New Delhi: Legendary lyricist-poet Gulzar, who has revealed a new side of him with his charcoal sketches published for the first time, says he doesn’t consider himself as an artist.
“These sketches are like scribblings that we do while writing. I am not conscious about it. I like the feel of charcoal. It is just my hobby. I am not an artist. I am not a painter,” Gulzar said.
Published by Harper Collins, “Pluto” is a collection of short poems. Charcoal sketches by the 80-year-old Academy Award-winning lyricist has been published for the first time in the book.
Away from the eyes of the world, Gulzar says he has been making such sketches for a long time. Hundreds of them are tucked into his cupboard.
“I tear off many and keep some of them. I didn’t have the courage to publish it, but this time I did because the editor of my book liked them,” Gulzar said.
“I don’t know since when I am making sketches. I have lots of them. I may publish more,” he added.
The first such sketch in the book shows the rotation of a planet beautifully within the letter “P” which stands for the title of the book.
When told Rabindranath Tagore too used to scribble while writing poems and had turned it into an art in its own right, he humbly said, “Do not compare me with that genius.