Poems

“Yaari hai Imaan mera yaar meri zindagi…” from Zanjeer [1973]
“Sheeshe ke gharon mein dekho toh …” from Sanam Teri Kasam [1982]
“Mere desh ki dharti sona ugale…” from Upkaar [1967]

All the above songs have one common thread and that is the name Gulshan Bawra. Yes, he was one who penned these melodious songs for hindi cinema. About 250 songs written by him has reached our drawing rooms in the form of good old magnetic tapes.

Gulshan Bawra, born in a small place near Lahore in 1937, witnessed the tragedy of loosing his father during partition. At a tender age of 8-10 he saw his mother being shot in the head & his father being attacked with swords. Eventually he managed to escape to India in a military caravan. He maintained his brave attitude even during the most trying times of life.

He soon moved to Delhi & eventually to Kota for a railways job. But as luck had it, he lost that job because the vacancy was filled-in. So he moved to Mumbai where he continued his passion for writing poetry. He got his first break from Kalyanji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji) for the movie Chandrasena [1959]. Then onwards he wrote many memorable songs for hindi cinema.

Filmography – a small snapshot
“Agar Tum na Hote…”
“Tu Tu hai wahi dil ne jise apna kaha ….”
“Aati rehengi bahaarein …”
“Kasmein waade nibhaenge hum…”
“Vadaa kar ke sajna, tere bin …”