There’s a reason why Gulzar’s poems and songs resonate with the masses. It’s because of his ability to understand the emotions, fears, hopes, and disappointments that ultimately make us human.
And his latest poem is a hauntingly beautiful summation of the agony that thousands of migrants have undergone, under the lockdown in India.
Gulzar talks about how, for a migrant worker, a city is not home but merely a means of survival – one that was brutally taken away due to the pandemic-induced-lockdown.
In the villages lay age-old property disputes, the history of their ancestors, and the landmarks of their childhood. City is, but a mechanical construct feeding their bellies, but not their hearts.
Many people commented on the way Gulzar managed to give a voice to the migrants’ plight:
You can listen to the complete poem here:
Like the wordsmith he is, Gulzar finds an accurate and heartfelt expression for a migrant’s unimaginable struggles and broken spirit.
All images are screenshots from the video, unless specified otherwise.