In another poem (Raakh – “Ash”) Gulzar said something very insightful about the revolution:
Salakhon ke peechhe pade inqilaabi ki ankhon mein bhi
Raakh, utarne, hai!
Dahakta hua koila der tak jab na phoonka gaya ho
To shole ki ankhon mein bhi
Motiye ki safedi utar aati hai
(Ashes also begin to fall into the eyes
From the revolutionary behind bars!
If the glowing coal has not been blown out for a long time
Even in the eyes of the flame
The whiteness of the cataract decreases)
Despite his modern tone and style, somewhere inside Gulzar there is also a little revolutionary. This revolutionary wants to speak in the manner of the progressives and in words similar to those of Iqbal, but perhaps he is not brave enough. So he limits himself to expressing his anger, but even such an expression of anger has its own meaning.
My point of view can be judged by the last two poems (Kahin Jana Nahin Hai – “I can’t go anywhere” and Main cigarette for Nahin Peeta – “I don’t smoke cigarettes”)
No sooner said than done,
This is a sad story about the
Kahin on the way to the signal
I’m going to rock it
Koi chillaa ke gaali de ga
Koi ‘Horn’ Bajaye Ga
Zara ehsaas to ho ga ke zinda hain
Hamari, that happened quickly!!
(I can’t go anywhere
Just loitering pointlessly on the streets
Interrupt the signal somewhere
Stop someone
Someone will shout a swear word
Someone else will blow the “horn”!
We will at least feel that we are alive
We have an existence!!)
