Sahir, a Poet Who Sought Closure in Love With a ‘Khubsoorat Mod’

In this episode of Urdunama, The Quint’s Fabeha Syed takes you through the life and time of Sahir Ludhianvi. Tune in.

(Photo: The Quint)

Sound Design, Script, and Host: Fabeha Syed
Vocals: Vikram Venkateswaran
Editor: Shelly Walia

(This story is being reposted from The Quint’s archives on the occasion of Sahir Ludhianvi’s birth anniversary. It was originally published on 7 March 2020.)

A poet, a lyricist, a thinker, Sahir, is not a man of a few words. His vast vocabulary not only borrows references from nature, when he writes intimate love songs, but also when he hopes for a better world, social justice, and equality:

Hazaar barq gire, laakh andhiyan uttein

Vo phool khil ke rahenge jo khilne wale hain.

From ‘Man re tu kaahe na dheer dhare’, to ‘Tang aa chuke hain kashmakash-e-zindagi se hum’, the magic of Sahir’s poetry is such that it traverses across the Urdu-Hindi barrier, across a range of complex human emotions.

His nazms like Khoon phir khoon hai, Gandhi ho ya Ghalib ho, Woh subah kabhi to aayegi, are commentaries against social oppression, and injustice which continue to resonate even today.

In this episode of Urdunama, The Quint’s Fabeha Syed takes you through the life and time of Sahir Ludhianvi who is remembered for his evergreen songs like Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein , Jaane kya toone kahin, Allah tero naam Ishwar tero naam, and many more.

Meet Sahir in this special podcast. Tune in.