If you are a regular visitor to this blog, then you might have noticed how I have been dishing out these perfect scores to so many books recently. I love tearing a work of art to shreds as much as the next critic. However, I have been truly fortunate to read some excellent books the past month and hence this string of 5/5.
I love being proved wrong when it comes to books or movies against which I have prejudiced myself before reading or watching.
I would begin this review with a confession. I did not know Gulzar wrote anything other than poems and lyrics. When the light of my life (who has been named after Gulzar's daughter by her father) told me about this collection of stories, the first thought which passed through my mind was "big deal".
I have read many short story collections. I didn't think this would be anything different.
Gulzar begins with a story about Javed Akhtar's youth. It is a mildly poignant tale. My cudgels against the book were up by the time I finished through the first part of it which had stories about celebs.
Sometime during the second part of the book, I knew I was in the hands of a master. The way he talks of Mumbai, love, suicide bombers is sure to leave an indelible mark on the psyche of the reader. There is a poetic touch to his stories which is generally missing in the tales narrated by other raconteurs.
I counted the number of stories which moved me. 21 out of 25. A near perfect experience, this should be read by book lovers as a proof that we have amidst us such a towering personality and we should be glad,inspired and consider ourselves lucky for the same.
Hats off to Gulzar Saheb.
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