Sahir Ludhianvi
Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October
1980), popularly known by his takhallus (pen name) Sahir Ludhianvi, was an
Indian poet and film song lyricist who wrote in the Urdu and Hindi languages.
His work influenced Indian cinema, in
particular Bollywood film. Sahir won a Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for Taj
Mahal (1963). He won a second Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for his work on
Kabhie Kabhie (1976). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971. On 8 March 2013,
the ninety-second anniversary of Sahir's birth, a commemorative stamp was
issued in his honour.
Life
Early life and
education
Sahir was born on 8 March 1921, in a red
sandstone haveli in Karimpura, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, into a Gujjar Muslim
landlord family. This is the reason why he added the suffix Ludhianvi after his
name. His mother, Sardar Begum, left her husband thus forfeiting any claim to
financial assets from the marriage. In 1934, Sahir's father remarried and sued
(acrimoniously and unsuccessfully) for custody of his son. In a recent
biography titled Sahir: A Literary Portrait (Oxford University Press) written
by US-based author Surinder Deol. This book author agrees with the very brief
conclusion of Pakistani poet Ahmad Rahi, who had been a friend of Sahir over
the years, about Sahir's lifestory in a nutshell, "In his entire life,
Sahir loved once, and he nurtured one hate. He loved his mother, and he hated
his father." Sardar Begum required protection from Sahir's father and suffered
financial deprivation. Sahir's place of birth is marked with a small plaque on
the building's arched entrance.
Sahir was educated at the Khalsa High
School in Ludhiana. He then enrolled at the Government College, Ludhiana. The
auditorium there is named after him. As a college student, Sahir was popular
for his ghazals and nazms (poetry in Urdu) and empassioned speeches.
Partition
In 1943, Sahir settled in Lahore. There,
he completed Talkhiyaan (Bitterness) (1945), his first published work in Urdu.
Sahir edited Urdu magazines such as Adab-e-Lateef, Shahkaar, Prithlari, and
Savera and became a member of the Progressive Writers' Association. However,
when he made controversial statements promoting communism, a warrant for his
arrest was issued by the Government of Pakistan. In 1949, after partition,
Sahir fled from Lahore to Delhi. After eight weeks, Sahir moved to Bombay. He
later lived in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai. There, his neighbours included
Gulzar, a poet and lyricist and Krishan Chander, an Urdu litterateur. In the
1970s, Sahir built a bungalow which he called Parchaiyaan (Shadows), after one
of his works, and lived there till his death.
Personal life
Although there were numerous women in his
life, he never married all his life. An example of this is Amrita Pritam, whose
love for Ludhianvi was not equally reciprocated. It has been reported in the
news media that Amrita Pritam became so infatuated with Sahir's genius that she
would puff at the cigarette butts he had left behind after visiting her. At one
time, he was also engaged to Pakistani novelist Hajira Masroor.
Career
Sahir's work as a lyricist in the film
industry gave him financial stability beyond his earnings as a poet. He made
his debut with four songs performed in the film Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949). One
of the songs was Badal Rahi Hai Zindagi. Both the film and its songs went
unnoticed. However, after Naujawan (1951 film), with music by S.D. Burman,
Sahir gained recognition. Sahir's major success was Baazi (1951). Again, the
composer was Burman. Sahir was then considered part of Guru Dutt's team. The
last film Sahir made with Burman was Pyaasa (1957). In Pyaasa, Guru Dutt played
a poet named Vijay. After Pyaasa (1957), Sahir and Burman went separate ways
due to artistic and contractual differences.
Sahir did work with other composers
including Ravi, Roshan, Khayyam and Datta Naik. Datta Naik also credited as N.
Datta, a Goan, admired Sahir's poetry and their collaboration produced the
score for Milaap (1955), Chandrakanta (1956), Saadhna (1958), Dhool Ka Phool
(1959). Sahir also worked with music director Laxmikant–Pyarelal in the films
like "Man Ki Aankhe", "Izzat", "Dustan" and Yash
Chopra's "Daag" all have fabulous songs. From about 1950 until his
death, Sahir collaborated with Baldev Raj Chopra (1914 - 2008), a film producer
and director. Sahir's last work for Chopra was for Insaaf Ka Tarazu. Yash
Chopra, an independent director and producer, also engaged Sahir.
In 1958, Sahir wrote the lyrics for
Ramesh Saigal's film Phir Subah Hogi, which was based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's
novel Crime and Punishment. The male lead was played by Raj Kapoor. It was
presumed that Shankar-Jaikishan would be the composer but Sahir demanded a
composer with a more intimate knowledge of the novel. Khayyam composed the film
score. The song Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi with its minimal background music
remains popular. Khayyam collaborated with Sahir in many films including Kabhie
Kabhie and Trishul.
Sahir was a controversial figure in that
he was artistically temperamental. He insisted that the film score should be
composed for his lyrics and not the other way around. He also insisted on being
paid one rupee more than Lata Mangeshkar and this created a rift between them.
Sahir promoted his girlfriend, Sudha Malhotra's singing career. He also
insisted that All India Radio credit film song lyricists.
Works
Poetry
Sahir wrote,
"मैं
पल दो पल का शायर हूँ, पल दो पल मेरी कहानी है
पल दो पल मेरी हस्ती है, पल दो पल मेरी जवानी है
मुझसे पहले कितने शायर, आए और आकर चले गए,
कुछ आहें भरकर लौट गए, कुछ नग़मे गाकर चले गए
वो भी एक पल का किस्सा थे, मै भी एक पल का किस्सा हूँ
कल तुमसे जुदा हो जाऊँगा, जो आज तुम्हारा हिस्सा हूँ"
Sahir was different from his contemporaries
in that he did not praise Khuda (God), Husn (beauty) or Jaam (wine). Instead,
he wrote bitter yet sensitive lyrics about the declining values of society; the
senselessness of war and politics; and the domination of consumerism over love.
His love songs, tinged with sorrow, expressed his realisation that there were
other, starker concepts more important than love.
Sahir might be called the "bard for
the underdog". Close to his heart were the farmer crushed by debt, the
soldier gone to fight someone else's war, the woman forced to sell her body,
the youth frustrated by unemployment and the family living on the street for
instance. Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India said he was moved by
Sahir's lyrics in Pyaasa. Vijay, as he is passing through a red light area
sings,
"ये
कूचे, ये नीलामघर दिलकशी के,
ये लुटते हुए कारवां ज़िंदगी के,
कहाँ है कहाँ है मुहाफ़िज़ खुदी के?
जिन्हें नाज़ है हिंद पर,वो कहाँ हैं?"
Sahir's poetry was influenced by noted
Pakistani poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Like Faiz, Sahir gave Urdu poetry an
intellectual element that caught the imagination of the youth of the 1940s,
1950s and 1960s and reflected the feelings of the people of that period. He
roused people from an independence-induced smugness. He would pick on the
self-appointed custodian of religion, the self-serving politician, the
exploitative capitalist, and the war-mongering super-powers. Sahir wrote with
verve about the arrest of progressive writers in Pakistan; the launch of the
satellite Sputnik and the discovery of Ghalib by a government lusting after
minority votes. He wrote Kahat-e-Bangal (The Famine of Bengal) at 25 years of
age. Subah-e-Navroz (Dawn of a New Day), mocks the way people celebrate while
the poor exist in squalor. Of the Taj mahal, he wrote,
"मेरे
महबूब कहीं और मिला कर मुझसे,
बज़्म- ए-शाही में ग़रीबों का गुज़र क्या माने.
सबत जिन राहों पर है सतबते शाही के निशां
उसपे उल्फत भरी रूहों का गुज़र क्या माने?"-
Sahir Ludhianvi asks his lover to meet
him anywhere else but at the Taj Mahal: although the tomb has been a symbol of
luxurious monarchy for years, there is no need for beautiful (but not famous)
hearts to travel to meet there.
Sahir Ludhianvi recited this poetry
couplet at his college event, when he was barely 19 years old, and created an
uproar in the literary circles:
Ek Shahensha Ne Daulat Ka Sahara Lekar,
Hum Gharibon Ki Mohabbat Ka Udaya Hai Mazaq
Of his legacy, Sahir
writes,
"कल
और आयेंगे नगमो की खिलती कलियाँ चुनने वाले,
मुझसे बेहतर कहनेवाले,
तुमसे बेहतर सुननेवाले;
कल कोई उनको याद करे,
क्यूँ कोई मुझको याद करे?
मसरूफ ज़माना मेरे लिए क्यूँ
वक़्त अपना बर्बाद करे?"
"Tomorrow there will be more who
will narrate the love poems. May be someone narrating better than me.
May be someone listening better than you.
Why should anyone remember me? Why should anyone remember me?
Why should the busy age waste its time
for me?"
Books
Mahmood K. T. (2000) Kalām-i Sāḥir Ludhiyānvī. A collection of Ludhiavni's poetry with
English translation.
Abbas K. A. (1958) Shadows Speak:
(Parchhalyan). 29 pages.
Hassan R. (1977) The Bitter Harvest:
Selections from Sahir Ludhiavni's Verse. 169 pages.
Sucha S. (1989) Sorcery (Sahri): poetry.
Gaata jaye Banjara (1992). A collection
of film lyrics.
Bitterness: Talkhiyan
Bollywood songs
Thandi hawayen lehra ke aayein sung by
Lata Mangeshkar, composer S. D. Burman in Naujawan (1951 film)
Jaayein tau jaayein kahan sung by Talat
Mahmood, composer S. D. Burman in Taxi Driver (1954 film)
आना है तो आ, sung by Mohammed Rafi, in Naya Daur
(1957) O.P. Nayyar, composer.
Jane Kya tune kahi, sung by Geeta Dutt,
Jane Woh Kaise, sung by Hemant Kumar and ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है, sung by Mohammed Rafi in Pyaasa (1957)
S.D. Burman, composer.
Chin-o-arab hamara, hindustan hamara,
rehne ko ghar nahi hai, saara jahan hamara, sung by Mukesh in Phir Subah Hogi
(1959) Khayyam, composer.
तू हिंदू बनेगा ना मुसलमान बनेगा, sung by Mohammed Rafi in Dhool Ka Phool
(1959) Datta Naik, composer.
ये इश्क़ इश्क़ है, sung by Mohammed Rafi and Manna De in
Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) Roshan, composer.
ना तो कारवाँ की तलाश है, sung by Mohammed Rafi, Manna De, Asha
Bhonsle and Sudha Malhotra in Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) Roshan, composer.
अल्ला तेरो नाम ईश्वर तेरो नाम, sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hum Dono
(1961) Jaidev, composer.
चलो इक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाए हम दोनों (Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabee ban
jaayen hum dono, sung by Mahendra Kapoor in Gumrah (1963) Ravi, composer.
तुम अगर साथ देने का वादा करो, sung by Mahendra Kapoor in Hamraaz
(1967), Ravi, composer.
"Babul ki duaen leti ja", sung
by Muhammed Rafi in "Neelkamal"
मन रे तू काहे ना धीर धरे? sung by Mohammed Rafi and संसार से भागे फिरते हो, भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Chitralekha
(1964) Roshan, composer.
Tora Mann Darpan Kehlaye sung by Asha
Bhosle in Kaajal (1965) Ravi, composer.
ईश्वर अल्ला तेरे नाम sung by Mohammed Rafi in Naya Raasta
(1970) Datta Naik, composer.
मै पल दो पल का शायर हूँ sung by Mukesh in Kabhi Kabhi (1976)
Khayyam, composer.
कभी कभी sung by Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar in Kabhi
Kabhi (1976), Khayyam, composer.
aye meri zoharjabin Waqt (1965 film) sung
by Manna Dey, Ravi (music director)
aagey bhi jane na tu film Waqt (1965)
sung by Asha Bhonsle, Ravi, composer.
Saathi haath badhana- in Naya Daur (1957
film), sung by Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle.
"Ye Dil Tum Bin Kahin Lagata Nahin
"Izzat" 1969 Lata-Rafi..Laxmikant–Pyarelal
"Chala Bhi Aa Aja Rasiya "Man
Ki Aankhe" 1970 Lata-Rafi Laxmikant–Pyarelal
"Na Tu Zameen Ke Liye Na Aasaman Ke
Liye "Dastan" 1972 Mohammad Rafi Laxmikant–Pyarelal
मेरे दिल में आज क्या है (Daag) 1973 sung by Kishore Kumar,
Laxmikant Pyarelal, composer.
Main zindagi ka sath nibhata chala gaya
in Hum Dono (1961) sung by Mohammed Rafi, Jaidev composer.
Kabhi Khud pe Kabhi haalat pe rona aaya
in Hum Dono (1961) sung by Mohammed Rafi, Jaidev, composer.
Abhi Na Jao chhodkar ke dil abhi bhara
nahin in Hum Dono (1961) sung by Mohammed Rafi, Asha Jaidev, composer.
Neele Gagan Ke Tale in Humraaz (1967)
sung by Mahendra Kapoor, Ravi composer.
Mein pal do pal ka shaayar hoon sung by
Mukesh, in film Kabhie Kabhie (1976 film), Khayyam (composer)
Biographies
Sahir's life has been chronicled by Sabir
Dutt[20] and by Chander Verma and Dr. Salman Abid in "Main Sahir
Hoon"
In 2010, Danish Iqbal wrote a stage play
entitled, Sahir, about the poet's life. It was successfully directed by Pramila
Le Hunt in its Delhi premier. It used song to narrate Sahir's life.
Sahir Ludhianvi: the People's Poet by
Akshay Manwani The book is the product of interviews and writings about Sahir
given by his friends such as Yash Chopra, Dev Anand, Javed Akhtar, Khayyam,
Sudha Malhotra, Ravi Chopra and Ravi Sharma. The book also analyses Sahir's
poetry and lyrics in the context of his personal life. Sahir's contribution to
the Progressive Writers’ Movement is also discussed.
Awards
6th Filmfare Awards (1958), nominated for
"Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist" for the film song Aurat Ne Janam
Diya Mardaun Ko Sadhna
Filmfare Best Lyricist Award (1964) for
the film song Jo Wada Kiya Woh Nibhana Pare Ga in the film, Taj Mahal (1963
film)
Filmfare Best Lyricist Award (1977) for
the film song Kabhie Kabhie Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai in the film, Kabhie
Kabhie (1976 film)
Death
On 25 October 1980, at the age of
fifty-nine, Sahir died of a sudden cardiac death (heart attack) (he had been a
smoker and drinker). He died in the presence of his friend, Javed Akhtar. Sahir
Ludhianvi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. In 2010, his tomb was
demolished to make room for new interments.
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