Eminent poet and lyricist Nida Fazli passes away

February 09, 2016 12:00 am | Updated 02:23 pm IST

BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH, 29/12/2015: Renowned Urdu Poet Padma Shree Nida Fazli reciting his couplets during International Mushaira on the birth anniversary of Mirza Ghalib, organised by Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy with Department of Culture in Bhopal on December 29, 2015. photo by A_M_Faruqui (30/12/2015)

BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH, 29/12/2015: Renowned Urdu Poet Padma Shree Nida Fazli reciting his couplets during International Mushaira on the birth anniversary of Mirza Ghalib, organised by Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy with Department of Culture in Bhopal on December 29, 2015. photo by A_M_Faruqui (30/12/2015)

Nida Fazli passed away of a heart attack on Monday. It was also the birthday of the late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, with whom Fazli teamed up most successfully to ride the ghazal wave that began in the mid 70s and went on till the early 90s. Amongst their most popular musical collaborations were, Duniya jise kehte hain, jaadu ka khilona hai; mil jaaye to mitti hai, kho jaaye to sona hai and Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi, phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikar aadmi .

There are many film songs also that we remember Fazli for Kabhi kisi ko muqamal jahan nahin milta ( Ahista Ahista ), Tere mere naam naye hain ye dard purana hai ( Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin ), Hosh walon ko khabar kya bekhudi kya cheez hai ( Sarfarosh )… Fazli came to the films in the 80s, in Razia Sultan and Raj Kapoor’s Biwi-O-Biwi . Many other films followed.

But he was never too prolific in the film world, as movies were not the centre of his life. Fazli was primarily a poet, a prominent Hindi and Urdu shayar who also happened to be a Hindi film lyricist.

He moved to Mumbai from hometown Gwalior in the early 60s in search of a job and worked with Blitz and Dharamyug initially. A student of literature, Fazli was also steeped in the Bhakti poetry of Kabir and Meera and the Sufi world of Amir Khusro. His poetry emerged from his own heartbreak. Fazli found a voice and a direction when he heard a Hindu devotional poem about Radha’s pain of separation from Krishna.

His poetry was all about simple, easygoing philosophy, rooted in life. It had a folksy, Sufi touch even while dealing with lofty thoughts. Who can forget verses like Dhoop mein niklo, ghataon mein naha kar dekho, zindagi kya hai kitabon ko hata kar dekho ; Do aur do ka jod hamesha chaar kahan hota hai, soch samajh walon ko thodi naadaani de maula ; Apna gham leke kahin aur na jaaya jaaye; ghar mein bikhri hui cheezon ko sajaya jaaye ?

His work also dealt with the increasing communal divide and the need to foster communal harmony. Fazli refused to move to Pakistan after the Partition despite the fact that his own father did.

His was always a low key presence in the Hindi film world though he did court controversy for taking on Sahir Ludhianvi and Kaifi Azmi for what he perceived to be their faux Marxism. He once said of Bollywood: Aawazon ke bazaron mein khamoshi ko pehchaane kaun (In the market of voices who would appreciate silence). In the world of high-pitched marketing and hype generation that Bollywood has become Fazli’s description sounds even more apt than ever.

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