Chitra Prasad
Geneticist & Author
POETRY AND EMOTIONS ON CELLULOID
The Role of Hindi Film Lyricists
BOOK
Poetry and Emotions on Celluloid
The Role of Hindi Film Lyricists
Even when we seemingly have nothing —we often have music. Timeless melodies with infectious and nostalgic lyrics decorate our memories. My book pays homage to the great lyricists whose words spoke to me and enriched my life.
Join me as I celebrate the lyricists who inadvertently gave me immeasurable strength and encouragement!
REVIEWS
JAVED AKHTAR,
LYRICIST, POET & SCREENWRITER
“
Chitra’s book “Poetry and Emotions on Celluloid: Role of Hindi Film Lyricists”, will be doing a great service, because it is bringing awareness to the importance of good words and poetry, something that we all are now already sensitized to. I am sure this book will make a difference to how we perceive lyrics and poetry and their contribution to our society.
SARTHAK DASGUPTA, FILMAKER & AUTHOR
The passion with which this book has been researched and written is infectious. It is almost like listening to an eclectic playlist in a jukebox page after page. The songs so deeply etched in our souls and their immortal writers come alive as one reads the book. It is like reading the birth of independent India seen through the prism of popular songs that shaped our collective consciousness. This is nothing less than a collector’s item.
“
ABOUT ME
I'm a professor in paediatrics, genetics and metabolism at Western University (London Ontario, Canada).
I am an ardent fan of literature, poetry, art and Hindi films. I firmly believe in the value of “poetry”.
This book is my homage to the extraordinary Hindi film lyricists for their invaluable contribution to the tapestry of the Indian cinema. Their words resonate with all the human emotions depicted in the movies.
Several members of my family are artists, singers, poets, and writers. All of whom, have shaped my journey as a student of music and continue to enrich my life. I believe that words, whether spoken, written or sung, provide healing and what better way to heal the world than one word at a time.
I live with my family in London Ontario, Canada.
Inspirations
Welcome! Take a few minutes and listen to me talk about what inspired me to write this book with our daughter, Charu!
What is my book about?
I grew up on Hindi films and songs. The lyricists of those songs are my heroes. Songs and emotions are delicately linked together. My book honours these unsung heroes. My life’s journey through its various ups and downs can be summed very nicely by Anand Bakshi's song from film “Piya ka ghar”.
||Ye jeevan hai, is jeeva ka yahi hai, Yahi hai rang roop, thode gham ai thodi khushiya yahi hai yahi hai chanv dhoop||
||This life of ours is a mosaic of happiness and sadness and of travelling under the shade or the sun at times.||
What inspired me to write?
Charu asked me about the lyricists and their thoughts. For me the world holds the promise of new Dawn each day. As in the immortal words of Sahir Ludhianavi:
||Jab ambar jhoom ke nachega jab dharti nagme gayegi, vo subah kabhi to ayegi||
||There will be joy in this world. There will be peace and harmony and that morning will definitely come||
How do I live in the moment?
Here, we talk about mindfulness and how to be still in this frantic pace of life. Javed Akhtar’s song from “Kal ho na ho” reminds me that time is fleeting and there may not be another day or moment. This present is all that we have.
||Har ghadi badal rahi hai roop zindagi, chaav hai kabhi hai dhoop zindagi
Har pal yaha jee bhar jiyo, jo hai sama kal ho na ho||
||Life is changing right before our eyes, it brings sorrow and joy. Live each moment fully my friend as this movement is never going to return.||
How do mothers shape our journey?
Charu and I talk about what motherhood means to me and how various lyricists express this important phase of human life. Here, I chose to share Anand Bakshi's song from the movie, "Raja aur Rank". This is a very sweet song about the qualities of the mother.
||Ma bacho ji Jaan hoti hai,
Wo hote hai kismat wale jinki ma hoti hai,
Ye jo duniya hai,
Ye van hai katon ka tu phulwari o ma,
Tu kitni achhi hai,
Tu kitni bholi hai pyari pyari hai o ma.||
||Mothers not only give life but are also the lifelines for the children. They are indeed blessed who have their mothers or mother-like figures with them. Mothers protect us at every step, take care of all our problems.||
Thank you all for your support!
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