Chapter:4 'Two' by Gulzar

CHAPTER:4 ‘TWO’ BY GULZAR 94 The present chapter is a study of partition novel written by Gulzar. Two is penned by Gulzar on the subject of partition, especially the condition of refugees. This study aims at analyzing Gulzar’s Two and the close reading of the novel will bring forth that how Gulzar treats the partition theme in his novel. This chapter will explore how Gulzar succeeded in presenting the social, cultural, religious and political scenario in 1947. This novel is one of the recent works that has been written on the theme of partition. It creates the sensibility towards the partition. This chapter focuses on exploring all the layers of partition. Gulzar is a prominent Indian lyricist, he is also one of the finest poets, author, screen play writer and film director. He started his career as a lyricist with film ‘Bandini’ in 1963. During his earlier days he worked as a mechanic but he no longer enjoyed it. He wanted to be a writer but his father believed that there is no future in this. Gulzar’s original name is Sampooran Singh but he does not want to open his identity to world and keep it a secret, he started writing with the name of Gulzar. Soon after that he became popular by the name ‘Gulzar’. He was born on 18thAugust, 1934 in Deena, which is now in Pakistan. He was born in Sikh family. He was one of the children to Makhan Singh and Sujan Kaur. He in his early day was very influenced by the reading works of Rabindranath Tagore. Due to India Pakistan partition, they had to leave their motherland and come to Mumbai. In Mumbai, to support his family he indulged in too many small jobs and also started to writing under the name of Gulzar Deenvi, which was later popularly known as Gulzar. He also was associated with progressive writer’s association. Gulzar married to Bollywood film actress Rakhee and they have a daughter together, Meghna Gulzar. In 2013, he was appointed as the vice chancellor of Assam University. He has contributed as a poet, lyricist, author, screen writer and film director, screen writer and film director and producer. As a writer his major works are Meelon Se Din, Green Poems, Suspected Poems, Half a Rupee Stories, Ravi Par, Dhuan, Raat Pashmine Ki, Khrashein, Meera, Pukhrej, Triveni, Autumn Moori, Kuch Aur Nazmein, Magical Wishes, Mira Ghalib : A Biographical Scenario. His debut novel is Two. Two is originally written in Urdu language. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan award. He was also awarded with the sahitya Akadami Award. He was also awarded with Dada Saheb Phalke Award, Indian National Film Awards, 21 Filmfare awards, One Grammy 95 Award and Academy Award. Gulzar Saab has also written many beautiful and memorable songs for Hindi cinema. He has also written dialogues for the movie. He has also produced and directed movies like Aandhi, and Mausum and T.V. Series like Mirza Ghalib and Kirdaar. He is a talented lyricist and a dialogue writer. It connects him with common people. He is the loved by old and new generations. Gulzar is an artist who has bridged for more than 60 years. He is a versatile personality of Indian cinema. Gulzar has gained popularity as a poet and lyricist who is basically concerned with the ability of words to call up imaginary and moods. He in his interview to Kausar Munir said that: “My songs are not angry or bitter, because i am not bitter. I’m hopeful and as an artist i have to be, not just for my future or for the future of my children but for the whole world.” He is a sensitive writer and all his works presents the sensitivities towards the human being. He believed that all you cannot be able to express in your real life, literature is the medium you can express. This is the reason that he has written many short stories and poems on the theme of partition. Because he was the part of that pain. He has an ability to transform the words into nostalgia. The poet has written many beautiful compositions about love, life and the pain of heart and still continue to touch the hearts of millions of people. For the morning prayer like ‘Humko Mann Ki Shakti’ to songs like ‘Jungle, Jungle Baat Chali Hai’, his words are excellent to treat flow. He proves that words have that power which can heal. He himself has carried a lot of pain created by the partition. He is one of the persons of partition who witness that after so many years of partition, one cannot be able to forget that trauma, even after so many years, he is able to bring all that memories into words. He himself has faced the chaos of partition. He knows that to leave your own motherland is not an easy thing. Through his own works he tried to understand his existence. His works on partition presents the real images of that dark period in which millions of people had lost their life or lands. Gulzar has written partition stories, has in a way meant allowing himself to face past, to exercise everything that is in his mind. He had last everything that was in his motherland which is now in Pakistan. This scenario of partition has created such a pain that only it can be lessen through writing. In his very young age, he faces riots and 96 witnessed the conflict of Hindu-Muslim. In his interview to Sukrita Paul Kumar he comments that: “I carried partition a long way I had, on my shoulders, in my heart because when it happened, when I was very young; and those images of riots, bloodshed and terror which happened, I witnessed it, the result was that even after twenty-five years after, I capturing nightmares and dreams of that riots, it make me able to that awake in the middle of the night, I would keep my self-awake so the dream will not come, and I think purging it out, help me to” The words of Gulzar clears that he believed that with the passage of time, one could not easily forget this trauma. But he believed that literature and movies are the best way to purging out the inner pain. In his interview he said that; “there was so many stuff written on the theme of second world war but not so much on partition except some in Punjabi or few other languages. Through making films and literature we can be able to purging out our pain every word of Gulzar has a magical effect. It is because he wrote it from his own experience. Gulzar’s secular and humanist thoughts, his belief in communal harmony, his perspective of life and aestheticism are some of the qualities that make him a man of generations. In his house too there is the statues of Buddha, two statues of Lord Ganesha and one framed photo of the Kaaba Door. It reminds us the different shades of divinity. In the words of Sehyr Mirza, “Aman Ki Asha”.(April 3, 2013) - “In a world where media amplifies the turmoil’s caused by hatred and extremism, it is moving to find such writers, poets and artist playing a vital role in the mainstream process of peace particularly at the people-to-people level, their work breaks the silence over human sufferings and transforms societies through the power of their pens and brushes, songs and stories and dreams and debates.” He the embodiment of emotions able to portrays different experience and expressions. Every form of art he touches in itself presents the truth, knowledge and harmony towards humanity. At the age of 84, he tried his hand on novel. Two is the fictitious experience of his own experience of partition. Gulzar is not satisfied with the earlier translation. This book Two, so later on he himself translated, into English. It presents the real encounter of partition period, tell the tale of that harrowing history of 97 India in which many people went through great pain. Gulzar according to Pavan K. Varma in his introduction of the novel: “Gulzar Saheb’s debut as a novelist is a spectacular one. ‘two’ is input down able because the narrative is in the hands of a craftsman for whom words are like clay in the hands of a master porter. Gulzar writes with the eyes of a sensitive film-maker, the feel of a poet and a touch of one who has himself been signed for life by the story he narrates, and the series of events in which they become pawns in the sweep of the history, continue to hunts one continues to read the book long after having finished in it last page.” It is his different – perspective that makes wins writing on partition different from all the other writers of partition. He is different from the writer of ‘the generation of partition writer’ like Khushwant Singh and Manto, Gulzar’s writing never fails to leave last long impact on reader. Two is debut novel of Gulzar, for the first time he chooses novel as a medium to express his feelings and fear of partition, an attempt expresses his own experience is fabulous. He has presented the realistic incidents of India and Pakistan. He has presented the experiences of refugees who left their own place due to the partition and not able to find their own ‘home’ for many years. Two was originally written in Urdu as titled ‘Do Log’ and later on translated in English by his friend Shantanu Ray and Sukrita Paul.

Load more