'Rahat Indori's death an 'unquantifiable loss', says Gulzar

ted lyricist-poet Gulzar said death of Urdu poet Rahat Indori, who passed away following a heart attack on Tuesday, is a loss that cant be quantified. Indori, 70, was mitted to a hospital on Tuesday morning in Indore after he tested positive for COVID-19.

"It is an unquantifiable loss. He was one of a kind. It's as if somebody has left a void in our Urdu mushairas which can never be filled. Woh jagah ko khali kar ke chale gaye. It is t a big loss, it is a total loss," he told PTI. He remembered Indori as someone who would steal thunder at mushairas (poetry symposium). Wo toh lutera tha mushairon ka. A happy-go-lucky man who was 'jaan' (soul) of mushairas," Gulzar said.

Gulzar said Indori was in total rapport with new generation and times. "He was very relevant. People of all s used to wait for his turn at mushairas. One mostly comes across romantic shers in mushairas, but all his work that he re was about sociopolitical and contemporary climate," he ded. 

Asked when he last spoke to Indori, 85-year-old legendary lyricist said it is difficult to recollect, but it seems as if y spoke just or day. Gulzar said his friend, filmmaker Vidhu Vid Chopra, who worked with Indori on "Mission Kashmir", would often tell him about work, including his songs "Bumbro" and "Dhuaan Dhuaan" on 2000 film.

"I would love it and talk to him (Indori). Jab bhi koi aacha sher sunn liya, phone kar liya, da de di (Whenever I would hear a good sher by him, I'd call him up to congratulate him)," he remembered. 

With a 50-year career in poetry, Indori was kwn for lyrics of songs like "Dekh Le" from Chopra's "Munnabhai MBBS" (2003), "Chori Chori Jab Nazrein Mili" from "Kareeb" (1998), and "Koi Jaye To Le Aaye" from "Ghatak" (1996), and "Neend Churai Meri" from "Ishq" (1997). His lyrics were used in 11 Bollywood films.