Nida Fazli
Nida Fazli (1938–2016) wrote ghazals and Hindi-flavoured dohas in the language of everyday speech. A Sahitya Akademi and Padma Shri winner, he is loved for verses on childhood, faith, travel and kindness that never feel like lectures.
The conversationalist of modern Urdu poetry
Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli was born in Delhi in 1938 and grew up in Gwalior. He moved to Mumbai in the 1960s and worked as a journalist before gaining recognition as a poet and film lyricist.
He was equally comfortable in Urdu ghazals and in Hindi-flavoured dohas, which he used to comment on modern urban life. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999 and the Padma Shri in 2013.
His film songs include 'Tu Is Tarah Se Meri Zindagi Mein Shamil Hai' and 'Kabhi Kisi Ko Mukammal Jahan Nahin Milta'. He died in Mumbai in 2016.
Recurring themes
- Childhood
- Compassion over ritual
- Incomplete lives
- Travel and migration
- Plain speech as honesty
Where to start
Read his dohas first, then the ghazals 'Safar mein dhoop to hogi' and 'Hosh walon ko khabar kya'.
Worth knowing
He wrote that the best poetry should sound as natural as a conversation overheard in a train.
शास्त्रीय शेर — Nida Fazli
Ghar se masjid hai bahut door, chalo yun kar lein,
Kisi rote hue bachche ko hansaya jaye.
Hosh walon ko khabar kya bekhudi kya cheez hai,
Ishq kijiye phir samajhiye zindagi kya cheez hai.
Want custom couplets in Nida Fazli's style?
Our high-performance mobile application lets you query the AI to compose new poetry in the exact meter and vocabulary of your favorite shayars.
Download ShayariAI App