Nagpur: On a Saturday evening washed in words, music and remembrance, the Chitnavis Centre turned into a quiet sanctuary of emotions as Kissa Gulzar Ka unfolded, an ode to the enduring poetry, melodies and silences of Gulzar. The auditorium, filled to capacity, listened not just with ears, but with hearts attuned to memory and meaning.
The evening also marked the birth of छंद (Chhand), a new cultural platform envisioned as a space for unhurried art and intimate conversations. Formally inaugurated by Dr Tejinder Singh Rawal, the chief guest, the platform found its first voice through Gulzar’s work. In his address, Dr Rawal reflected on Gulzar Sahab’s rare mastery of saying more by saying less, of letting pauses speak, and drew a resonant parallel with Chhand’s philosophy of creating experiences that linger, rather than spectacles that rush past.
Gold Rate
12 Jan 2026
Welcoming the audience, Sonal Hikare traced Chhand’s journey from modest theatre workshops in schools and creative engagements with organisations to its first major ticketed cultural evening in Nagpur. She described Kissa Gulzar Ka as both a beginning and a promise—of a cultural home where music, storytelling, theatre and dialogue would find room to breathe.
The evening’s narrative soul was carried by RJ Tejal, whose storytelling gently wove together Gulzar Sahab’s life and creative evolution, from the scars of Partition and early days in Mumbai to his formative associations with Bimal Roy and his enduring imprint on Indian cinema and music. Her voice flowed seamlessly between anecdotes, nazms and reflections, guiding the audience through time with sensitivity and restraint.
Music arrived not as interruption, but as extension. Vocalists Saurabh Kathale, Sakshi Sarode and Lakshyti Kajalkar, accompanied by Pankaj Yadav on tabla and Ninad Hivarale on keys, gave melodic form to Gulzar’s verses. Classics like Surmayi Ankhiyon Mein, Do Naina, Beete Na Bitai Raina, Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla, Chupke Se, Mera Kuch Saamaan, Katra Katra, Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi Shikwa, Iss Mod Se Jaate Hain and Dilbaro emerged one after another, each carefully placed to deepen the emotional arc of the narrative.
As poetry, music and memory converged, the evening built toward a joyous crescendo—a spontaneous jam session that brought all performers together, dissolving boundaries between stage and sentiment. The full house responded with prolonged applause, unwilling to let the night end.
Supported by Spacewood, Anand Jewellers, RERA Property, Aditraa Diamond & Jewellery, Positive Wings, ADJ and Variety Sports, the programme stood as more than an event. It became a quiet cultural assertion—that language still matters, that lyrical sensitivity still finds listeners, and that literature continues to offer refuge in restless times.
With Kissa Gulzar Ka, छंद announced its arrival on Nagpur’s cultural map, not with noise, but with nuance, promising many more evenings where art would be felt, remembered, and carried home.
