Premchand’s novels and characters still have relevance in our society. Gulzar is greatly influenced by him. By Ganita
Premchand is as relevant now as he was during the pre-independence era. His literature, the characters he wrote, the problems he talked about, we are still struggling to get over them. Be it the poverty or the caste discrimination, these things are still there in our society and the situation has even gone worse. Hori and Dhaniya are still living in our villages,” sighed Gulzar pointing out the gender and caste-based biases that we still hold I our minds.The celebrated poet-lyricist was highlighting the universality of our vernacular authors at the launch of the screenplay format of Premchand’s classics Godan and Nirmala which were penned by him.
Translated by Saba Mahmood Bashir, the sreenplays are published by Roli books. The screenplays were part of the 26-episode TV series Tehreer... Munshi Premchand Ki and Gulzar thought of bringing it in the format of a book, to make it appealing to the youth. Remembering modern Hindustani literature, Gulzar mentioned Premchand as one of the greatest influences on him. “To bring back our literature we have to present it in the format which appeals most to the young generation living in metropolises. This is my effort to bring back people to reading the literature which is not looked for beyond school or college books,” he said. He seemed really concerned about the social and economic condition of 21stcentury India. He is true in a sense that we are moving towards a capitalist society, still sticking to the centuries-old discrimination. India is still dealing with the problems of poverty, discrimination (gender and caste based both). “I am trying to talk about the political and social situation of India through Premchand,” he said. Munshi Premchand was one of the biggest influences in Gulzar’s association with literature and the eminent poet-lyricist feels his writings have not lost its relevance even after a century. When asked about the career of Munshi Premchand in films, Gulzar said, “It is tough to be in the industry and say what you want to in the purest form. Premchand tried his hand, but he was more inclined in the independence movement. If a writer wants to be in the industry they should not expect to be accepted without any changes being made to their work. Only Sahir ludhiyanvi and Pandit Pradeep managed to go ahead with their originality.” Premchand tried his hands in cinema but couldn't continue with it because he motive in life was different altogether. Premchand had an ability to focus on the problems faced by the country during British Raj, without even pointing directly at the rulers and he has tried to maintain that. Gulzar also mentioned that if Premchand had a translator, his work would have been appreciated that much more. He also pointed out the lack of attention of Sahithya Academy towards it. “It think they should translate all the old works in major Indian languages and English. They have translated some, but the books are in godowns," he pointed out.
We also talked toSaba, who has translated Gulzar’s work in English. He said working with the writer is always a pleasure and a responsibility at the same time. She told us that the copy came to her in Devnagiri script. “It’s an honour to translate a book which has names of both Munshi Premchand and Gulzar sahab on it. It was a pleasure, but with a sense of responsibility," she said. Talking about the relevance of language, the Delhi University professor said, “There is a difference between major languages and minor languages and there are certain privileged languages. Bridging the gap is a challege for us.” The event ended with Gulzar and Saba signing copies for the fans.