On His B’day, Gulzar Speaks About the Partition and Languages

EXCLUSIVE: Gulzar talks about the Partition, its impact on languages, culture, and politics, and a lot more.

Gulzar turns 88.

Photo: (Sanjoy Deb/Saumya Pankaj/The Quint) 

The man is a blend of virtuosity and vigour. Translated by Dr Rakhshanda Jalil, Footprints on Zero Line: Writings on the Partition is an evocative collection of Gulzar’s poetry and short stories where “he wants to peel back, layer upon layer, the silence that had settled upon the lives of those most affected by the partition.”

The book was launched at an event marking the opening of the Partition Museum in Amritsar on 17 August 2017.

In this exclusive interview with The Quint, Gulzar talks about the Partition, its impact on languages, culture and politics, and a lot more. While Gulzar’s views on the Partition are well-known, he remains cheerful about the languages.

Podcast Editor: Abhishek Ranjan

(This article is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 17 August 2017. It is now being republished to mark Gulzar’s birthday.)