Gulzar explains difference between poems and lyrics

Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) If you are interested in poetry and music, you would often wonder what is so diverse in these two forms of writing. Veteran poet and lyricist Gulzar explained the difference at a book launch.

'To write good lyrics you should be a poet because basically there is poetry in lyrics also, but the essential difference between the two is that all poems may not be singable but a lyric has to be singable.

'Lyrics should have the ability of getting merged into compositions and tunes and resemble the form of a song. There is no such compulsion with a poem,' said Gulzar, who has published poetry books like 'Raat Pashmine Ki' and 'Pukhraaj'.

The 74-year-old, who has penned lyrics for award-winning songs like 'Mera kuch samaan', 'Yaara silli silli', 'Do diwane shahar mein', 'Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi', 'Chaiyya Chaiyya', 'Kajra Re' and 'Jai Ho' among many others, gave another distinction between poems and lyrics.

'Poem is your own statement. It is the statement of the poet, whatever he feels. Lyrics when it comes to a film is bound with so many parameters, so many limitations - story, situations, characters, language of the characters. In a poem there are no limitations,' he said.