Sahir Ludhianvi is probably the only songwriter in Hindi films whose poetry was accepted in its purest form and incorporated as a film song. So great was his stature as an Urdu poet that he never had to mould his poetry to suit the demands of film songwriting; instead, producers and composers adapted their requirements to his poetry. His songs in films like Pyaasa, Naya Daur and Phir Subah Hogi have attained the status of classics. This exhaustive biography traces the poet's rich life, from his troubled childhood and his equally troubled love relationships, to his rise as one of the pre-eminent personalities of the Progressive Writers Movement and his journey as lyricist through the golden era of Hindi film music, the 1950s and 1960s.

Sahir Ludhianvi (1921-1980), a remarkable film lyricist, was also an iconic literary poet. Surinder Deol paints a sensitive portrait that reveals an artist who was aware of the depth of his poetic message as well as of his ability to present it in words that captured the reader's imagination. Sahir looked outward at the world to find beauty in nature for inspiration while at the same time raising his voice against poverty, deprivation, and the denial of social justice. The book contains free verse translation of over ninety of Sahir's literary creations, including poems, ghazals, bhajans, and a long peace poem called Parchhaaiyaan (The Shadows). The author strives to bring together four distinct elements of Sahir's work that make him one of the most loved poets of our generation: his deep-rooted love of nature, his snug romanticism, his sensitivity to human suffering, and his unceasing optimism for a better tomorrow.

When I Wrapped Myself With Your Being Our Bodies Turned Inwards In Contemplation Our Limbs Intertwined Like Blossoms In A Garland Like An Offering At The Altar Of The Spirit Our Names, Slipping Out Of Our Lips, Became A Sacred Hymn . . . (From Adi Dharam By Amrita Pritam) Acclaimed As The Doyenne Of Punjabi Literature, Amrita Pritam Received Many Awards, Including India S Highest Literary Award, The Jnanpith, In 1981. Born In Gujranwala, Now In Pakistan, In 1919, She Came To India After The Partition Of The Subcontinent In 1947. Her Best-Known Work Is A Classic Poem, Addressed To The Great Eighteenth-Century Sufi Poet Waris Shah, In Which She Laments The Carnage Of Partition And Calls On Him To Give Voice From His Grave. Amrita Met Imroz, A Well-Known Artist, In The 1960S And They Became Lifelong Companions. They Stayed Together For More Than Forty Years, Till Her Death, After A Long Illness, In October 2005. Amrita Imroz: A Love Story Offers Living Glimpses Of The Sacred Hymn Of Amrita Pritam And Imroz S Life Together. Uma Trilok Had The Rare Opportunity To Witness Their Remarkable Love Story And The Passionate Bond That They Shared For So Many Years. In This Moving Tribute She Communicates Her Sense Of Deep Wonder At Their Unique And Unconventional Relationship, As Also Her Profound Admiration For The Creative Energy Of These Two Extraordinary Individuals.

Maangey Allah se bas itni dua hai Rashid Main jo Urdu mein vaseeyat likhoon beta parh ley All Rashid asks of Allah is just one small gift: If I write my will in Urdu, may my son be able to read it. Urdu, one of the most widely used languages in the subcontinent, is, sadly, dying a slow death in the land where it was born and where it flourished. This definitive collection spans over 200 years of Urdu poetry, celebrating well-known and relatively unknown poets alike. It is essential reading for all who love Urdu verse and for all looking for the ideal introduction.

Debuting as a film-maker in 1957 with Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Nasir Husain became one of the most successful film-makers in Hindi cinema over the next twenty-five years with musical blockbusters like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Teesri Manzil, Caravan, Yaadon Ki Baaraat and Hum Kisise Kum Naheen.This book analyses the work of Husain and how his films played an important role in shaping commercial Hindi cinema as it exists today. Through interviews with a number of prominent film personalities such as Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan, Asha Parekh, Javed Akhtar, Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, the book contextualizes Husain's legacy and places him as one of the important auteurs of Hindi cinema.

This book is a companion volume to author's earlier book, "Masterpieces of Urdu Ghazal" which contained English translations of 108 ghazals selected from nine major poets. The present volume contains 129 ghazals representing 20 outstanding Urdu poets. Thus, this anthology, taken together with The Masterpieces, may rightly claim to be a fully representative collection of Urdu ghazals in English translation. The ghazals are carefully selected and explained in English for the average readers as well as Urdu Connoisseurs. The book contains brief biographical notes and introductory essays on the ghazals.