/> If the inimitable Gulzar has lately been more reclusive than usual it is with good reason. First Shammi Kapoor, then Gautam Rajadhyaksha. It's not been an easy month for the sensitive Gulzar. In fact the habitually-reclusive Gulzar had withdrawn further into his shell.

He finally emerges from his pensive period to finally remember the friends that have gone by.

"I still haven't had the courage to visit Shammi's wife, my Bhabhi Neelaji. I'll do so soon. His going was a deep blow to me. Shammi Kapoor taught me how to drink, " Gulzar Saab surprises with his confession.

‘It was during the making of Ramesh Sippy's Andaz which I had written. I'd see Shammi taking vigorous swigs from the bottle. He initiated me into drinking. He was a star on screen. But a Sufi in person. He was so full of life till the end. I miss him. "

Photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha too left suddenly.

Says Gulzar Saab, "Not that we met that often. But whenever we did I felt very comfortable with him. Gautam was a gentle soul. I wrote the foreward to one of his books.

He not only wrote the history of the heroines with his camera he was quite an author in more literary and literal ways. I had been to his home for a meal. He was very much in character, a kind gentle warm and welcoming host. It's difficult to lose two such endearing people in your lives. "

Gulzar Saab is now working on the lyrics of two major Hindi films, Yash Chopra's next Shah Rukh-Katrina-Anushka Sharma starrer with music by A R Rahman and Vishal Bhardwaj's comedy with Ajay Devgn-Anushka.

The two projects pose different poetic challenges for Gulzar Saab. And he's into the groove completely.