Hasrat Jaipuri - Monarch of Romantic Numbers.

Yeh Mera Prem Patra Padh Kar….. SANGAM); Jiya Bekarar Hai Chayi Bahar Hai… (BARSAT); Mohabbat Aisi Dhadkan Hai….(ANARKALI); Nain So Nain Naahi Milao…( JHANAK JHANAK PAYAL BAAJE); Rasik Balma Haay Dil Kyon Lagaya Tose…(CHORI CHORI) These are some of the evergreen melodies that takes in to a mood of solace and tranquility. 

However what is painful is that while we hear these hit songs, we tend to forget the lyricist who has poured his heart out in the beautiful songs. Does anybody remember who has written these peerless songs? Well, he is none other but Hasrat Jaipuri, also termed by Bollywood as Monarch of romantic numbers. A careful reading of the song would reveal that all the songs I have mentioned a super romantic numbers, which was the specialty of Hasrat Jaipuri and till his death he was vibrant and wrote romantic numbers till 2004. 

September 17 marks the death anniversary of the great film lyricist; Raaga.Com pays him homage. 

Born on 15th April, 1922 in Jaipur, as Iqbal Husain, he studied till tenth standard and then acquired education in Urdu and Persian from his learned grandfather, Fida Husain. He began writing poems at around his teens when he first fell in love with a neighborhood girl called Radha. He was a silent lover; hence he connived his love via a poem, Yeh mera prem patra padh kar, ke tum naaraaz na hona. But the 'letter' never got delivered to Radha, instead Raj Kapoor delivered it to the world as the everlasting tune for lovers of all generations in his movie SANGAM (1964). 

Hasrat Jaipuri landed in Mumbai in 1939 and got himself a job of a Bus conductor with a monthly salary of Rs. 11/- per month. A romanticist by nature his poems usually catered to beauty and nature best remembered Teri pyari pyari surat ko kisi ki…

Hasrat’s destiny smiled when one of his poem’s published in a newspaper got attention of film-legend Raj Kapoor who called upon the editor and asked for the ‘poet’ to meet him. Hasraat’s first song was jeeya bekarar hain (Barsaat) and was an instant hit. His relationship with Raj Kapoor lasted from 1949-1971 and he came back in 1985 with Raj Saab’s RAM TERI GANGA MAILI with a super duper hit Sun saiba sun….