Two by Gulzar

 

Painde lambe ne lakiran de

Umr de hisaab muk gaye

Totey labbe taqdiran de

Kisse lambe ne lakiran de

Long are the passages of borders

One has lost count of age

Gathering the pieces of fate

Long are the stories of the partition…

"As the date of independence came closer, freedom seemed to move further away."

These are some of the lines from this short book by Gulzar. His words are as poetic as his songs. I am sure the Hindi version would have been much better sounding...but the English translation is not bad either. Gulzar is said to have written and self translated this book because he wanted to come to terms with his memories of Partition. Gulzar is not a novelist but his words are touching. Throughout this book I remembered the movie Maachis and the song, Chappa chappa charkha chale... or even his throaty nazm:

Subah subah ek khwab ki dastak par darwaza khola

Dekha, sarhad ke us paar se kuch mehmaan aaye hain

Aakhon se maanus the saare

Chehre saare soone sunaye

Paav dhoye, haath dhulaye, aangan mein aasan lagvaye

aur tandoor pein makki ke kuch mote rot pakvaye

Potli mein mehmaan mere pichle saalon ki faslon ka gud laaye the

Aankh khuli toh dekha ghar mein koi nahin tha

haath lagakar dekha to tandoor abhi tak bujha nahin tha

aur honthon pein meethe gud ka zayka ab tak chipak raha tha

khwab tha shaayad, khwab hi hoga

Sarhad par kal raat suna hain, chali thi goli

Sarhad par kal raat suna hain, kuch khwabon ka khoon hua hain

Two is about Gulzar's experience and feelings about Partition. What struck me in this story is that people just didn't realize what was about to happen. They did not even understand what Partition meant? How can you divide friends? How can you divide one courtyard that lines two homes - the courtyard where the Muslims and Sikhs or Hindus play together? Eat the same morsel from the mother's hand?

'But why, yaar? I have not done anything, nor have you! Why should our land be divided?’

The most touching scene of the book was when families were packing bare minimums and leaving in the dead of night or even in the wee hours of the morning. Whispering amongst each other. Other families, friends would watch people go from their terraces, sobbing silent tears. Or even when one family left their buffalo at a friend's house, the one who was to remain in this divided part of the country...

The book covers Partition and mentions times up till the Kargil war. The main story is only half the book. Read the book anyhow, for the love of words.

Sarhad par kal raat suna hain, chali thi goli

Sarhad par kal raat suna hain, kuch khwabon ka khoon hua hain