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Know all about great lyricist and poet Sahir Ludianvi

"Main Zindagi ka sath nibhata chala gaya,
har fikr ko dhuyein mein udata chala gaya"

"मैं ज़िन्दगी का साथ निभाता चला गया,
हर फ़िक्र को धुएं में उडाता चला गया"।

Updates: 9th September 2019

A bunch of priceless handwritten letters, diaries, Nazm, and black and white photographs of legendary Urdu poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi were found at a scrap shop in Mumbai and has been bought by an NGO for just Rs 3,000 for preserving it.

Mumbai-based Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit NGO, found these items recently amid a dump of newspapers and magazines at the scrap shop in Juhu and now plans to preserve and exhibit "the archives".

The diaries found have details of his daily routines like where he would be going for song recording and other personal life happenings. Then there are several poems and notes. The notes are related to his publishing house 'Parchaian'

There are letters addressed to him from prominent people of the time like music composer Ravi, his friend and poet Harbans. Some of the letters are in English, and some in Urdu. Rest all work is in Urdu.

There are photographs of Sahir - some individual, some with his sisters and friends and some of his home in Punjab. The foundation's experts are analyzing the poems and finding out which are the ones that have not got published.                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who could be in India, who would have never tuned into Sahir Ludhianvi's rhythm?
One of the most popular lyricists of all time Sahir Ludhianvi, written innumerable number of Shayaris, Nazm, Ghazal, Qawwali, Bhakti songs and even the contemporaries. Sahir Ludhyanvi born as Abdul Hayee on 8th March 1921, saw many up and downs in his life. A boy who had to live his whole life without a father, his father sued his mother when Abdul was only 13. He saw his parents separated and his father's cruelty who tried every bit to keep him away from his mother. Abdul's mother from her end ensured all she could to protect her son and later they moved to Lahore in the year 1943, after Abdul was expelled from the "Satish Chander Dhawan Government College for Boys" within a year. Hayee was expelled from the college because he was found sitting with his classmate in the principal's lawn. Abdul was quite popular in his college and has been able to get many likes and followers for his Nazm (नज़्म) and poetry. Abdul did his matriculation in Khalsa High School, Ludhiana.

After he along with his mother reached Lahore, he has no one to see them, a stranger to a strange city, had to face the wrath of life, he had to pass through extreme poverty and struggle in life for coming two more years. In the year 1945, he able to get a publisher for his writings and then his first poetry book Talkhiyan published. His book got critical acclaims and this also gave him recognition as (Sahir the poet) and put him into the main fora of progressive writers Association. He was now the editor of three more magazines Adab-e-Lateef, Shahkaar, Prithlari, and Savera. But his secular and communist view couldn't let him taste the success for his life and a warrant was issued against him by the government of Pakistan, for his inflammatory writings, he was very much against wars and separation of India and Pakistan.

Sahir had to flee away from Lahore and then he came back to Delhi, but after a few months he found Bombay much suitable to his taste and he settled thereafter. Sahir started writing lyrics for Bollywood movies, he debuted with Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949). The film had four songs written by him and his first song was "Badal Rahi Hai Zindagi..." Both the film and its songs went unnoticed. However, with Naujawaan (1951), he gained recognition, S.D. Burman composed the music for Naujawaan. Even today, the film's lilting song, "Thandi hawayen Lehrake aayen" remains popular. His first major success came the same year with Guru Dutt's directorial debut, Baazi (1951), again pairing him with Burman. Thus he became part of the Guru Dutt team, and after the success of Naujawaan and Baazi, the combination of Sahir Ludhianvi and S.D. Burman came out with many more everlasting songs.

Sahir though never married, but had many affairs, one among them which was most popular and believed closed to his heart was with the writer Amrita Pritam. Amrita Pritam has been so much in love with him, that she is said to use the same cigarette, Sahir would puff away, and after he left, Amrita would smoke the cigarette butts left by him. Amrita also many a time found acknowledging the love for him through interviews and her books, she was once found writing Sahir's name 100 times on a blank sheet. The other woman who came close to his heart was a playback singer and actor Sudha Malhotra. Sudha acted in some Bollywood films and as a playback singer worked in popular Bollywood movies in the 1950s and 60s, like Arzoo, Dhool Ka Phool, Ab Dilli Door Nahin, Girl Friend, Barsat Ki Raat, Didi, Kala Pani, Prem Rog, Dekh Kabira Roya. Sahir tried putting Sudha into the movies as a singer for which he used to write songs but failed. None of the relationships survived and he drenched himself deep into alcoholism.

Sahir got a bit arrogant in his works, he asked for Rs 1 extra from the lead singer Lata Mangeshkar used to get. He used to decide who would be singing the song and sometimes the composer of the song too would have to be his choice. Sahir though failed in relationships and got arrogant, but his quality of work never seen degrading, he kept writing good lyrics which got a huge success.

Sahir wrote till he could write and all his worked got recognition and accolades. Sahir died at the age of 59 in the year 1980 on 25th October.

Awards and recognition of Sahir:

Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist: Aurat Ne Janam Diya (Sadhna) in the year 1958
Filmfare Best Lyricist Award: Jo Wada Kiya ( Taj Mahal) in the year 1964
Awarded the Padma Shri award by the Govt of India in the year 1971
Filmfare Best Lyricist Award: Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein (Kabhi Kabhie) in the year 1977
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on his birth anniversary on 8 March 2013 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.


Here is the site dedicated to Sahir Ludhianvi's Songs Sahir Ludhianvi.

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