‘Iss safar mein neend aisi kho gayi, hum na soye raat thak kar so gayi’ – the iconic words of screenwriter and lyricist Rahi Masoom Raza set the tone as the Maati Public Trust on August 1 launched a year-long celebration to mark his birth centenary at PHD House. Bringing together artistes from diverse fields, the evening unfolded like a mehfil as keynote speaker Muzaffar Ali recited verses from Rahi’s ghazals.No one could write like Raza: Justice (Retd) Vineet SaranThe evening celebrated Raza’s contributions to literature, music, and cinema. Contemporaries and shagirds shared anecdotes from his life. Justice (retd) Vineet Saran, former judge of the Supreme Court, said, “Everyone knows who Rahi Masoom Raza was. His literature is famous across art forms, but he became a household name after he wrote the dialogues for Mahabharat by BR Chopra. No one could write like him.”
Muzaffar Ali with a book gifted to him by Rahi Masoom Raza
I’m privileged to have worked with him on Anjuman: Muzaffar AliAn enduring voice of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, Raza left a lasting impression on the filmmaker during their years at Aligarh Muslim University. Holding a book gifted to him by the late writer, Ali shared, “Main jab Aligarh pahuncha toh mujhe aisa mehsoos hua ki vahan ek aisa shakhs maujood hai, who is ready to embrace you with all your faults. Woh thay Rahi Masoom Raza. Woh mere liye ek bahut badi hasti bann gaye. Unki shayari kahan tak suni aur sunayi jaye, iska koi ant nahi hai. When my inclination towards shayari grew, Rahi’s writing was what I found the most endearing and inspiring. I’m privileged to have worked with him on my film Anjuman (1986) – aise dialogues likhe jo motiyon mein tolne wale hain.”
(L-R) Justice (retd) Sudhanshu Dhulia, former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice (retd) Vineet Saran, former judge of the Supreme Court, Sonal Mansingh, Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent
Sonal Mansingh, Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent said, “I have watched Mahabharat only twice, but the experience of listening to it and its narrative flow was so extraordinary that its impact remains with me to this day. Rahi ji was not just a writer; he was the conscience of our times. His words, ‘Main samay hoon,’ remind us that time is the greatest judge.”
Clockwise: Asif Azmi, Rehman Munsawwir, Atul Thakur, KG Suresh
Author and poet Mamta Kalia (L) said, “Rahi gave dignity to the ordinary man. In Aadha Gaon and Os Ki Boond, he wrote about the pain that history books forgot”; Noopur Sidhu Narayan (R ) brought Raza’s words to life through renditions of Chand Akela Jaye Sakhi Ri and Aai Ritu Sawan Ki
