Asif Anwar Alig
esteryear lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi’s songs still rule
over the hearts in Indian subcontinent. His unswervingly popular lyrical magnum
opuses appeal us even after his death on 25 October 1980—some four decades ago.
Remembering legendary songwriter after close to a century of his birth, let’s look
at various spheres of his life. Born Abdul Hayee to parents Chaudhri Fazl
Mohammed and Sardar Begum on 8 March 1921 in Ludhiana city of undivided India’s
Punjab, he chose penname Sahir Ludhianvi to associate himself with the place of
his birth.
Phenomenal narrations point out upheavals in Sahir’s
life like his rustication from college in the Ludhiana city for daring to sit with
his female classmate in the Principal's lawn to settling in the Lahore city in
1943 and then brief Delhi interlude before his entry into Bollywood in Bombay
(now Mumbai) remain reminiscent facts. By publishing first anthology Talkhiyaan
(Bitterness) in 1945 during his editorship of Urdu magazines Adab-e-Lateef,
Shahkaar, Prithlari and Savera in Lahore, the rebellious
poet had already come into threshold. His creativity was against the tide in newly
the created country Pakistan which literally compelled him to cross the borders
in 1949 to make India his permanent home.
Sahir’s Lahore connection to the early poetic
compositions is ignored while lyrics are always commended. Pakistan couldn’t digest
the rebellious poet in him so he was unable to adjust in the suffocating society of Lahore that
had eccentric cleric dominance then. They would harshly oppose his inflammatory pieces in Savera. He preferred shifting to India to
avoid an arrest in Pakistan—a country he had chosen earlier. ‘Sahir’s lyrics enlivened cinema which in turn immortalized him,’ write
his biographer Akshay Manwani in Sahir
Ludhianvi: The People’s Poet. Published
in 2013, 320-paged biography meticulously portrays songwriter’s personality
to the Bollywood connection he had during the golden period that ceased to exist
without Urdu’s contribution.
Songs on variegated themes narrate Sahir’s personal
agonies. They project his relationships with women or men flawlessly. Early
teacher of him Faiyaaz Haryanvi polished his poetic skills but he was equally influenced
by Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Majaz Lucknawi and Josh Malihabadi. His lyrics have pain
and bitterness and equally do they value relationships. Poet Krishan Adeeb is
quoted in this biography—“agonies and successes were his common themes. Early poems
were rejected until Jahaan Mazdoor Rehtey Hain (where workers reside) got
published with the byline A.H Sahir in an underground newspaper Kirti Lehar to
project his brimming revolutionary ideas.
Poet of a generation that logically questioned the British
colonialism, Sahir witnessed India’s freedom movement. His anguish is seen in poems
composed in the late 1943s to early 1944s. First anthology Talkhiyaan
(Bitterness) was a compendium of revolutionary ideas at age twenty-three.
Impeccable impact of Progressive Writer’s Movement on
him to voicing the pathetic conditions he faced in the traumatized childhood developed
his distaste for the zamindars (landlords) and capitalism. Such feelings
reflected in his lyrics. He emphasized that ‘poets can’t be honest or justify
works if they are untrue to self.’ Believing that poetry was the manner to express
personalities as an ultimate source of natural expression he caveated against writing
contrary to one’s personality traits. He believed that poets projecting
contradictory thoughts actually create more chasms.
Yeh jalte huey ghar kiske hain, yeh kat-tey huey
tann kiske hain
Takseem ke andhey toofaan mein, lut-tey huey gulshan
kiske hain…
Aei rehbar-mulk-o-qaum
bata, yeh kiska lahu hai, kaun mara!
[Whose houses are these that burn, these bodies that
are being butchered – to whom do they belong?
In this great mayhem caused by partition, these
gardens that are being desecrated to whom do they belong…?
O leaders of our nation and community, tell us,
whose blood is this, who died here?]
Sahir’s
poetry recounted his personal agonies, disappointments, reactions and social observations.
Composed on 15 August 1947 his famous poem Mafaahmat (compromise) straightforwardly
warned that freedom attained at an altar of communal hatred was hollow. It would
only snowball the problems of far greater magnitude, he wrote.
Yeh jashn, jashn-e-masarrat nahin,
tamasha hai
Naye libaas mein nikle hain
rahzani ka juloos
Hazaar shamaa-e-akhuvvat bujhakey
chamkey hai
Yeh
teergi ke ubhaarey huey haseen fanoos
Yeh
shaak-e-noor jise zulmaton mein seencha hain
Agar
fali toh sharaaron ke phool laayegi
Na
phal saki toh nayee fasl-e-gul ke aane tak
Zameer-e-arz mein ik zehar chod
jeeyegi
[This
celebration, is not one of joy, but a circus
In
the guise of something new, the attempt to plunder is afoot
After
putting out the lights on communal harmony, this radiance
Is
of those lanterns that have been nurtured in the dark
Such
light that has been cultivated from the throes of darkness
If
it spreads, shall only spark many a flame
And
if it doesn’t spread, until the break of a new dawn
Will
poison this nation’s soul]
His fulltime Bollywood songwriting
journey began with the movie Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949) but Naujawaan
(1951) was recognized for its distinctness. Baazi (1951) was the first movie to project
his exceptional songwriting skills. A giant amongst the contemporary lyricists,
he was illustrious and ignored Khuda (God), Husn (Beauty) or Jaam
(Wine) themes. Bitter condemnation of declining social values, war perils, political
senselessness or consumerism was his leitmotifs. His lyrics were stories of the
debt burdened farmers, fighting soldiers, women forced to selling bodies or unemployed
and distressed youths.
Aggressiveness after attaining fame is often pointed
out but ‘being a helping hand as an oddity of Sahir’s personality’ is hardly projected.
Magical lyrics for the movies Jaal
(1952), Taxi Driver (1954), Munimji (1955), Devdas (1955),
House No 44 (1955) and Fantoosh (1956) to name a few still
captivate attention of Bollywood cinema lovers. His lyrics for Pyaasa
(1957) ruminates Bollywood’s vestige reference in the songwriting history.
To dedicate eminent poet Mirza Ghalib on his 100th death anniversary (15
February 1869) Jashn-e-Ghalib (Celebrating Ghalib), his rebellious mind exposed the political double
standards.
Jis
ahad-e-siyaasat ne yeh zina zabaan kuchli
Us
ahad-e-siyaasat ko marhoomoun ka gham kyun hai?
Ghalib
kise kehte hein, Urdu hi kaa shaayar thaa
Urdu
per sitam dhaa kar, Ghalib ke karam kiyun hai?
[The
government that crushed this effervescent language
Why
should that government grieve over the dead?
The
man called Ghalib, was a poet of the Urdu language
Why
should they be unfair to Urdu and benevolent towards Ghalib?]
Gandhi
Ho Ya Ghalib Ho (Be It Gandhi or
Ghalib) composed on Mahatma Gandhi’s 100th birth anniversary (02
October 1969) coincided with Ghalib’s death centenary. He lamented the declining
popularity of two eminent personalities in India.
Khatam
karo tahzeeb ki baat,
Band
karo culture ka shor,
Satya,
ahinsa sab bakwaas,
Tum
bhi qaatil hum bhi chor,
Gandhi
ho yaa Ghalib ho!
Khatam huwa dono kaa jashn,
Aao
inhein ab kar dein dafan!
[Do
away with talking about civility
Stop
screaming about culture
Truth
and non-violence are irrelevant today
You
are murderers and so are we
Be
it Gandhi or Ghalib!
The
celebration of both individuals comes to an end
Come,
let us bury them once and for all]
Like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sahir too portrayed
the youthful imaginations besides criticizing the self-appointed custodians of
religion. He equally protested the egotistic politics and exploitative capitalists.
Kahat-e-Bangal (The famine of Bengal) was his mature understanding of the
social concerns while Subah-e-Navroz (Dawn of a New Day) mocked the false
celebrations while poorer sections faced the deep miseries. Chaklay (Brothels)
portrayed his sympathies towards the prostitutes. His poetic collage equally inspired
the future generations.
Kal aur aayenge naghmo ki
khilti kalian chunne wale,
Mujhse behtar kehne wale,
tumse behtar sunne wale;
Kal koi mujhko yaad kare,
kyun koi mujhko yaad kare,
Masroof zamana mere liye
kyun waqt apna barbad kare?
[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 it's
time for me?]
Sahir’s passionate relationship with
author Amrita Pritam was in the limelight since his departure
from Lahore.
She passionately loved him. Their relationships based on idealism, attraction and
mutual admiration continued even after Amrita’s marriage with Pritam Singh. She
would use the metaphors Mera Shayar (my poet), Mera Mehboob (my
lover), Mera Khuda (my god) and Mera Devta (my idol) for Sahir but
he in turn couldn’t show passionate romance in their clandestine meetings which
would often end into long silences.
Her autobiography Rasidi
Ticket defined such long silences to their gazing into each other’s eyes. Sahir
developed infatuation for singer-actress Sudha
Malhotra in the later years. Puzzled mind towards maintaining relationships
with women embittered him too much and therefore he remained a bachelor all his
life.
Regardless of Talkhiyaan’s
overwhelming success to composing many insightful poems, Sahir hardly evoked
equal interest like Iqbal, Mir and Ghalib had amongst the Urdu intelligentsia
in India. Winning Filmfare
Awards in 1964 and 1977 to the prestigious Padma Shri in 1971 and
recent commemorative postal stamp issuance on 8 March
2013 to honor him posthumously on his 92nd birth anniversary were some
recognition for a crème de la crème songwriter of Bollywood.
Sahir Ludhianvi’s troubled
childhood—deprived of the life’s comforts to constant fear psychosis in
adolescence—is vivid in his lyrics. As lyrical
hallmarks they are magnanimous contributions
in the history of cinema.
http://epaper.ceylontoday.lk/Process/UploadTwo/e_paper/6367.jpg
This Feature article first appeared in the 11 December 2016 edition of
Ceylon Today, Sri Lanka