Nida Fazli

Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli, known as Nida Fazli (12 October 1938 – 8 February 2016 He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 by the government of India for his contribution to literature.

Early life and background Born in New Delhi, into a muslim family, Nida Fazli grew up in Gwalior,

During that period, he felt that there were limitations in Urdu poetry. He absorbed the essence of Mir and Ghalib to express what he intended. He was fascinated by the lyrical mood of Meera and Kabir and widened his knowledge of poetry by studying T. S. Eliot, Gogol and Anton Chekhov.

He moved to Mumbai in search of a job in 1964. In the early days of his career, he wrote in Dharmayug and Blitz .

His celebrated lyrics were also used in Aap to aise na the, Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996) and Gudiya. He wrote the title song of TV serials like Sailaab, Neem ka Ped, Jaane Kya Baat Hui and Jyoti. The composition "Koi Akelaa Kahaan" is another popular composition sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy. His ghazals and other compositions are sung by notable artists of the day. He teamed up with Jagjit Singh in 1994 to bring an album named Insight, which got appreciation for its soulful poetry and music. Shortly before his death he wrote columns for BBC Hindi website on various contemporary issues and literature. Mirza Ghalib's works were often mentioned by him.

Style Nida Fazli is a poet of various moods and to him the creative sentiment and inner urge are the sources of poetry. He thinks that the feeling of a poet is similar to an artist: like a painter or a musician. In contrast he found lyric writing a mechanical job as he had to fulfil the demands of the script and the director. Later he accepted the practical necessity of money which comes from lyric writing and helps one to ponder on creative work.

He published his first collection of Urdu poetry in 1969. Childhood imagery persistently reflects in his poetry as elements of nostalgia. Primary themes which run through his poetry are contradictions in life, the search for purpose, nuances of human relationships, differences between practice and preaching, and the groping for that which is lost.

Contribution towards communal harmony Nida Fazli disagreed with the partition of India and has spoken out against the communal riots, politicians and fundamentalism. During the riots of December 1992 he had to take shelter in his friend's house due to security concerns.

He was honoured with the National Harmony Award for writing on communal harmony. He wrote 24 books in Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati — some of which are assigned as school textbooks in Maharashtra. Some of his works are also present in National Council of Educational Research and Training Hindi textbooks which millions of students study. He received the Mir Taqi Mir award for his autobiographical novel Deewaron Ke Bich from the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Death Fazli died of a heart attack on 8 February 2016.

Filmography

As lyricist Aap To Aise Na The (1980) Red Rose (1980) Nakhuda (1981) Harjaee (1981) Anokha Bandhan (1982) Razia Sultan (1983) Vijay (1988) Sajda (1991) Chaahat (1996) Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996) Tamanna (1997) - "Ghar Se Masjid" Sarfarosh (1999) - "Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya" Sur – The Melody of Life (2002) - "Aa Bhi Ja Aa Bhi Ja" Dev (2004) Yatra (2006)

As dialogue writer Dev (2004) (co-writer) Yatra (2006)