Hyderabad: ‘Gulzar’s creativity punctures academic territorialisation between Hindi and Urdu’: Paul India’s Oscar winning songwriter and noted filmmaker Gulzar Sahab’s new story collection ‘Deodi’, published by Vani Prakashan, is released with expected fanfare among students and teachers ans intellectuals of Hyderabad Central University at B.R. Ambedkar Lecture Hall today by Padma Bhushan and former head of Sahitya Akademi Prof. Dr. Gopi Chand Narang in presence of His Excellency Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan K. Varma, Managing Director of Vani Prakashan Arun Maheshwari, Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy, and young poet and critic Sukrita Paul.

The event is a joint effort of Vani Prakashan and Hyderabad Central University’s Department of Hindi and Urdu. ‘Dyodi’ is a vernacular name for a meeting point where friends gather to share stories, emotions and life. Aditi Maheshwari, Manager, Intellectual Property at Vani Prakashan explained, ‘The title metaphorically signifies the book’s importance in Gulzar’s life- it is a meeting point for his memories with friends and is a rare story collection that crosses borders. It will have an instant connect with youth and therefore we chose to launch it among young students at UOHYD’. The book begins with repeated (and passionate) dedication to lyricist and film director Saleem Arif.

It has a slice-of-life depiction of relationship between Jaadu, who is Jawed Akhtar to world and his friend of all seasons Sahir Ludhiyanvi and goes on to turn Mumbai’s footpath and smell into characters that, like Gulzar, stand as poet flaneur to witness the city and observe its movements. Gulzar follows the literary continuum initiated by noted writer and poet Krishna Sobti when he divides the collection into different sections. These sections are artistically divided through sketches by famous painter Ashok Bhaumik. The book launch was followed by a rendezvous on language and memories between Gulzar and Prof. Narang. Emphasising on the common heritage shared by Hindi and Urdu language, moderator Sukrita Paul highlighted, ‘Gulzar’s poetry and prose reject the academic and puritan territorialisation of languages that cannot be separated even by borders. His creativity is hallmarked by unique texture of the heritage Hindi and Urdu language share. He gives wings to different shades of bhasha and writes his stories with spontaneity and lyrical soul. Gulzar is therefore the true ambassador of many Indias that live through all languages spoken here.’ The program ended on a vibrant note in Gulzar’s words, ‘Stories approach me like a girlfriend, though my wife is poetry’.