ISLAMABAD:Noted Urdu poet and lyricist Kaleem Usmani was remembered here on Tuesday among literary circles for his contributions to Urdu poetry and the film industry on his 95th birth anniversary.
Born as Ehtisham Ilahi on February 28, 1928, in Saharanpur, British India, Usmani migrated to Pakistan after the partition of the Indian subcontinent and settled in Lahore. He learned poetry from his father Fazal Ilahi and took poetry classes from Ehsan Danish after moving to Lahore.
Kaleem Usmani was often invited to mushairas, which eventually led to him being offered work in films where he contributed more than one hundred songs for thirty-seven Urdu films.
He began his career as a lyricist in 1955 with the film Intekhab, which did not perform well at the box office however, he went on to write popular songs for films such as Bara Aadmi, Raaz, Hum Dono, Jalwa, Nazneen, and Andaleeb.
His popular patriotic songs, including “Tera Saya Jaha Bhi Ho,” “Is Parcham Ke Saye Taley,” and “Ye Watan Tumhara Hai,” remain popular to this day.
In recognition of his contributions to the film industry, Usmani won two Nigar Awards for Best Lyricist in 1973 and 1978. Apart from working in films, he also worked for Pakistan Television Corporation and Radio Pakistan.
Kaleem Usmani passed away on August 28, 2000, in Lahore.