Gulzar, an acclaimed figure in Indian cinema and poetry, has reflected on how early experiences shaped his creative journey. Born during the tumultuous period surrounding India’s partition in 1947, Gulzar's childhood was marked by displacement and violence. His family fled their ancestral village in Dina, then part of undivided Punjab, and relocated to Delhi, where the trauma of witnessing widespread bloodshed and suffering left a lasting impact on him.

As a teenager sent to Mumbai by his father to escape the crowded refugee conditions in the capital, Gulzar initially worked in a car garage while pursuing his education. He gradually found intellectual refuge among leftist theater artists and writers in the city during the 1950s, where he began honing his literary skills, often using the pen name Gulzar. It was through this network that he met the legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy, who gave him his start writing film songs.

Gulzar’s first song appeared in a black-and-white film and explored the inner emotions of a woman deeply in love — a theme that showcased his lyrical sensitivity. Over the following decades, Gulzar expanded his creative output beyond songwriting to directing more than a dozen films. Despite his success in cinema, his passion for poetry remained central to his identity and creative expression.

His personal life intertwined with the film industry through his marriage to actress Rakhee, with whom he had a daughter, Meghna Gulzar, now an accomplished filmmaker herself. The couple’s marriage was brief, but Gulzar fondly referred to it as “the longest short story” of his life. As a father, he celebrated Meghna’s birthdays for years by gifting her books of children’s stories he had written.

Since retiring from film direction in 1999, Gulzar has devoted himself primarily to poetry and selective lyric writing, choosing to collaborate only with filmmakers who respect the poetic form and grant him creative freedom. His daily routine revolves around reading and writing in solitude, noting the discipline these pursuits require.

In 2013, during a rare thaw in India-Pakistan relations, Gulzar returned to Dina for the first time in over 70 years. The visit stirred deep memories, prompting him to write that all he desired was a moment to sit in solitude and weep.

Reflecting on his roots and creative inspiration, Gulzar emphasized how life’s experiences continuously shape an individual’s perspective. He illustrated this with the image of a leaf falling from a tree — a metaphor for yearning, change, and the cycle of life that, for him, evokes poetic meaning.

Despite his international renown, Gulzar remains devoted to the power of words to connect and transform. He has said that poetry is a personal commitment that grows within the writer, offering a unique way to process and communicate the complexities of human experience.