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By Ananya Datta

Nearly a year after Amrita Pritam’s death Uma Trilok’s book Amrita-Imroz: A Love Story presents a first-hand account of the magical relationship between the legendary poet and the one man she loved enough to rebel against the society.

Much may have been written about the doyenne of Punjabi literature Amrita Pritam and her writings but her unique relation with the famous artist Imroz has been sensitively explored for the first time by Uma.

Uma first encountered their love even before she met Amrita and Imroz. During her first trip to meet Amrita at her Hauz Khas residence in Delhi, Uma had noticed a chail kari (a plant with bright red flowers). In one of her books Amrita had narrated a Gujrati song about a girl asking her lover to plant a chail kari in her lane. And here, in Amrita’s own courtyard and terrace her lover had planted the same plant. On some days Amrita would hold Imroz’s hand and touch the chail kari with her lips, writes Uma.

In Amrita-Imroz Uma Trilok captures the special bond between the two. Though she first met Amrita and Imroz in the mid 90s, she has been able to trace their time together over the past four decades often through conversations, anecdotes, pieces of poetry and even paintings.

More than 40 years ago when Amrita had decided to live with her lover Imroz it was not easy. Such relations were not accepted then. They still are frowned upon now. But Amrita, married and with two children, decided to put her faith in love. Along with Imroz, she has had to pay for it all her life but without any repentance or remorse. During a conversation with Uma, Amrita mentions how she suffered the suffering of her children. She had to explain it to them that an unhappy mother could not give them anything better that what she had.

Imroz’s position was no easier. Some unkindly even termed him a "kept man" despite the fact that in the beginning of their relationship Imroz was far more successful than Amrita. But such labels do not bother Imroz. To remarks like: Log kehte hai ke aap sari zindagi Amrita ko pankha karte karte hi guzar dee (People say you have spent all your life fanning [cheering] Amrita, Imroz’s typical response is: Woh nahi jante ki pankha karte karte hawa mujhe bhi to aayee (They do not know that while fanning her, I too received the breeze.)

Imroz’s love for Amrita needed no societal sanction. In one chapter Uma explores Imroz’s reaction to the other men Amrita was emotionally attached to – Sahir Ludhianwi and Sajjad Haider– and finds that Imroz was all accepting. He knew that he loved Amrita and Amrita loved him.

Amrita-Imroz packs together many such, intimate conversations in the lives of the poet-artist duo.

Uma Trilok has had the benefit of being an intimate witness of the Amrita-Imroz friendship, their unconditional love and their togetherness. Right at the beginning Uma writes that the book is not based on research nor does it boast of a structure. It, in Uma’s own words, is a random collection of annotations about two unconventional people. "It is a short collection of indulgent smiles, hearty laughter, physical suffering, emotional agony, social defiance and some more."

To her credit Uma was able to win their trust. So much trust Amrita and Imroz shared their deepest emotions with her. And Uma Trilok has efficiently captured that trust and love in Amrita-Imroz: A Love Story.