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There has been a trend in Hindi cinema that only people from Urdu background could write songs for the films. In some senses it sounds true but upon revisiting the Hindi music scenario one has to believe that only writers with progressive thoughts had written good songs. Be it shailendra or Majrooh Sultanpuri. But since I have discussed these lyricists in my earlier posts it’s time to revisit other lyricists. In this today’s hinglish era everone could write lyrics. For them, it’s not necessary to become a progressive or possess any ideology. It’s a truth because progressive writers like Nida Fazli and Raahat Indori has been left behind in this race. Earlier Kaifi azmi has never considered as a very respectful name in urdu adab (the height which saahir achived) but these factors only could never marginalize their contribution to hindi film music.

These writers always possessed an ideology and had a direction to flow. So when we turn the pages of Kaifi’s poetry and lyrics we see the difference. kaifi azmi wrote
“dekhi zamaane ki yaari..bicchde sabhi baari baari” in
“kaghaz ke phool”.sounds more like “ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye” (Sahir)..
but when he writes his own poetry he writes :

“hai ye duniya dil ki duniya milake rahenge yahaan
dhoodenge hum Khushiyan har pal dukh na sahenge yahan
armaanon ke chanchal dhaare aise bahenge yahan
ye to sapanon ki jannat hai sab hi kahenge yahan
ye duniya mere dil men basi hai dil se judaa kya karoon
dil bhi tu hai jaan bhi tu hai tujhpe fida kyaa karoon”

Kaifi has written many superhit songs like
badal jaaye agar maali
chaman hotaa nahin Khaali
bahaaren phir bhi aati hain
bahaaren phir bhii aayengi
(bahare phir bhi aayengi)

bahaaron mera jivan bhi sanvaaron, bahaaron
koi Aae kahin se,yun pukaro,baharon(aakhiri khat)

betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai from (hanste jakhm)
chalte chalte yunhi koi mil gaya tha from (pakeejah)
milo na tum to hum ghabraayen from (heer ranjha)
dhire dhire machal ae dile beqaraar from (anupama)
jhuki jhuki si nazar and tum itna jo muskura from (arth)
jhoom jhoom dhalti raat from (kohra)

ye duniya ye mehfil mere from (heer ranjha)
mile na phool to kaanton se dosti from (anokhi raat)
vaqt ne kiya from (kaghaz ke phool)
do dil toote from (heer ranjha)

With so many superhit songs in his name Kaifi became a professional lyricist but there was always a progressive writer in him. This could be clearly seen in his nazms Kaifi’s shayari had a voice of revolt . He rejects faith and worship when he writes

apani laash aap uthana koi aasan nahin
dast-o-baazuu mere naakara hue jaate hain
jin se har daur men chamaki hai tumhaari dahaliz
aaj sajde vohi aavara hue jaate hain

Kaifi was ready to accept something in place of nothing. His desperation can be seen in following lines
apne hathon ko padha karta hoon
kabhi quraan kabhi gita ki tarah
chand rekhaon men samaoon main
zindagii qaid hai siitaa ki tarah
raam kab lautenge maaloom nahin
kaash raavan hi koi aa jaataa

Similarly another name which raised the eyebrows of filmy stalwarts like Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Jaa Nisaar Akhtar etc was Nida Fazli.
Nida Fazli has written very few songs like
“hosh waalon ko khabar“(Sarfarosh)
songs from sur..jaane kya dhoondhta hai mera dil
,aa bhi jaa ae subeh aa bhi jaa,
kabhi shaam dhale tu mere dil me aa jaanatu is tarah se meri jindagi me shamil hai from aap to aise na the

But when we read Nida Fazli’s poetries he seems to be a different writer. I have heard Nida Fazli and Raahat Indori reciting their poetries. I can remember the crowd which blocks the road coming from connaught place in delhi used to come to hear only these poets. An interesting fact that when a poet recites his own poem in kavi sammelans (India has a rich tradition of kavi sammelans) a large number of audience gathers to hear them and If the poet is also a lyricist he always prefers to recite his own poetries. I attracted towards him with his famous lines
“ghar se masjid hai bahut door
chalo kisi rote hue bachhe ko hansaaya jaaye” the song is used in the film
“Tamanna”
Some of my favourite sher are :

shahar men sab ko kahaan milti hai rone ki fursat
apni izzat bhi yahaan hansne-hansane se rahi

dhuup men niklo ghataaon men nahaa kar dekho
zindagi kya hai kitaabon ko hata kar dekho

duniya jise kahte hain jadoo kaa khilona hai
mil jaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai

har taraf bhagte daudate raaste
har taraf aadami kaa shikaar aadami

har taraf har jagah beshumaar aadami
phir bhi tanahaiiyon ka shikar aadami

masjiden hain namaaziyon ke liye
apane ghar men kahin Khuda rakhana

kuchh tabiyat hi mili thi aisi chain se jine ki surat na hui
jis ko chaha use apnaa na sake jo milaa us se muhabbat na hui

yahan kisi ko koi raastaa nahin detaa
mujhe girake agar tum sambhal sako to chalo

bachchon ke chhote haathon ko chaand sitare chhoone do
chaar kitaben padh kar vo bhii ham jaise ho jaayenge

Another big name of Urdu Mushayaras is Rahaat Indori who has also written some superhit songs

Rraahat indori’s super hit songs include

chura lo na dil mera sanam from kareeb
dil ko hazar baar roka from murder
bumro bumro from mission kashmir
sambhaal hai maine bahut apne dil ko from naraaz

The people who saw him reciting poems in Mushayaras could not forget his style. people gathers to feel the style and senstivity which he brings in his poetries. his ability to write in simple urdu and hindi made him popular in masses.
for example see this peace :
mere maazi ke zakhm bharane lage
aaj phir koi bhool ki jaye

Raahat’s forte is his hindustaani zabaan :

ye shahar vo hai jahan raakshas bhi hai “Rahat”
har ek tarashe hue but ko devata na kaho

mod hota hai javaani ka sambhalane ke liye
aur sab log yahin aake phisalte kyun hain
log har mod pe ruk ruk ke sambhalte kyon hain
itana Darte hain to ghar se nikalte kyun hain

sab ke dukh sukh us ke chehre pe likhe paaye gaye
aadmi kya tha hamare shahar kaa akhbaar tha

ab mohalle bhar ke daravazon pe dastak hai nasib
ek zamana tha ke jab main bhi bahut Khuddaar tha

tum ko “Rahat” ki tabiyat kaa nahiin andaza
vo bikhara hai magar maango to duniyaa de de

It’s just an observation that when Urdu shayars associated with the film industry we got an entire range of superhit songs (many hindi poets and writers are also in this queue like Neeraj and Anand Bakshi) but as the nuber of these shayars and poets decreases we can see the quality of songs made in the last two decades. The today’s lyrics looks like only writing but earlier they looked like a thought a meaning came through an ideology. Time has changed and so the trend of song writing. like in words of Nida Fazli
Meero Ghalib ke shero ne kiska saath nibhaaya hai
saste geeton ko likhkar humne haar banvaaya hai