18th death anniversary of Ahmad Rahi observed

The 18th death anniversary of legendary Punjabi poet and songwriter Ahmad Rahi was observed today, with several figures from the local entertainment industry paying tribute to the late artist and his illustrious career.

Prominent lyricist of Pakistan Altaf Bajwa described Rahi as a ‘pioneer’ of the industry. “Ahmad Rahi is one of the most renowned poets of the local film industry and the songs he wrote are an asset. He was a true pioneer of his craft. Throughout his career, he delivered quality work that received global recognition. Unfortunately Rahi had to depart from the industry as gandasa films began to gain dominance,” he told The Express Tribune.

Popular Punjab poet Baba Najmi echoed the same sentiments. “Ahmad Rahi is a prominent name in the field of Punjabi poetry. There was no one like him. After his departure, not a single poet of his stature came into the industry as no one can write poetry like he did,” he said.

Through the course of his career, Rahi wrote almost 2000 songs in Punjabi and Urdu, during the golden era of Lollywood. Born on November 12, 1923, in Amritsar India, he was surrounded by legendary figures in literature such as Sadat Hassan Manto and Saifuddin Saif while growing up.

Following Partition, at the age of 24, Rahi moved to Lahore and started his career as an editor for the literary magazine, Sawera. In 1953, he published his first poetry collection, titled Taranjun. He started his career as a lyricist with the film Baili, which was based on the bloodshed that occurred during Partition. The film was penned by Manto and featured four songs written by Rahi.

As a lyricist, he went on to write songs for multiple Lollywood films including Heer Ranjha, Yaky Wali, Aik Matyar, Mahi Munda, Shou Mantar, Rishta, Mirza Jaat, Sassi Pannu and Niki Jai Haan, among many others.

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