Ahmed Wasi

Ahmed Wasi (born 1942) is not an anonymous name in the field of Urdu literature and Hindi film music. He has been associated with the Hindi film music in two ways. One is that he is himself a lyricist and second that being a radio announcer he was always in touch with the film songs.

Early years

Ahmed Wasi was born in Sitapur on 8 October 1942. After his graduation from Lucknow university he pursued few short term courses simultaneously started his studies in law.

Entry in the limelight

It was in 1963 that he happened to join the Vividh Bharti service of All India Radio. With the proficiency in Urdu literature and his keen interest in Hindi music he was soon ruling the airwaves as an announcer making a position for himself amidst legends like Ameen Sayani and Gopal Sharma.

Entry into the musical world

Meanwhile he continued to write nazms and ghazals in various Urdu magazines and was soon spotted for his talent by Murli Manohar Swaroop. Then began a parallel career for Ahmed Wasi, which was perhaps his ambition. Many of the LPs released then by HMV had his ghazals in the voices of many stalwarts.His ghazal "shaakh se toot ke girne ki sazaa do mujhko - ek patta hi to hooN kyon Na hawa do mujhko" made waves overnight and turned Raj Kumar Rizvi into a new ghazal phenomena.

Bollywood and beyond

Then came 1973, Ali Raza was directing a movie "Pran Jaye par vachan Na Jaye". Music director O.P. Nayyar contacted him for writing a cabaret song for the...
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