An ode to love

There are no words that can define love. But when these are strung together in the form of poems and that too by renowned lyricist Irshad Kamil, a definition is not far away

Jasmine Singh

It makes the ride worthwhile, it gives meaning to words, it teaches the heart to cry in happiness, it makes every single minute worth a lifetime…you say it, you neatly scribble it on a card or you tie it around a soft toy, there is no single definition of love, no song that expresses it more. But then there are moments when we yearn to put them down in words, which cascade into lines, flowing into sentences, taking the form of poems, love poems.

Soft-spoken, slightly dreamy, slightly aware of the flashlights, comfortable in his zone Bollywood famous lyricist Irshad Kamil releases his third book Ek maheena nazmon Ka in Chandigarh. A collection of 31 love poems that have already been released in Mumbai and Delhi by some big names from the Hindi film industry - Ranbir Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Deepti Naval, Farah Khan - this book is going to make us fall in love, as the lyricist who dips every line in this expression.

He smiles, probably filling in a puff of fresh air, “Love… ah yes, a beautiful happening, which is packed with joys and hurdles that test the strength of love. This book is all about love. I want the youth to fall in love, love as real as love.”

The book has 31 poems and Irshad would ideally want you to read one before going to bed. “The preface to poems has something in them, a real feeling and if you give 10 minutes to yourself, connect with the inside, read some nice of piece of literature or the poem, in due course of time you will see a change in yourself,” the lyricist goes philosophical.

Even though our lyricist here writes about glossy love now and then for Bollywood, he is aware of something called reality of love. “Today, the life of love is as long as the length of the love SMS; it seems all lovey-dovey, fancy, sweetened with chocolates, but the real love has to go through testing times.”

Coming to his book, Ek maheena nazmon Ka, Irshad calls it a straight-from-the-heart compilation. “In between writing for Bollywood and lot more, there is a time when I want to write for myself. These are poems that I have written when I wanted to pen words for myself. The reason I wrote this book is that I want the youth to fall in love. This time say it with a book is all I say,” adds Irshad, who had sent the first draft to Imtiaz Ali. “He encouraged me to take it forward.” Love has no ending… “Yes, now that the journey of love has started, it will definitely continue.”

jasmine@tribunemail.com