Mehdi and I were pukka Punjabis: Gulzar

Veteran filmmaker and lyricist Gulzar reminisced good times he spent with Mehdi Hassan. The legendary ghazal singer passed away in a Karachi hospital on wednesday after a prolonged illness. His death has saddened his fans worldwide. Gulzar remembered the maestro as an emotional and warm person.
“Mehdi Hassan’s name is synonymous with ghazals. In the 1970s, we used to have those quarter inch tapes, and I remember the excitement when his ghazal cassettes would arrive from Pakistan.Fans would get together to share and listen to his ghazals. I have seen so many people fall in love with Mehdi just listening to his voice. People think when intellectuals meet, all they talk about is their art, but it’s not the case. Mehdi and I were pukka Punjabis. Like Punjabis, we would discuss food most of the time. We would share jokes.
"He would come to my place to get away from the crowd after concerts, and my house would be filled with his fans by the time he came to rest. Rekha was an ardent admirer. She would call and come over the moment she came to know Mehdi was here with me. I had the privilege of introducing him when he first came to Mumbai for his concert in 1978. Who can ever forget the moment he started singing, “Gulon mein rang bhare. Baad-e-naubahaar chale. Chale bhi aao.. ke gulshan ka.. karobar chale”.
"Mehdi was an extremely warm and emotional man. He would come to my house aur uthte baithte he would say, “Ek jhappi dalo’. I met him last when he had come to Mumbai for his treatment a few years ago. I could not bear to see the tears in his eyes — he would cry because he could not sing anymore. I have a friend in Karachi called Zia. I used ask him to take flowers for Mehdi when he was in the hospital. I knew for some time this day was coming. The dark shadows were extending.”