TWO HUNDRED RUPEES, SAHIR LUDHIANAVI AND JAVED AKHTAR

                                 

SAHIR SMOKING IN A FILM PARTY WHILE B R CHOPRA IS STANDING...

SAHIR LUDHIANAVI , JAVED AKHTAR AND 200 RUPEES

In an interview Javed Akhtar said something like this:

" In sixties of  the last century, i came to Mumbai to try my luck in films. I had no money, no name and no experience. I kept visiting  many film producers and  studios but nothing materialized. Being Idle ,  Quite often, i would visit Sahir Sahib's Bunglow  and he would insist upon me to have food with him. He would offer me whisky as well and we would discuss poetry.  I was just a young boy of 21 years, idle with nothing in my  pocket while he was a respected and established name. Sometimes i would think all this  a dream more so because i found that he treated me as his equal . He would affectionately call me "Naujawaan" or "young man".

 There would be parties in his Bunglow. So many writers would come . I would sleep in his Bunglow and come to my place in morning.  Sahir Sahib would even read his newly written film songs to me and  seek my comments. This continued for quite sometime.

Then one day i went early in the morning . That day i had planned to tell him to recommend my name to some producer for writing some  script or dialogues. The moment i entered his Bunglow , sahir sahib said loudly:

' Aao naujawan Aaj kaise subah subah'

 I said:

'Sahir sahib, i need your recommendation.I want you to recommend my name to some producer for work. I know your word is authority.'

  And. He said' Array Aziz  woh bhi ho Jaayega . Yeh rakhlo '.  He pushed  two Hundred rupees forcefully in my pocket. I said 'No, No, sahir sahib, i have not come for money ' . He said ' Fine. Keep it for the time being. Return when you have money.'

It was 1966. 200 rupees was a big sum those days. . I lived for next two months with that money. Work also came my way later .  Along with Saliim, i  wrote DEEWAR, TRISHUL and  KALA PATHER under Saleem Javed Banner. Sahir Sahib wrote songs for these films. We worked together  and joined film parties together. I did not repay that two hundred. I would tell in every film party that I had a debt of 200 rupees on my head from sahir sahib's side to which i prefer to be a wilful defaulter. Sahir sahib would feel embarrassed. He would try to change the topic.

Neither did he bother for rupees two hundred nor did i stop mentioning it in parties or our meetings. .....And then in 1980,  when I heard about his death, i rushed to his Bunglow. There was nobody except his two cousin  sisters . Then came Chopra sahib and other people. I stayed there for the night...At midnight i received a call from his doctor advising me to straighten his arms otherwise these would go stiff and create problem. I removed the cloth covering his body , put his hand in my hands and straightened the arms one after the other. As i touched his hand , a shiver went down my spine . I had touched the Golden Hand that had created so many memorable songs . A hand that had made so  many hearts happy. This hand had also pushed 200 rupees in my pocket when i did not have a penny.

Anyways next day we laid his body to rest and as i was coming out from the burial ground and was about to enter my car, i saw a man running towards me.The moment  he came closer he said:

' Sir, i am the  grave digger over here. I have not been paid my labour . I was not able to decide from  whom should i get this money. Everybody looked a stranger. Since you left last of all, i thought you must be from the family of the deceased. Please give me 200 rupees . That is my labour '.

I dug two hundred rupee notes from my pocket and paid him.  "

                                                                           

                                                        (   ( Poet Sahir with Actor Bharat Bhushan ) )

                                              ( With lata Mangeshkar  And Composer Ravi )

                                                      ( With Yash Chopra )

 ( Sahir in Govt College Ludhianan Student days , With Neck Scarf  in second Row from Top )

                                                                  ( Poet sahir )                   

                                                                        ( Poet sahir )

                                                          ( Poet Sahir with Composer Ravi  )

                                                                    ( Poet sahir )

                                                                 ( Poet sahir )


I end with some lines from a popular sahir song ..

Kal Aur Aayenge Nagmon ki
Khilti kaliyaan chunnaney  waale…

Mujh se Behtar kehnay  waale
 Tum se behtar sunnaney waale……

kal koyee  mujh ko yaad karay
kyon koyee  mujh ko yaad karay …

Masroof zamaana meray  liye
 kyon waqt  apna barbaad karay..

………………….Me Pal do pal ka Shaayar  huun.

"Tomorrow  More  poets  shall  visit   this way ,
Plucking  newer blossoms of songs
 Men   who are better storytellers  than me,
 And  people  who are better listeners than you ,
If only  someone  would remember me Tomorrow,
But Then why  should any one  remember  me at all ,
Why at all should tomorrow’s   busy world ,
waste its time for me ..

………… I am a poet for a few moments only .."


(Autar Mota)




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