Sahir Ludhianvi is regarded as one of India’s greatest poets of the 20th century. Oct 25 marks the death anniversary of this legendary poet. Raaga.Com pays him tribute and enlightens readers why Sahir’s poetry was poignant and hard hitting whenever he penned a lyric on women.
If readers could recall his soul stirring song Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko… from B.R. Chopra’s film SADHNA they would agree that Sahir was at his best when he penned this lyric. The song is direct attack on mankind as to how man ill treats her despite the fact that woman is the mother, who gives birth to man on this earth.
Mark the lines …
Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko; Mardon ne use bazaar diya
Jab dil chaaha masla-kuchla; Jab ji chaaha dhutkaar diya
(Woman gave birth to men; And men gave her the brothel
They crush and trample at her at will; Rejected and cast off her at will)
The most killing lines are …
Jin hothon ne unko pyaar kiya; Un hothon ka vyopaar kiya
Jis kokh mein inka jism dhala; Us kokh ka kaarobaar kiya
(The lips which gave them love: They traded those very lips
The womb in which their bodies were formed: They reduced that womb to mere merchandise).
Sahir’s skill as a lyricist par excellence can be judged from the song Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo…. (PYAASA). The highlight of this song is that it is pictuirused on a prostitute but Sahir uses such brilliant words that it conveys the sexual overtones without being vulgar.
Another milestone lyric Sahir wrote is in the film INSAAF KA TARAZU. The song goes…
Log aurat ko phakat jism samajh lete hain;
Rooh bhi hoti hai usme ye kahan sochte hain
Rooh kya hoti hai; Isse unhe matlab hi nahin….
(People consider woman only as body
They do not understand that she also has a soul
Bit sick minded people do not know what soul is!!!)
So the question is why did Sahir write such painful and forceful lyrics? Well the fact is Sahir had seen his mother being ill treated by his aristocratic Zamindaar father.
In rebel when Sahir grew he left his father’s house and took his mother along. Sahir never married because he loved his mother dearly and did not wish to share his love with another woman.
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