31 years later, creator of ‘Ghazal’ meets voice behind verse

“He was overwhelmed when he heard that I had written a poem on ghazal and the singer. Ali was very happy to learn about my work. I handed over an English translation of the poem to his son Aamir Ali who said he would translate the work into Urdu for his father,’’ said Chullikkad after meeting Ali in Thiruvananthapuram.

Chullikkad said that ‘Ghazal’ was written in 1984 to express solidarity with the “ghazal king” after he was told by friends that the Shiv Sena had staged protests against the singer in Mumbai at the time. On Friday night, Ali’s performance as a “state guest” in Thiruvananthapuram came three months after the Sena blocked another show of the legend in Mumbai.

Recalling the events of 1984, Chullikkad said, “My friends in Mumbai told me about how the ghazal king was threatened by the Sena. Shiv Sena was not a force then in Kerala but it has now gained strength in this state, too.’’

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Chullikkad said he waited for most of Thursday at the hotel where Ali stayed to meet the singer. But it was only in the night, during a dinner hosted by the state government in honour of Ali, that the moment arrived.

“Congress MP Shashi Tharoor introduced me to Ali . Ali was excited and surprised but could not speak to me in English,’’ said Chullikkad.

The 58-year-old said he became a fan of Ali in the early 80s when he was a college student in Kochi. “The song ‘chupke chupke raat din’ from the Hindi film Nikaah brought me closer to Ali,” said Chullikkad.

According to the poet, ‘Ghazal’ depicts the problems faced by refugees in the Persian region, where ghazals first flourished. “The background of the poem has turned more macabre three decades later. The Persian region is soaked in blood, the number of refugees has grown from a few thousand to millions. In India, meanwhile, Hindutva and its hate philosophy has become the main narrative of politics,” said Chullikkad.

But today, Chullikkad says, he is reluctant to pen another poem to “depict the social milieu that has got vitiated” since he wrote ‘Ghazal’. “Let the new generation make an attempt. I don’t have the words to explain what is happening.’’

After beginning his career as a poet known for his strident literary voice, Chullikkad went on to become a scriptwriter and actor. In 2000, he adopted Buddhism as his religion.

Before retiring as a state government employee three years ago, Chullikkad also won the national film award in 2003 in the ‘best non-feature film narration/ voice-over’ category for “The 18 Elephants – 3 Monologues”.