Naqsh Lyallpuri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Naqsh Lyallpuri
Born	Jaswant Rai Sharma (1928-02-24)24 February 1928 Lyallpur (now called Faisalabad), British India
Died	22 January 2017(2017-01-22) (aged 88) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Lyricist
Years active	1953–2007

Jaswant Rai Sharma (born February 24, 1928 – died January 22, 2017) was a famous Indian writer of songs. He was known by his special writing name, Naqsh Lyallpuri. He wrote many ghazals (a type of poem or song) and songs for Bollywood movies.

Some of his most well-known songs include "Rasm-e-Ulfat Ko Nibhayen" from the film Dil Ki Rahen (1973), "Tumhe Ho Na Ho" from Gharonda (1977), and "Yeh Mulaqaat Ek Bahana Hai" from Khandaan (1979). He also wrote "Pyar Ka Dard Hai" for Dard (1981) and "Chitthiye Ni Dard Firaaq Vaaliye" for Henna (1991).

Early Life and Family

Jaswant Rai Sharma was born on February 24, 1928, in Lyallpur, which is now called Faisalabad and is in Pakistan. His family was Punjabi Brahmin. His father was an engineer and wanted Jaswant to follow in his footsteps. However, Jaswant loved literature and writing, which his father did not think was a good way to earn a living.

When Jaswant was only eight years old, his mother passed away. A few years later, his father remarried, which Jaswant found difficult.

In 1946, at age 18, Jaswant moved to Lahore to find work. He got a job at a publishing company. After the Partition of India (when India and Pakistan became separate countries), his family moved to Lucknow in India. In 1951, Jaswant moved to Mumbai (then called Bombay) and worked as a proofreader for The Times of India newspaper.

Around this time, he married Kamlesh. Their marriage was arranged by their families, which was common in India. Lyallpuri often said his wife was his "pillar of strength" because she supported him during the years when he was not very successful. They had three sons: Bappan, Rajendra, and Suneet. His family members also started using "Lyallpuri" as their last name. His second son, Rajendra "Rajan" Lyallpuri, became a cinematographer (someone who works with cameras in films).

His Creative Work

Jaswant Rai Sharma had a natural talent for writing small poems and songs from a young age. After his family faced difficulties due to the partition, and he moved to Mumbai (the center of the Hindi film industry), he decided to try writing songs for movies to earn extra money.

He started by writing plays for the stage. He met an actor named Ram Mohan, who introduced him to director Jagdish Sethi. Sethi liked Jaswant's poetry and asked him to write songs for his next film. This is when Jaswant chose his special writing name, "Naqsh," which means an "impression" or "mark." He added "Lyallpuri" to it, following a tradition of Urdu poets who often included their birthplace in their pen names.

Lyallpuri's first film song was for the 1953 movie Jaggu. He wrote "Agar Teri Aankhon Se Aankhein Mila Doon," sung by Asha Bhosle. He also wrote "Zindagi Kis Mod Par" for the 1956 film "Diwali Ki Raat," which became a hit song for Talat Mehmood.

Until the 1970s, Lyallpuri's songs did not become very famous. He continued working at The Times of India and later in the postal department to support his family. Music director Jaidev then asked him to write songs for the Hindi TV series Shrikant. Lyallpuri went on to write songs for about 50 TV shows and nearly 40 Punjabi films.

Lyallpuri worked with many well-known Bollywood music directors, including Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Jaidev, Naushad, and Ravindra Jain. He also worked with Punjabi music composers. He had a close working relationship with director B. R. Ishara, starting with their first film, Chetna, in 1970. For this film, Lyallpuri wrote "Main Toh Har Mod Par Tujhko Doonga Sada," sung by Mukesh.

Lyallpuri's songs were known for being easy to hum along to. He kept his lyrics simple and clear, even though he often used Urdu words. His strong command of Urdu sometimes made people wonder if he was Punjabi. Early in his career, he faced competition from other famous lyricists like Sahir Ludhianvi and Gulzar. Because of this, Lyallpuri often focused on Hindi B-grade films (smaller films) and Punjabi films.

His 1973 song "Rasm-e-Ulfat Ko Nibhayen" for the film Dil Ki Rahen was sung by Lata Mangeshkar. She considered it her favorite Lyallpuri song.

Lyallpuri is especially famous for the song "Tumhe Ho Na Ho" from the 1977 film Gharonda, sung by Runa Laila. The 1979 song "Yeh Mulaqaat Ek Bahana Hai" from Khandaan is noted for its unique ghazal style. His song "Pyar Ka Dard Hai" from the 1981 film Dard was praised for Kishore Kumar's gentle singing and its everyday lyrics. He also wrote the only Punjabi song, "Chitthiye Ni Dard Firaaq Vaaliye," in the 1991 film Henna.

Lyallpuri also published two books: Teri Gali Ki Taref (On Your Street), which is a collection of his poems not written for films, and Angan Angan Barse Geet, which features his songs from films, TV shows, and music albums.

In the 1990s, Lyallpuri took a break from writing film songs because he did not like the new style of lyrics. He continued to write for television. He returned to films in the 2000s, writing for Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005) and Yatra (2007). He was also a founding member of the Indian Performing Rights Society, an organization that helps protect the rights of music directors and lyricists to earn money from their work.

Here are some of the films he wrote songs for:

Later Life and Passing

In March 2016, Lyallpuri broke his hip bone and was hospitalized in October 2016. He passed away on January 22, 2017, at the age of 88, at his home in Andheri, Mumbai. His funeral was held at the Oshiwara crematorium.