The profound nazms, poems, and writings of the renowned shayar and lyricist Late Sahir Ludhiyanvi were found littering in a scrap shop in Mumbai. What’s more shocking is that the Mumbai based Film Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization, when came to know about it, bought the material at just Rs 3000 from the shop.
Sahir was a prolific writer during the 1950s where he gave lyrics to various celebrated songs and movies of those times – Kabhi-Kabhi and Pyaasa were amongst a hundred others. He was conferred with the Padma Shree in 1971. On March 8, 2013, the 92nd anniversary of Sahir’s birth, a commemorative stamp was made to honour him.
Now, the NGO is scrutinizing and analyzing the materials they have acquired especially the unpublished ones to exhibit and preserve them. The Film Heritage has also decided to digitize the archives and make it reach to Sahir’s connoisseurs, reported NDTV.
This incident becomes a poignant rerun of the movie Pyaasa where the protagonist, played by Gurudutt, was a poet and found his writings amidst trash. Ironically, the lyricist of this critically-acclaimed movie was Sahir himself.
As he wrote, kal koi mujhko yad kare, kyu koi mujhko yaad kare,(why should anyone remember me in future?)
Masroof zamana mere liye kyu waqt apna barbad kare. ( the world on its whims should not waste time on this fleeting poet)
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the founding-director of Film Heritage Foundation, said that the diaries found have details of his daily routines like where he would be going for song recording and other personal life happenings. Then there were several poems and notes. The notes were related to his publishing house ‘Parchaian’.
Heartbreaking to find that Sahir Ludhianvi’s great lyricist poet early days photos,letters,hand written notes and poems all thrown to the scrap dealer just like the film Pyaasa” …Film Heritage Foundation is proud to rescue them and preserve them in our archive…. pic.twitter.com/h5RhYZpifM
— Shivendra Dungarpur (@shividungarpur) September 7, 2019
Dungarpur further told that his team is always on the lookout for such film-related works. “We once found original film reel of Guru Dutt’s ”Bharosa” and actress Sadhna’s items in similar condition and have restored them,” he said.
However, Dungarpur is dejected over the fact that he is Rs 3000 is the value that is assigned to such an unmatched piece of work of a master poet.
However, in efforts to engage people and show them the importance of such material, Dungarpur has decided to put an exhibition. This will be showcased to all the Urdu enthusiasts where they could relive Sahir’s golden days when such exemplary work is appreciated by the public.
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