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Gulzar is one of Indian cinemaâs most sensitive and creative directors; a lyricist par excellence; one whose work never fails to surprise, bring a tear to the eye or a smile on the lips; a humble man with humble beginnings who is unafraid of experimenting. A career that began more than three decades ago comprises a rich repertoire of not just films, but also authoring several anthologies of short stories, including Raavi Paar and Other Stories. One of the two immensely popular television serials that he has directed has been on the life of Mirza Ghalib, who commands Gulzarâs heartstrings, and the most recent one is based on the works of one of Indian literatureâs greats, Munshi Premchand. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi award, Gulzarâs interest in literature is more than just a passing fancy. He writes poetry, short stories, all his works have been translated into English, and he is the creator of the three-line poem, called Triveni. Writing for Gulzar, is his first love, his passion, his junoon, his life breath!

Pavan K. Varma graduated with honours in History from St Stephens College, Delhi, and took a degree in Law from Delhi University. A member of the Indian Foreign Service, he has served in Moscow, in New York at the Indian Mission to the United Nations, and as India’s High Commissioner in Cyprus. He has been Press Secretary to the President of India, Official Spokesman for the Foreign Office, and is at present Director of the Nehru Centre in London. He is the author of Ghalib: The Man, The Times; Krishna: The Playful Divine; Yudhishtar and Draupadi: A Tale of Love, Passions and the Riddles of Existence; The Great Indian Middle Class; The Book of Krishna; and Maximize Your Life (with Renuka Khandekar), all published by Penguin. He has also translated Kaifi Azmi (Selected Poems) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (21 Poems) into English for Penguin.