It seems incredible to think that a 30-year-old who uses words and a painting brush with equal felicity can pick up a language learning guide from the downtown market of Ahmedabad that is famous for “things that are not in currency” as it is the area where one hardly gets to see any shopping mall, food plaza or a multiplex. It is surprising that this is the place that makes him realise that there is a life that does exist beyond selling, buying and sensual pleasures. Soon he becomes fully conversant with the nuances and idioms of a language that is apparently incompatible with his cultural ethos, ideological concerns, his value system and religious beliefs; surprisingly, within no time, he has a command on the complicated and formidable prosody of that language. Eventually, his ever-increasing proficiency in that particular language, coupled with his creative dexterity earned him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009. It is not a piece of fiction, but what was achieved by Jayant Parmar. His transformation from a Gujarati poet and painter into an accomplished Urdu poet leaves many awe-struck. His poems make it clear that creativity transcends language barrier. His second collection of poems ‘Pencil Aur Doosri Nazmein’ got the Award of the National Academy of Letters – Sahitya Akademi – for Urdu in 2008.

Jayant Parmar who has continuously been haunted by the repugnance of hell pit admits that the atmosphere around him was hardly conducive for any creative work.