The music of words
Manjul Bajaj - Hindi | Punjabi

I grew up amidst many languages. My mother was an avid reader of Hindi literature and my father of Urdu poetry. Our dadi spoke to us only in Punjabi. I think of Hindi as my mother tongue primarily because I can read and write in the language. My love for Hindi was kindled through school textbooks. Short stories such as Premchand’s Idgah, Buddhi Kaaki and Badde Bhai Sahib; Yashpal’s Purdah; and Chandradhar Sharma Guleri’s Usne Kaha Tha are deeply ingrained in my psyche. And so are the dohas of Kabir, Rahim and Surdas, and the poetry of Maithili Sharan Gupt, Nirala and Dinkar. I explored Punjabi much later in life, and it was largely through music, which led me to the poetry of Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah — all of whom I adore.