar but I can guarantee you it’s an Imtiaz Ali.