Baal-o-Par: Collected Poems
About this ebook
Baal-o-Par is a definitive collection of Gulzar's poetry. It comprises the complete text of six volumes of poems: Chand Pukhraaj Ka, Raat Pashminey Ki, Pandrah Paanch Pachhattar, Kuchh Aur Nazmein, Pluto and Triveni. The first volume, Chand Pukhraaj Ka, was written four decades ago; the last, Triveni, in 2004. Taken together, the many hundreds of poems bear witness to a remarkable poetic journey.
Collected together here for the very first time, the poems in Baal-o-Par are all newly translated into English by Rakhshanda Jalil, and appear in bilingual form with the original poem in Devanagari script and the English translation on facing pages.
This unique, irresistible, giftworthy volume deserves pride of place on the shelves of any poetry lover. For every admirer of Gulzar, it is a true collector's edition.
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About the author
Gulzar (b. 1934) is one of India's leading poets; he has published several volumes of poetry and fiction (many of which are available in translation) and is also regarded as one of the country's finest writers for children. A greatly respected scriptwriter and film director, he has been one of the most popular lyricists in mainstream Hindi cinema, gaining international fame when he won an Oscar and a Grammy for the song 'Jai ho'. Gulzar received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2014. In 2024 he was bestowed with the Jnanpith, India's highest literary honour. He is the only person ever to have received both the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Jnanpith Award.He lives and works in Mumbai.
Dr Rakhshanda Jalil is a multi-award-winning translator, writer and literary historian. She has published over twenty-five books, among which are translations of Gulzar's Footprints on Zero Line: Writings on the Partition (HarperCollins, 2017) and his collected poems, Baal-o-Par (HarperCollins, 2024), as well as The Temple and the Mosque: The Best of Premchand (HarperCollins, 2011), The Sea Lies Ahead, a translation of Intizar Husain's seminal novel (HarperCollins, 2015) and a collection of essays, But You Don't Look Like a Muslim (HarperCollins, 2019). She runs an organization called Hindustani Awaaz, devoted to the popularization of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture.
