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(1923-2011)
There is no regret in his passing.
He was a national Adonis for six decades
Who chose his Persephone, his Aphrodite,
His mood, time and space,
And with the consent of the gods
Brought a suave mischief to
Dalliance, lure, enticement,
Throwing down the gauntlet
To beat us at any amorous game!
He was a part of our subconscious.
He brought a winsome juvenescence to feelings,
And took us through labyrinthine thoughts
Into a fresh world of new habits,
Forcing upon us his care for the self, and
Through his genuflection, gesticulation, curtsies,
Guiding us to celebrate a relationship,
To interiorize the emotional space of the cinema
And live by the credo—never stop, live effusively!
Flamboyant and urbane,
He gave ecstasy to style
Through songs like Khoya, khoya chand,
Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kaha,
Hai apna dil to awara, na jane kis par aaye ga,
Yaad kiya dil ne kaha ho tum,
Na tum hame jaano, and
Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya,’
And eternalized our romantic space!
He gave new lyricism to the moonlit night,
To the undulating landscapes,
To the freedom of the spirit,
To regret and memory,
To unrequited love,
To swift evanescence,
To the strange déjà vu of beauty,
Forcing us to say ‘Dev Sahib,
Yeh shararat uff! yun maa!’
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