Acclaimed and most revered poet, lyricist and Film maker Gulzar has included Brij Nath Betab’s poetry in his anthology of Indian poetry titled A poem a day. Published by Harper Collins, the anthology comprises 365 poems in 34 languages from across India. All the poems have been selected and translated by Mr. Gulzar himself.
Talking about the anthology, in an interview with News Laundary a literally web magazine, Mr Gulzar praised Betab’s poetry, saying that poetry is mirror into society that provides insight into the personal lives of ethnically diverse people.As an example, he recited Betab’s two poems from the book titled Shadow these people are treated,” Gulzar says.
Despite India’s diversity, “somewhere, we are all connected culturally and politically.” He urged people, especially youngsters, to read poetry.
The 968 page book is the result of nine years of hard work, says Gulzar, as it involved selection and translation of 279 poets from 34 Indian languages.
Expressing gratitude for Mr Glzar and the publisher, Betab says that by using my two poems, the anthology has given voice to all those people who are uprooted because of terrorism.
Migration is a dominant theme in my poetry, says Betab, a senior fellow with the Ministry of Culture Govt of India.