The 91st birth anniversary of Sahir Ludhianvi, wordsmith non-pareil, was on the 8th of this month. I had always intended to start off this series (The Masters) with a post on this prolific poet.
My instinctive reaction to a song is not to its music, though that matters a lot, but to its lyrics. It is the sentiments that the words express that call to me. More often than not, however, a song is known because of the singer; not the composer or the lyricist. In fact, it was Sahir who fought with All India Radio for the right of lyricists to be credited for a song, along with the singers and composers.
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| 08.03.1921 - 25.1.1980 |
Born Abdul Hayee in Ludhiana in 1921, Sahir Ludhianvi once mentioned how his takhallus or nom-de-plume came about in a radio programme. He had read poet Allama Iqbal's couplet:
Is chaman mein honge paida bulbul-e-shiraaz bhi,
Sainkdon saahir bhi honge saahib-e-eijaaz bhi
- and picked 'Saahir' (magician) as his pseudonym. An apt name, considering the magic he was to weave with his pen.
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