Urdu Poet Sahir Ludhianvi’s Notes, Nazms And Photos Found At A Mumbai Scrap Shop, Sold For Rs. 3000!

 A bunch of absolutely priceless handwritten letters, diaries, nazm, and black and white photographs of legendary Urdu poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi were found at a scrap shop in Mumbai, and has been bought by an NGO for just Rs 3,000 for preserving it.

One Mumbai-based Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit NGO, found these notes, nazms, poetries recently amid a dump of newspapers and magazines at the scrap shop in Juhu and now they plan to preserve and exhibit "the archives."   A bunch of absolutely priceless handwritten letters, diaries, nazm, and black and white photographs of legendary Urdu poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi were found at a scrap shop in Mumbai, and has been bought by an NGO for just Rs 3,000 for preserving it.

One Mumbai-based Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit NGO, found these notes, nazms, poetries recently amid a dump of newspapers and magazines at the scrap shop in Juhu and now they plan to preserve and exhibit “the archives”.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the founding-director of Film Heritage Foundation, told PTI. “The diaries found have details of his daily routines like where he would be going for song recording and other personal life happenings. Then there are several poems and notes. The notes are related to his publishing house ‘Parchaian’.”

He further revealed, “There are letters addressed to him from prominent people of the time like music composer Ravi, his friend and poet Harbans. Some of the letters are in English, and some in Urdu. Rest all work is in Urdu.

“Then there are photographs of Sahir—some individual, some with his sisters and friends and some of his home in Punjab. The foundation’s experts are analysing the poems and finding out which are the ones that have not got published,” he further said.

“This is reminiscent of a scene from Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyaasa’ where the protagonist’s poems and writings are found at a scrap shop,” he said.

What is interesting is Sahir had penned songs for the 1957 film, now considered a cult classic. The film also dealt with a similar subject where a poet is not considered worthy enough in his lifetime and only after his death his popularity increases and the poet is distraught with the world, his life and times. Guru Dut played the protagonist and the entire film was kind of based on Ludhianvi’s life.

Dungarpur said, his foundation had purchased the entire collection of Sahir’s items for just Rs 3,000, stressing how the invaluable work of the master poet had landed in a quaint scrap shop in a Mumbai bylane.

“Our team is always on the lookout for such film-related works. We once found original film reel of Guru Dutt’s ‘Bharosa’ and actress Sadhna’s items in similar condition and have restored them,” he said.

“Afsos hota in cheezon ko aisi haalat mein dekh ke (it is saddening to find such invaluable items in this condition). But we are happy that we are able to find and preserve them,” he added.

Now, these items will be restored in the archives by The Film Heritage Foundation and they also hope to digitise the documents and preserve them for posterity.

Abdur Rasheed, who is an Urdu professor at Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi, said that these letters, manuscripts were absolutely priceless and many could benefit from them. Quipped he, “The findings are very significant. If these are handwritten notes and letters that increases its value and could be used by researchers.”