Munir Niazi

Munir’s creative endeavors date back from early ‘50s, when his foray into films and his far and few between appearances on mushaira gahs earned him early recognition. His filmi fame received a huge boost in the ‘60s when Naseem Begum sang his famous ghazal, Us Bewafa Ka Shehr Hai Aur Hum Hain Doston, for the film Shaheed, helmed by Khalil Qaiser. The song was brilliantly picturized on the gorgeous Musarrat Nazir. This was not it. Munir sahib wrote many a meaningful and rhapsodic numbers for Pakistani movies, some of which are now part of our film industry’s splendid past. My personal favorite is a song that he wrote for the film Susral, Jis Ne Meray Dil Ko Dard Diya. It was a masterfully composed melody, sung with great musical dexterity by the incomparable Mehdi Hassan and picturized on that insuperable actor of yesteryears, Allauddin. But these are a couple of biopics that most of us are fairly acquainted with. Munir sahib has also contributed his verses to films that never acquired box office success and were canned without many weeks of screening. For instance there was one film scripted (perhaps directed as well) by master writer Ashfaq Ahmed. It was titled Dhup Chhaon. Those who remember film opine that Munir Niazi wrote some of the best lyrics for this film. Sadly, Dhup Chhaon came a cropper at the box office.

Though Munir sahib’s film adventures have long been ceased, his literary journey continues on, and on with great gusto, inventiveness and creative flair.

He has so far published a number of collections, whose chronological order eludes my memory. But some of my all time preferred Munir Niazi books are Jungle mein dhanak, Saat rung, Aghaz-e-zamistan mein dobarah, Pehli baat hi aakhri thi and Ik dua jo mein bhol gaya. I still recall that when I was pursuing my degree in early ‘90s, many girls and boys carried Kuliyat-e-munir niazi with them and would recite his famous poem that is one of the finest proponents of romanticism in Urdu literature. The nazam is:

Hamesha der kar detaa huu.N mai. N
Zaruurii baat kahanii ho
Koii vaadaa nibhaanaa ho
Use aavaaz denii ho
Hamesha der ker detaa huu. N mai.n
badalte mausamo.n kii sair me.n
dil ko lagaanaa ho
kisii ko yaad rakhanaa ho
kisii ko bhuul jaanaa ho
hameshaa der kar detaa huu. N mai.n
kisii ko maut se pahale
kisii gam se bachaanaa ho
haqiiqat aur thiii kuchh
us ko jaa ke ye bataanaa ho
hameshaa der kar detaa huu. N mai.n

By Peerzada Salman