“In the Times of Love and Longing”, a book by Amrita Pritam and Imroz Is a beautiful collection of heart-touching letters exchanged between renowned artist and poet, Amrita Pritam and a great painter, Imroz over a period of several years.
The reading journey takes us through many of the beautiful letters which were exchanged between Amrita and Imroz when they were in different cities. The intensity of their love can be seen in so many words telling us the way they longed to meet each other, the way Imroz would eagerly wait to hear Amrita’s voice over the radio.
Trapped in a loveless marriage at a young age, Amrita Pritam dared to love artist Imroz later.
I remember the two beautiful lines from the book,which I would like to quote here, where Imroz writes “Love is the only freedom in the world” to which Amrita replies “And You are my 15th August”.
Imroz , in his letters often calls her Barkate, which in Punjabi means abundance. “My frugal fare blossomed into plenty with her touch,” he writes.
The simple lines show us the depth of their love.
The love letters of Amrita and Imroz are an interesting insight into the personalities of two highly creative minds. They cast a spell over our mind and heart. We get intimate glimpses of the extraordinary relationship between the renowned author and poet and her artist companion.
The handwritten letters delivered by the government postal service were the only recourse available to Amrita and Imroz while they were persuing their careers in different cities. In those days Amrita was in Delhi and Imroz was in Mumbai. It is surprising to see that they discussed each day’s happening with each other, even if it took days for the other to receive the letter.
But “In the Times of Love and Longing”, certainly goes far beyond the letters, it is also describes Amrita and Imroz’s memories, love and longing. It is about the celebration they lived for more than 40 years, their only commitment being that of an unspoken, unsaid and unconditional love for each other. The book surely makes us believe in love. A pure and unadulterated love!
In short “In the Times of Love and Longing can be this described as a story so beautiful, a dialogue so alive, a silence so articulate, a longing so divine, and a love so eternal – rarest of the rare culmination.
©️Sheetal Pradhan Deshpande
