When I saw the full moon stuck between high-rise buildings, I was reminded of the very popular Gulzar song, ‘Mera kuchh samaan’, in which the broken-hearted heroine counts “Ek sau solah, Chand ki raatein(one of 116 nights of the moon)”, in her relationship with her love interest.

Gulzar has written more than 50 poems about the moon. My favourite song by Gulzar on the moon remains his first-ever film song, “Mora gora ang lai-le” from the film Bandini, released in 1963. Gulzar uses the moon to express a beautiful romantic moment in this song. The heroine wants to hide in the dark night with her lover, but the moon illuminates the night. I have heard this song a hundred times or more, yet I can picture the moon peeking in from behind a cloud. The love-struck young girl is having a conversation with the moon. All the girl wanted was to hide behind a veil of darkness, so that she could have some private moments with her love interest.

“Chup jaaongi raat hi mein, mohe pee ka sang dai de”.

She admonishes the moon and curses it to be eclipsed for disturbing her precious romantic moments.

Badari hataa ke chandaa,
chup ke se jhaanke chandaa;
tohe raahu lage bairi,
muskaaye jee jalaai ke

For most of us, the Moon is a celestial object; for Gulzar, it is much more than that. The moon in all its phases plays a recurring role in Gulzar’s writings.

“I think I have a copyright on the moon!” he said in an interview. “Maybe you look up at the sky and only see the moon. I look at it and see a behrupiya, a trickster, that changes faces”.