Gulzar Saab’s Aamchi Mumbai Is Not a Romantic Letter to the City, but a Portrait of Its Realities: Poet on Mumbai’s Magic, Monsoon and More at Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2026

Veteran poet, writer, lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar Saab mesmerised an audience of nearly 400 with his evocative words at Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2026 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). The hour-long session, titled Ek Shayar Iss Sheher Mein: A Poet’s Love Letter to His City, saw the legendary writer in conversation with scholar and translator Rakshanda Jalil and screenwriter and lyricist Kausar Munir. The discussion centred on poems and stories from his book, Aamchi Mumbai: My City in Stories and Poems.

“The book is about stories and poems about the city (Mumbai), and it’s so wonderful that we’re sitting in one of the venues that is at the epicentre of the city’s artistic and cultural ethos, the National Centre for the Performing Arts,” said Munir, who chaired the session. She then asked Gulzar Saab an interesting question: the cover of the book describes it as My City in Stories and Poems, while its title, Aamchi Mumbai, means “Our Mumbai”.

“In the early years, when discussions about the linguistic reorganisation of the newly independent Indian states were taking place, there were conversations about whether Mumbai should be the capital of Maharashtra or a joint capital with Gujarat. This led to sloganeering that became quite popular. The question would be, ‘Mumbai konachi?’ (Whom does Mumbai belong to?), to which the response would be, ‘Mumbai aamchi’ (Mumbai belongs to us). From there, I picked Aamchi Mumbai (Our Mumbai) for the title,” shares Gulzar Saab.

The nonagenarian went on to say that the slogan had resonated with him ever since he arrived in the city six decades ago. “I see Mumbai as my partner. I imagine hugging Mumbai and saying, ‘Yes, it is aamchi Mumbai’...”

The conversation meandered through passages and stanzas from the book. Munir pointed out that Gulzar Saab had written it as an observer of the city. “It is not a romantic letter to the city, but, in fact, shows the realism of Mumbai. There’s good, but there’s also the ugliness and stark reality of the city.” 

Complimenting Jalil’s work, Gulzar Saab said, “I would like to take this opportunity to say that Rakshanda has been playing a huge role in making sure that Urdu literature reaches the masses by translating it into English.”

“There’s curiosity and whimsy in Gulzar Saab’s writing, which makes his style quite unique and challenging to translate,” said Jalil, who translated the book from Urdu into English. Citing an example of what makes Gulzar saab a wizard of words and inimitable, Jalil recalled travelling to America with him. They were sitting on a plane when she noticed him observing something outside the window.

“I was working on the laptop and he was in the window seat, and he said, ‘Bhede hain, aapas mein lad rahi hain’ (There are sheep, and they are fighting). I was puzzled. Where were the sheep? Then I realised he was looking at the clouds. Indeed, those little tufts of clouds looked like a flock of sheep fighting among themselves,” she said with a laugh.

The book and the discussion made it clear that Gulzar Saab loves every facet of Mumbai and has observed the many changes the city has undergone, even as those changes pain him. The city has transformed over the six decades since he arrived in the 1950s, yet he continues to call it Aamchi Mumbai. The poet also shared that the gap between Mumbai’s rich and poor had always existed, but poverty was never as stark and ugly as it is today. 

For him, one thing remains constant: the broad-shouldered monsoon, when the city slows down and every nook and corner holds a story for those who observe carefully. “Something happens to this city when it rains!”

Published on: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 08:46 PM IST