Meri zindagi hai zaalim, tere Gham
se ashkara
Tera Gham hai dar-haqiqat mujhe
zindagi se pyara
This short write-up is dedicated to Shakeel Badayuni, who
was decisively romantic poet in the world of Progressives. A generation of
Aligs has grown up by humming Shakeel’s some romantic lines, such as---
“Suhani rat dhal chuki na jane tum kab aoge”, “Milte
hi aankhen dil hua deevana kisi ka”, “jab pyar kiya to darna keya”,
“Na milta gham to barbadi ke
afsane kahan jate”, …….and many more.
It is painful that Aligarh Muslim University has all but forgotten Shakeel. The next year 2020 will be 50th year of Shakeel’s passing away. It is requested “AMU Aligarh Students Union” and “University Cultural Education Centre to remember the legend Shakeel Badayuni.
After overcoming initial hurdles Shakeel turned a legend
in early 1950's. He had earned name and fame as a poet during his Aligarh Muslim
University days, winning awards at many mushairas.
An
utter romanticist at a time when it was fashionable to be in the league of
Progressive writers, Shakeel made his short life count.
An
utter romanticist at a time when it was fashionable to be in the league of
Progressive writers, Shakeel made his short life count.
He
joined Aligarh Muslim University in 1936, where he started participating in
inter-college, inter-university mushairas and won frequently.
After
completing his BA from Aligarh Muslim University, he moved to Delhi as a supply
officer, but continued participating in mushairas, and in 1944 to Mumbai.
At a
time when the best and brightest of Urdu poets wavered between shabab and
inquilab – the two poles around which much of Urdu poetry has always
gravitated–Badayuni spoke up steadfastly for shabab.
He
applied his talents to describe the beauty, love romance, emotional,
sentimental and passionate experiences as well as joys and sorrows of life.
He
had little interest in political ideology or social causes and did not join the
contemporary galaxy of progressive poets such as Faiz, Majrooh Sultanpuri,
Kaifi Azmi, Sardar Jafri, Makhdoom Mohiuddin and others.
Music by Naushad,
lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni: The great partnership in Hindi film music history.
Shakeel was Naushad’s discovery; it was Naushad who got
the struggling poet a break in A R Kardar’s film Dard (1947), ending days of
poverty.
As the
story goes, Naushad had asked him to sum up his poetic skill in one line and
Shakeel said:
“Hum dard ka afsana duniya ko suna denge
Har dil mein Mohabat ki ek aag laga denge”.
This was the beginning of the Naushad-Shakeel partnership
that was to continue for over the next two decades.
The songs of “Dard” were a great hit especially the one
by Uma Devi (Tun-Tun) “Afsana likh rahi hun dil-e-beqarar ka”.
Soon, Naushad-Shakeel team became one of the most sought
after duo by the film industry.
Their box office hits included “Deedar”, “Baiju Bawra”, “Mother
India, “Mughal-e-Azam”, “Gunga Jumna “and “Mere Mehboob”.
Shakeel turned a household name after his all
time-favourites of “Baiju Bawra”, “O Duniya Ke Rakhwale” and “Man Tadpat Hari
Darshan Ko Aaj”.
Then there was “Na milta gham to barbadi ke afsane kahan
jate”in “Amar”, which prompted Sahir Ludhianvi to compliment Shakeel as the
best ghazal writer in Hindi cinema.
Shakeel reached the zenith of his fame with
“Mughal-e-Azam”, with each song being a runaway hit and one of them, “Pyar kiya
to darna kya” turning an all-time classic. Incidentally, with “Mughal-e-Azam”,
the best of Naushad was over and so was the partnership with Shakeel.
he had done enough by then for lovebirds in the
Hindi-Urdu speaking world to sing his songs, listen to his ghazals.
