The idea of writing a book on Aandhi came about on the day I received the advance copy of I Swallowed the Moon: The Poetry of Gulzar. And the moment I shared the idea with Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, then managing editor at HarperCollins India, he was as excited as I was. And, that is how I started work on this book.
I can never thank Gulzar saab enough. I got to know him when I was finishing my PhD thesis, which was a comparison of his film and non-film poetry (which later came out as a book, I Swallowed the Moon). I have been in touch with him ever since and got to know him as one of the most humble and affectionate persons around. He was always there for any query that I had during the writing process. His detailed interview in this book gives a unique insight into what went into the making of the film. Thank you very much, Gulzar saab.
Shantanu and I share the common bond of fondness for Gulzar saab’s works, and in the last couple of years have spent hours mulling over them. Thank you, Shantanu and Harper Collins for trusting me with this book. I would also like to thank Arcopol Chaudhuri and Rinita Banerjee for the final edits of the book.
Thanks to Prasanna for sharing my excitement for writing and encouraging me to keep at it every time I would pause.
Ammi, Abbu: Thank you for always being there for me.
Amir and Sana, you have actually been there for me – physically and emotionally, through time, even when life was engulfed in one long aandhi. Thank you, both.
Thank you, God, for bringing these people into my life.