Sandesh Shandilya

Poetry, music and conversation on the environment Curated & Presented by Salim Arif Music: Sandesh Shandilya Singers: Vibhawari Apte Joshi and Hrishikesh Ranade Gulzar, one of India’s finest film-makers, best-loved poets and lyricists, is renowned for his inimitable way of marking things, witty expressions and quirky turns of phrases. In a career spanning over 50 years, he has written poems in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi, and often translated from Bangla. Here, the Oscar-winning poet speaks about the environment: rivers, forests, mountains; snow, rain, clouds; the sky, the earth and space; a familiar tree, a disused well; and also, scenic places like Kullu, Manali, Chamba and Thimpu. Like the fleeting glimpses of the nature, his poems on environment are also often short with the image captured in just a few words. All his creativity comes into play in delightful and unexpected ways in his poems on subjects that constitute the nature and environment, celebrating his innate connection with his surroundings and the nature around. Sometimes, the image gives rise to a striking thought, “When I pass through the forest, I feel my ancestors are around me . . .” Based on Gulzar’s poems and concerns around today’s deteriorating environment and the nature, this presentation is curated and directed by Salim Arif, a well-known writer and director. He will engage Gulzar in a conversation on his concerns for nature and the environment as reflected in his poems. Some of the poems will be set to music by Sandesh Shandilya and performed by two talented singers: Vibhawari Apte and Hrishikesh Ranade. The selection will also include some of his popular songs. In a rousing finale, the celebrated poet will take to the stage himself and recite a few poems to reinforce urgency of the matter concerning the depreciating environment among the discerning audience.