Nida Fazli and Jagjit Singh complimented one another

Mumbai: Noted Bollywood lyricist and Urdu poet Nida Fazli passed away on the same day when prominent ghazal king, Jagjit Singh was born. Most of Singh's famous ghazals were penned by Fazli and not many of us know that Singh wanted to make another album on the poet's lyrics but it could never happen due to his demise in 2011.

File photo: Jagjit Singh

One of the foremost Urdu poets and lyricists of his times, Nida Fazli passed away following cardiac arrest on Monday in Mumbai. He was 77.

"He complained of difficulty in breathing around 11 a.m. and we rushed him to a hospital where we were informed that he is no more. He was physically fit and had no medical history. His sudden death has come as a shock for us," said one of the poet's relatives.

About the legend of Urdu poetry:

Nida Fazli was born in Delhi on October 12, 1938, into a Kashmiri family and attended school in Gwalior. His father was also an Urdu poet. His parents migrated to Pakistan during the Partition but Fazli decided to stay in India.

Start of Fazli's journey as a poet:

In his youth, Fazli was passing by a temple where he heard a devotee singing saint-poet Surdas’ bhajan about Radha expressing her sorrow at separation from her beloved Krishna. The poetic beauty of that composition touched Fazli and inspired him to write poetry.

Fazli & Bollywood:

He moved to Mumbai in quest of employment in 1964. At the beginning of his career, Fazli wrote for Dharmayug and Blitz magazines. His writing style was so distinctive and contemporary that it brought him to the notice of film-makers and other writers of Urdu and Hindi literature. He later started writing lyrics for Bollywood. He was often invited to mushairas (urdu poetic symposiums) across the world.

His career took a flight when film-maker Kamal Amrohi approached him. The original songwriter Jan Nisar Akhtar working on his film 'Razia Sultan (1983)' died before completing the project. Fazli wrote the remaining two songs and was an immediate hit.

Few of famous Bollywood songs written by Fazli:

• Tu iss tarah se meri zindagi mein - Ap toh aise na thay (1980)
• Tere liye palkon ki jhalar bunoon - Harjai (1981)
• Hosh waalon ko khabar kya - Sarfarosh (1999)
• Aa bhi jaa - Sur (2002)

Awards:

• Sahitya Academy Award in Urdu for 'Khoya hua sa kuchh' (poetry collection) in 1998.
• Star Screen Award for best lyricist for the movie 'Sur' in 2003.
• Padma Shri by the government of India in 2013.

Famous Urdu couplets (with Translation):

"Hum labon se keh naa paaye, unse haal-e-dil kabhi,

Aur wo samjhe nahin, ye khamoshi kya cheez hai.”

My lips were never able to express the state of my heart,

And she failed to understand what my silence meant.

"Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahaan nahi milta,

Kahi'n zami'n to kahi'n aasmaa nahi milta."

No one ever gets the entire universe,

Somewhere the earth and somewhere the sky is missing.

"Jise bhi dekhiye wo apne aap me gum hai,

Zubaa'n milin hai agar, humzubaa'n nahi milta."

Whoever you see is lost in their own sorrow,

They have thoughts to share but no companion to listen.