by NIRUPAMA KOTRU
Sahir Ludhianvi PHOTO/Outlook
A selection of Sahir Ludhianvi’s many moods; the man whose poetry is still considered the gold standard for lyrics
If Faiz Ahmed Faiz is considered the numero uno revolutionary poet of Pakistan, Sahir Ludhianvi can be called the leading rebel poet of India. Sahir was a member of the Progressive Writers’ Movement and an avowed Communist, and his political leanings were reflected in his writings. Poets like Sahir were responsible for elevating the status of the lyricist in the film industry; he would work only with music directors who could do justice to his lyrics, like Khayyam, S D Burman and Roshan. Even today, Sahir’s poetry is considered the gold standard for lyrics.
Had he been alive, the people’s poet would have turned 95 this Women’s Day. Here is a selection of Sahir’s many moods:
The Anarchist
Pyaasa (1957) could not have been made without Sahir’s fiery poetry. Guru Dutt plays the angry poet Vijay who rejects the avaricious world, and wonders at the futility of it all, with “Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye toh kya hai “. Another disturbing song from the film is about the hypocrisy of men towards “fallen” women.
Yahan peer bhi aa chukey hain , jawaan bhi
Tanomand bete bhi, Abba mian bhi
Yeh biwi bhi hai aur behen bhi hai, maa bhi,
Jinhe naaz hai Hind par, who kahaan hain?
Kahaan hain, kahaan hain, kahaan hain?
Holy men as well as the young have frequented these quarters,
Lusty sons and fathers too,
She is a wife, and a sister, a mother,
Where are those who take pride in the nation? Where, o where?
The despondency of Pyaasa (1957) continued into Phir Subah Hogi (1958), with the sombre “Cheen-o- Arab humara“, a scathing indictment of the state of the nation, and a parody of Iqbal’s original poems “Cheeno-o-Arab” and “Saare jahaan say achha” which eulogize Hindustan and its people.
Cheen-o- Arab Humaara, Hindustan Humaara
Rehene Ko Ghar Nahi Hai, Saara Jahaan Humaara
Hindustan Humaara…
China and Arabia is ours,
And Hindustan too,
There is no roof above our heads,
Yet the whole world belongs to us!
Our Hindustan…
The despair spilled over into another famous song of Phir Subah Hogi, which goes like this:
Aasman pay hai khudaa, aur zameen pay hum,
Aaj kal woh iss taraf, dekhtaa hai kum
God is in his heaven, and we are on the earth below,
These days he seldom looks in our direction
The Philosopher-Poet
If Pyaasa showcased the rebel poet, Kabhie Kabhie (1976) allowed Sahir to display his philosophical bent of mind. “ Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon” stands out a remarkably powerful conversation about the transience of all art . The only equivalent one can think of comes from the West, from Billy Joel’s “I am the entertainer”.
Kal aur aayenge naghmon kii, khilti kaliyaan chunney waaley,
Mujhse behtar kehney waaley, tumse behtar sunney waaley,
Kal koyi mujhko yaad karey, kyun koyi mujhko yaad karey,
Masroof zamana mere liye, kyun waqt apna barbaad karey
The new day will bring freshly picked bouquets of melodies,
Better poets and better listeners, too,
Why would anyone miss me tomorrow, indeed why should they,
Why should the busy world waste its time?
The Poet of the Masses
Before eminent lyricist Shakeel Badayuni wrote the romantic “Ik shehanshah nay banwa kay haseen Taj Mahal“, for Leader (1964), Sahir, the people’s poet, had offered a different, humanist take on the popular symbol of love.
Taj tere liye ik mazaar-e-ulfat hi sahi,
Tujh ko iss vaadiye-rangeen say aqeedat hi sahi
Ik Shahenshah nay daulat ka sahara lekar,
Hum garibon kee muhabbat ka udhaya hai mazaak,
Mere mehboob kahin aur mila kar mujhse!
The Taj may be a shrine of love to you,
You may hold this beauteous vale in high regard…
By splurging wealth on building this monument,
An emperor has mocked the love of us ordinary mortals
Let us meet somewhere else, my beloved!
The Secularist
Sahir’s secular values are borne out by the beautiful and powerful lyrics of the qawaali – “Yeh ishq ishq hai“(Barsaat ki Raat, 1960).This qawaali is part two of the qawaali “Na toh caravan ki talaash hai“. As we reach the crescendo of the second qawaali, the poet says:
Ishq azaad hai, Hindu naa Mussalmaan hai ishq,
Aap hi dharm hai, aur aap hi imaan hai ishq.
Jis se aage nahin Sheikh-o-Brahman dono,
Us haqeeqat ka garajtaa hua ailaan hai ishq
Love is free, it is neither Hindu nor Muslim,
Love is religion and faith, too
Both the Sheikh and the Brahmin are powerless before it,
Love is a loud and clear declaration of this reality.
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