Poetic Splendor: Gulzar Opens 15th Mumbai LitFest with Heartfelt Verses

“You are not alone. No person is alone. We are all interconnected through many relationships in our lives” – Gulzar Sahab shared while inaugurating the iconic The Literature Live! Mumbai Litfest 2024

● The Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest 2024 commenced with Gulzar’s timeless poetry

● The Litfest received an overwhelming response on the very first day, with the entire venue packed with audiences from across the globe

● Many well-known names made their presence felt at the fest

Event Summary

The Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2024 was inaugurated by one of India’s cultural icons, poet, filmmaker, lyricist and writer, Gulzar, Mr Nadir Godrej and historian, poet and writer Dr Pavan K Varma. The inauguration ceremony paid tribute to Anil Dharker, the founder of Literature Live!

This was followed by FOR THE LOVE OF THE WORD: THE ANIL DHARKER SESSION, POETRY IS LIFE, a conversation based on the life and works of Gulzar, who received a spontaneous standing ovation from a packed Tata Theatre on entering. The session started with a beautiful shayari by Gulzar Saab. He spoke to Pavan K Varma on how there is no time like now to underline the relevance of words today.

While explaining the relevance of poetry in everyday life, Gulzar elaborated through another shayari how poetry becomes a necessary language as wars rage, and society is rife with divisions and strife. It has the power to help find hope, to heal, calm, and even give voice to the voiceless. The Padma Bhushan awardee also recited several poems in Urdu, underscoring themes of environment, romance, and politics, some of which Pavan K Varma translated in English for the audience.

The session concluded with a Q & A session, where attendees directly asked questions to the renowned shayar, and with his responses, he regaled them with some more of his nazms.

Baal-o-Par, a collector’s edition of Gulzar’s collection of poems in six volumes was unveiled in the presence of Subhash Ghai, one of Indian cinema’s prolific directors and Udayan Mitra from Harper Collins India.

The 900 plus audience rose to its feet again to salute Gulzar saab when he left the stage after a most enthralling session.

The Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest, presented by Godrej Industries Group, in association with NCPA and powered by Kotak, returned for its 15th edition this year at the NCPA. The much-loved festival is a celebration of literary excellence and is recognised as one of the most iconic arts festivals in India. The inaugural day saw jam-packed venues with book lovers across the globe congregating at the venue to meet their favourite authors and connect with a larger reader community.

Quote

On why poetry is his consistent art form, Gulzar said, “You are not alone. No person is alone. We are all interconnected through many relationships in our lives. You are a neighbour, a lover, a country. You are a small little part of a whole world. And when you write anything – a poem or a novel, you are never an individual. When you include everyone around you with you, you are a writer, and you pause and document that time. Any creative person, when they are writing, or creating music – any art form – is creating a capsule of time and documenting it concisely. I feel closest to shayari and nazm. They are the best medium to say so much with so little.”