Selected Poems Gulzar translated by Pavan K. Varma

How can anyone doubt the works of Sampooran Singh Kalra, also known as Gulzar Saab or Gulzar? He is a great Indian lyricist, poet, author, screenwriter and film director. His passion began with Rabindranath Tagore's collection of poems called Gardener, and then Ghalib's works let him explore 'another universe' of poetry. Also, Waris and Bulle Shah have inspired Gulzar a lot in the course of his life.

Gulzar is known for his insightful representation of the relationships of humans, the moments and the nature, he has also written about various other things, the valley, any profession etc. His deep understanding of the words has differentiated him from being a casual poet.

Selected Poems Gulzar translated by Pavan K. Varma includes both the original version by Gulzar in Hindi and the translated version by Pavan Ji. When I ordered this book I wanted to read the original version by Gulzar, his own observation, and his words and after completing this, even though I was scared, I read the translations. If you would read the translator’s note, he believes, “Gulzar Sahab’s works need an audience much beyond Hindi speaking world. If the translations are able to convey even the fraction of the power and meaning of the original, my effort would have served its purpose.” I was worried about reading someone else’s translation as I would not be able to revisit my imagination, my picture, but reading these translations gave another understanding, explaining another layer of Gulzar’s poetry.  

“आओ सारे पहन लें आईने  

सारे देखेंगे अपना ही चेहरा

सबको सारे हसीं लगेंगे यहां!” - Gulzar

“Come, let us all wear mirrors
we will only see our own faces then

Everyone will appear attractive to the other” translated by Pavan K. Varma

The book has selected poems of Gulzar and also Triveni i.e., the poems that consist of three lines. Humans and their relationships, God, Universe, books, some special moments, weather, profession etc., are the topics you would visit in this book. The titles have been kept simple but the meaning of the verses is actually deep. Gulzar has also portrayed prostitute with his words. In the words of the translator, "Gulzar is not a casual poet." He writes ‘simply about complex things.’ Since Gulzar’s poems are in 'simple Hindustani', this makes it easier for readers in India to read it. Poetry is a genre that is not easy to understand but Gulzar’s selected poems will provoke you to read more. After all, we all find our peace in the world of words.

Pavan Ji has translated ‘the meaning and the diction, beautifully’ that even Gulzar thinks, people might believe English verses ‘to be the original, and the Hindi as the translation.'

A Child Called 'It'

Child abuse is a serious concern. If you check the latest survey of June 2020, you would realise, approximately 1 billion children aged 2-17 years have encountered child abuse all over the world.

A Child Called ‘It’ by Dave Pelzer is a story of a kid, the author himself, who is abused by his mother, but he overcomes this trauma later, in his growing years. Generally, Parents hurt their kid because they have a history of being abused, are addicted to drugs, or have been bullied before, but in this book, the author has not informed of such happenings with his mother yet she gives him a hard time.

The story begins with Dave being smacked by his mother for getting late for school. He wants to eat breakfast but stopped by his mother. He is summoned to the administrative office in school where his nurse acknowledges his recent bruise. She shows this to the principal who then informs the police, who takes him to a better home. They drive across the beautiful highway. Dave had been waiting for this for so long. Afterwards, the author tells us all about how this starts.
Dave has two brothers, Ron and Stan, close to his age. Their mother loves Dave, but suddenly she starts abusing him. It starts with small punishments. Whenever there is someone inside the house, Dave is allowed to play with other kids but as soon as the person leaves, the ill-treatment begins. With time, she controls her husband’s attitude towards Dave and has a keen influence over his brothers. He is not allowed food for days and when he rushes his brain trying to find ways to feed himself, he ends up with new punishment. She is so abusive that she experiments on him with new abusive methods. Dave’s mother is not good with people. Dave believes that it is all his fault for ‘he is a bad boy.’ He accepts those abuses and works as a slave. Sometimes, she added urea to his dinner, locked him in the bathroom with a bucket filled with ammonia gas. Once, his mother made him eat his baby brother’s faeces. The torture is horrifying. One day, he gets stabbed by his mother, but she doesn’t take him to the hospital rather bandages him, herself, and after he gains consciousness, she asks him to wash the dishes. He lives his life in a garage without the proper bedding. When he realizes that his mother is a bitch, he tries to revolt. He doesn’t want her to get satisfied with his pain. He tries to find ways to come out of any particular situation. He knows that he can survive and soon he will be liberated. He believes in his father who tries to help him out, only sometimes, but when he leaves the family, the young boy prays the almighty to deliver him from the evil. The story ends with his father parting from the family.

After a few years, Dave visits a home with his son, where his old family used to stay during the summer vacations. He revisits his old memories and realizes that he is free now.

The story is really dark. The story is set in the 1960s and discusses strong emotional and physical abuse. Dave narrates his depressing story. Though he goes through a hell lot, he wants to tell us that he wanted to live and be something his mother won’t let him be. He fights for his future and becomes successful. And like Mail On Sunday says, ‘such a story cannot fail to move.’

I think Dave should have told us more about what happens after his father leaves the family in this same book because his mother would have surely used this opportunity.  The story continues in the sequels: A Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave.