The Sahir Top Ten
Twenty years ago, Sahir Ludhianvi exited from this world on October 25. To many a music buff, Sahir’s work ranks among the foremost literary impressions in lyricdom, where even routine situations were opportunity enough to infuse a subtle message. It was only Sahir, who could be cynical enough to write a mukhda like Khaali dabba khaali botal le lo mere yaar, khaali se mat nafrat karna, khaali sab sansaar in a comedy song filmed on Mehmood in Neel Kamal (1968).

Any yet, obviously, Sahir could not have attained the formidable status he did without his accomplishments outside his socialist leanings, as exemplified by Chin-o-arab hamara (Phir Subah Hogi). His lyrics could encompass every genre of song, and indulge in a welter of emotions as easily as they could amaze you with his turn of phrase, depths of philosophy and inspiring or sugar-coated messages in his verse. And yes, not all that cynicism was misplaced either - he certainly had a point to make if he wrote Kya miliye aise logon se, jinki fitrat chhupi rahe/Naqli chehera saamne aaye, asli soorat chhupi rahe (Izzat). Or in the starkly opposite perspectives as put forward by Shashi Kapoor and Hema Malini on the on the one hand, and Amitabh Bachchan on the other in Mohabbat bade kaam ki cheez hai (Trishul).

Selecting a personal Top Ten from his ouevre will always be a subjective exercise, and yet, if I admire Sahir’s shaayari (sahir-i?) and geet today as reflective of his monumental genius, it is these ten songs that have made the biggest contributions:

(1) Aana hai to aa (Naya Daur): This is a song that zeroes in immediately on your emotional solar plexus. The home-truths expressed are simply amazing (Milta hai jahan nyay woh darbaar yehi hai/Sansaar ki sabse badi sarkaar yehi hai), the philosophy a stimulus for introspection. Like many of his Muslim colleagues, Sahir wrote some of Hindi cinema’s finest devotionals.

(2) Tora man darpan kehlaaye (Kaajal): This was an incredibly moving song, once again containing an ocean of wisdom and a sea of axioms. Ravi’s composition and Asha’s divine vocals make this my favourite bhajan from the Sixties.

(3) and (4) Sansaar se bhaage phirte ho & Man re tu kaahe (both from Chitralekha): Filmlore has it that when the film was offered to Sahir, he put in hours of study into Hindu philosophies and scriptures, and even after writing these songs, he went to the late Indeewar for ‘approval’. The late Indeewar rates Chitralekha among the highest peaks of Sahir’s creativity, and if the two songs here do not vindicate my stand, the late Indeewar’s generous praise (as expressed to me) does.

(5) Jab bhi ji chahe nayi duniya basaa lete hain log (Daag): Never have I heard a more incisive and yet ineffably pathos-laden song of the bewafai genre to match this stunning masterpiece. Over the awesome work of Lata and L-P, stood Sahir’s verse (Hum bhi nadaan the jo odhaa beeti yaadon ka kafan/Varnaa jeene ke liye sab kuchh bhoola lete hain log).

(6) Aage bhi jaane na tu (Waqt): Another philosophical gem from the master lyricist which encompassed the theme of the film Waqt - the all-supreme power of Destiny. Sahir wrote other songs in this genre too (like the title track of Dhund) for B.R. Chopra, but this one stood out alongwith

(7) Pal do pal ka saath hamara (The Burning Train): A qawwali in a train hurtling towards its apocalypse. Passengers facing inevitable death but with a smile. Sahir used this unique situation to weave in some poetic reflections on life being but a transient microcosm in Time.

(8) Itni nazuk na bano (Vaasna): Hadd ke andar ho nazakat to adaa hoti hai/Hadh se badh jaaye to aap apni sazaa hoti hai - with this masterly couplet, Sahir went what almost the MCP way, chiding a sweetheart for being a touch-me-not, and acquainting her with some truisms on life again.

(9) and (10): Na Hindu banega na Mussalman banega (Dhool Ka Phool) and Allah tero naam Ishwar tero naam (Hum Dono): These twin songs have become anthems of religious and national integration now, and no film lyrics have matched up to them. The former is easily the superior of the two, with its intense clarion call-cum-plea for sanity in the chaotic religious diversity of the nation.

Rajiv Vijayakar

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