Kaleem Usmani (born Ehtisham Ilahi; 28 February 1928 28 August 2000) was a Pakistani

Urdu poet Urdu poetry ( ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the culture of India and Pakistan. According to Naseer Turabi, there are five major poets of Urdu: Mir Taqi Mir (d. 1810), Mirza Ghalib (d. ...

who wrote

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

naat A nucleic acid test (NAT) is a technique used to detect a particular nucleic acid sequence and thus usually to detect and identify a particular species or subspecies of organism, often a virus or bacterium that acts as a pathogen in blood, Tissue ...

s, patriotic songs and more than one hundred songs for thirty-seven

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

films. He earned recognition as a lyricist by winning 2

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards () were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema, after having been revived in 2017 following a 15-year absence. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The ...

as 'Best Lyricist' in 1973 and 1978. He worked at

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

and

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

besides working for Pakistan films during which he wrote lyrics for Urdu films.

Early life

Kaleem Usmani was born Ehtisham Ilahi in

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the public administration, administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Sain ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

on 28 February 1928, in a family related to the

Shabbir Ahmad Usmani Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (11 October 188713 December 1949) was an Islamic scholar and an activist of the Pakistan Movement, who served as the of Pakistan in 1949. He was the first to demand that Pakistan become an Islamic state. He was a religio ...

. After partition of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, he migrated to Pakistan and lived his life in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

city.

Career

Prior to migration, he learnt poetry from his father Fazal Ilahi. When he settled in Lahore, he took poetry classes from Ehsan Danish. He was often invited to

mushaira ''Mushaira'' () is a poetic symposium. It is an event (called '' mehfil'', mushairi) where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is part of the Culture of North India, Pakistan and the Deccan, particularly among the Hyderabadi Muslim ...

s and subsequently he was offered work in films as a lyricist. His first film was ''Intekhab'' (1955). The film flopped at the box office and later he wrote songs for ''Bara Aadmi'' (1957), including "Kahe Jalana Dil Ko Chhoro" which became one of the prominent songs in the country. In 1959, he wrote songs, including "Mithi Mithi Batiyon Se Jia Na Jala" for Raaz (1959) which helped him to retain his position in the

Pakistani film industry The film industry of Pakistan, consisting of motion pictures, has had a large effect on Pakistani society and culture since the nation's independence. Pakistani cinema is made up of various sub-industries, including Lollywood, which mak ...

. In 1966, he wrote songs for '' Hum Dono'' (1966) and ''Jalwa'' (1966). Songs "Koi Ja Ke Unse Keh De" and "Laagi Re Lagan Yehi Dil Mein" from the film ''Jalwa'' became prominent songs in Pakistan. In 1969, he wrote songs for films ''Nazneen'' and '' Andaleeb'' (1969).

Patriotic songs

In 1973, he wrote Pakistani film song "Tera Saya Jaha Bhi Ho, Palkein Bichhaaun" for ''Gharana'' film for which he was awarded a

Nigar Award The Nigar Awards () were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema, after having been revived in 2017 following a 15-year absence. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The ...

. His patriotic songs include "Is Parcham Ke Saye Taley Hum Eik Hain" and "Ye Watan Tumhara Hai".

Death

He died on 28 August 2000 in Lahore and is buried in a cemetery of Lahore, Pakistan.

Awards

References

External links

Kaleem Usmani
at

Rekhta ''Rekhta'' ( ; ''Rekhtā'') was an early form of the Hindustani language. This style evolved in both the Perso-Arabic and Nagari scripts and is considered an early form of Standard Urdu and Modern Standard Hindi. According to the Pakistan ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usmani, Kaleem 1928 births 2000 deaths Muhajir people Poets from Lahore 20th-century Pakistani poets Urdu-language poets from Pakistan Pakistani male poets Pakistani male songwriters Pakistani songwriters Urdu-language lyricists Nigar Award winners Pakistani television personalities Pakistani radio personalities Indian emigrants to Pakistan