Sahir Ludhiyanvi

A commemorative postage stamp on Sahir Ludhiyanvi

Issued On: 8 March 2013

Denomination: 500 Paise
Stamps Printed: 0.31 Millions
Printing Process: Wet Offset

Sahir Ludhianvi is the pen name of Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980) who is popularly known as Sahir, was an Indian Urdu poet and film lyricist.

His work influenced Indian cinema, in particular Bollywood films.

Sahir won a Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for Taj Mahal (1963). He won a second Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for his work on Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.

On 8 March 1921, in a red sandstone haveli in Karimpura, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, Sahir was born to a Muslim family.Sahir was educated at the Khalsa High School in Ludhiana. He then enrolled at the Government College, Ludhiana. The auditorium there is named after him. As a college student, Sahir was popular for his Ghazals and Nazms & impassioned speeches.

In 1943, Sahir settled in Lahore. There, he completed Talkhiyaan, his first published work in Urdu.

In 1949, after partition, Sahir came to Delhi from Lahore. Then he moved to Bombay. He later lived in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai. There, his neighbours included Gulzar, a poet and lyricist and Krishan Chander, an Urdu litterateur. In the 1970s, Sahir built a bungalow which he called Parchaiyaan, after one of his works, and lived there till his death.

On 8 March 2013, the ninety-second anniversary of Sahir's birth, a commemorative stamp was issued in his honor.