How did you discover Faiz?
I come from a South Indian background and my family was very much into music. It was actually Mehdi Hassan's music which drew me closer to Faiz sahab's work. Those beautiful, mellifluous ghazals left me curious about what he was singing. Later, I became interested in social issues and rights problems. I began getting drawn to the Progressive Writers' Movement. Their work addressed a lot of the unease I felt. I grew very close to Faiz's poetry at this time. The genre of ghazals generally brings to mind a romantic world of escape whereas Faiz's poetry is very real, powerful and challenging.

How do you assess the impact of his ghazals on the world?
For any artist, creative expression is largely a reflection of the person you are.