By Siraj Syed
Shakeel Badayuni was born on 3rd August in the year 1916. He was an accomplished Urdu poet, songwriter and lyricist. He was instrumental in providing some of the best song lyrics in Hindi Movies, or Bollywood.
Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadiri, his father, wanted him to have a good career, thus he arranged private tutor at home for Shakeel to teach him Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Hindi. His inclination towards poetry was not hereditary like other Shayars. One of his distant relatives, Zia-ul-Qadiri Badayuni was a religious shayar. Shakeel was influenced by him and the contemporary environment of Badayun led him to Sher-o-Shayari.
When he joined Aligarh Muslim University in 1936, he started participating in inter-college, inter-university mushairas and won frequently. In 1940, he married Salma, who was a distant relative of his, and they had been living in a common house since childhood, however, the Purdah system was vogue in their family and they were not close. After completing his Bachelor of Arts, he moved to Delhi as a supply officer, but continued participating in mushairas, earning fame nation-wide. Those were the days of shayars who wrote about the downtrodden sections of society, their upliftment, the betterment of society and all.
Shakeel, to write songs for films, moved to Mumbai in the year 1944. He also met film producer and music composers like A.R. Kardar and Naushad. Music composer Naushad asked him to sum up his poetic skills in one line. Shakeel wrote, Hum Dard Ka Afsana Duniya Ko Suna Denge, Har Dil Main Mohabbat Ki Ek aag Laga Daingay. Naushad immediately signed him for Kardar's film, Dard (1947). The songs of Dard proved to be very successful especially Uma Devi (Tun Tun)'s Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon. Together, Shakeel Badayuni and Naushad became one of the most sought after composer/lyricist duos in the industry. Among the stupendous scores they churned out together, are those of Baiju Bawra (1952), Mother India (1957), and Mughal-e-Azam (1960) that stand out. Other films they scored together include Dulari (1949), Shabab (1954), Ganga Jamuna (1961), and Mere Mehboob (1963). Although Shakeel Badayuni worked most extensively with Naushad, he also collaborated with Ravi and Hemant Kumar as well. His lyrics for the song Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin and Ravi's music both won Filmfare Awards for the hit film Gharana. His other notable film with Ravi is Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), while Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) is his biggest hit with Hemant Kumar. The title song from Chaudhvin Ka Chand, rendered by Mohammed Rafi, won Badayuni the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1961.
Shakeel penned numbers for around 89 films. In addition, he wrote many popular Ghazals which are still sung by vocalists like Pankaj Udhas and others. Unlike some other shayaars, he wasn't an alcoholic. The Government of India had honoured him with the title Geet Kar-e-Azam.
Shakeel shared a close friendship with Naushad, Ravi and Ghulam Mohammed, with whom he enjoyed his life to the fullest.
Shakeel Badayuni penned lyrics for the tunes of S D Burman for movies Kaise Kahoon and Benazir.
Shakeel used to say:
Main Shakeel Dil Ka Hoon Tarjuma
Keh Mohabbaton Ka Hoon Raazdaan
Mujhe Fakhr Hai Meri Shayari
Meri Zindagi Se Juda Nahin.
His top 20 songs
Suhaani raat dhal chuki (Dulaari)
Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj (Baiju Bawra)
O duniya ke rakhwale (Baiju Bawra)
Madhuban men Radhika naache re (Kohinoor)
Pyar kiya to darna kya (Mughal- e- Azam)
Chaudhvin ka chand ho (Chaudhvin ka Chand)
Dil laga kar hum ye samjhe (Zindagi Aur Maut)
Mere Mehboob tujhe meri (Mere Mehboob)
Jane bahaar husn tera bemisaal hai (Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya)
Ek shahenshah ne banwaa ke haseen Tajmahal (Leader)
Koi saagar dil ko (Dil Diya Dard Liya)
Beqaraar kar ke hume (Bees Saal Baad)
Lo aa gai unki yaad (Do Badan)
Na jao saiyaan (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulaam)
Meri baat rahi mere man me (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulaam)
Aaj puraani raahon se (Aadmi)
Jab dil se dil takraata hai (Sunghursh)
Ek baar zara phir kah do (Bin Baadal Barsaat)
Tumhe paa ke hum ne (Gehra Daag)
Zindagi tu jhoom le zara (Kaise Kahoon)
His non-film ghazal, the last he wrote in the throes of death, immortalised by Begum Akhtar:
mere ham-nafas mere ham-navā mujhe dost ban ke daġhā na de
maiñ huuñ dard-e-ishq se jāñ-ba-lab mujhe zindagī kī duā na de
My companion, my intimate, be not a friend and yet betray
The pain of love is fatal now, for my life please do not pray
mere dāġh-e-dil se hai raushnī isī raushnī se hai zindagī
mujhe Dar hai ai mire chāra-gar ye charāġh tū hī bujhā na de
The fire of this heart gives light, this light gives me sustenance
I am afraid o healer of mine, this lamp you may snuff away
mujhe chhoḌ de mire haal par tirā kyā bharosa hai chāra-gar
ye tirī navāzish-e-muḳhtasar mirā dard aur baḌhā na de
Leave me to my present state,I do not trust your medicine
Your mercy minor though may be, might increase my pain today
merā azm itnā buland hai ki parā.e sho.aloñ kā Dar nahīñ
mujhe ḳhauf ātish-e-gul se hai ye kahīñ chaman ko jalā na de
My confidence in self is strong, I'm unafraid of foreign flames
I'm scared those sparks may ignite, that in the blossom's bosom lay
vo uThe haiñ le ke ḳhum-o-subū are o 'Shakīl' kahāñ hai tū
tirā jaam lene ko bazm meñ koī aur haath baḌhā na de
She rises with the flask and cup, o Shakeel where have you gone
That cup which is yours perchance, someone else might take away