World Poetry Day, celebrated on March 21 every year, is dedicated to one of the oldest forms of human expression. Celebrated poet, lyricist, author, screen writer, and film director, Gulzar, says poetry will always be relevant. He believes poetry in India has always been bound with culture and represented the social values and difficulties of that period.
Gulzar quotes Amrita Pritam's famous poem Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah, a heartrending poem written during the riot-torn days that followed the partition of the country. He also refers to poems he read in school like The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson, saying that poetry doesn't know any borders.
Gulzar, who has translated 365 poems, one for every day of the year, written by 279 poets in 34 languages, says nothing brings him more joy than interacting with children. He believes poetry can make children fall in love with nature and teach them about relevant issues like protecting the environment, a cause of concern in modern times.
Gulzar is working on a book called Aab- O- Hawa (climate) that will expose children to poems they can relate to.
