Translated from: ‘Gaata Rahe Mera Dil’ by Salil Dalal, published by Satya Media. Permission for putting up this post has been sought from Satya Media via email. No response has been received as yet. If Satya Media decides to disallow posting of this passage, this post will be taken down.

SAHIR LUDHIANVI

Amrita Pritam and Sahir 

Amrita-ji’s poetry collection ‘Sunehde’, which she had written keeping Sahir in mind, was declared the winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1957. When she received the news on the phone, Amrita-ji reacted thus: “Oh God! I did not write these सुनेहड़े (suneha.De) for any award. The one whom I had written it for (Sahir) didn’t read them. Now what do I care if the whole world reads them?” What happened subsequently has made her affinity towards Sahir even more well-known. 

On the declaration of the award to ‘Sunehde’, a press photographer arrived to photograph Amrita Pritam. The photographer instructed Amrita-ji to pose for the photo in the fashion of poets, pretending to write something on a blank sheet of paper. Amrita-ji writes in ‘Rasidi Tikat’: “कलम लेकर… एक अचेत-सी दशा में उसका नाम लिखने लगी, जिसके लिये सुनेहड़े लिखे थे… साहिर, साहिर, साहिर… सारा काग़ज़ भर गया!” “kalam lekar… ek achet-sii dashaa me.n usakaa naam likhane lagii, jisake liye suneha.De likhe the… Sahir, Sahir, Sahir… saaraa kaaGaz bhar gayaa!” (Taking a pen (in hand), quite unconsciously, I began writing the name of the one for whom I had written these सुनेहड़े (suneha.De)… Sahir, Sahir, Sahir… and the entire sheet was filled!). The entire sheet was covered with the chanting of Sahir’s name. 

 

On the origin of a song 

Sahir, Amrita and Imroz (Amrita’s husband) met for the first time, had drinks together and dispersed. That night, Sahir recited a creation of his to Amrita on the phone: “मेरे साथी ख़ाली जाम, तुम आबाद घरों के बासी, हम हैं आवारा बदनाम” “mere saathii Kaalii jaam, tum aabaad gharo.n ke baasii, ham hai.n aavaaraa badanaam”. Connoisseurs of film songs will quickly recall the song from the 1964 film ‘Dooj ka Chand’, composed by Roshan and rendered by Rafisa’ab:  

महफ़िल से उठ जानेवालों, तुम लोगों पर क्या इल्ज्ञाम मेरे साथी, मेरे साथी, मेरे साथी ख़ाली जाम 

mahafil se uTh jaanevaalo.n, tum logo.n par kyaa ilzaam,mere saathii, mere saathii, mere saathii Kaalii jaam