Kaif bhopali biography of abraham

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam

24 February 2024

I'm in the habit of looking for tributes and obituaries on Urdu poets on their birth and death anniversaries.

So, when I didn't find even a fleeting mention of the poet-lyricist Kaif Bhopali on his birth anniversary on February 20, I felt sad.

Kaif Bhopali and Asad Bhopali, yet another ill-fated contemporary poet-lyricist from Bhopal, never got the recognition they deserved.

In a highly competitive world of song-writing for Hindi films when there were stalwarts like Sahir, Kaifi, Majrooh, Shakeel, Shailendra, Hasrat, among others who were getting regular works, it was indeed difficult for a simple and self-effacing man like Kaif to find a place and write prolifically.

Yet, he immortalised himself by writing 'Chalo Dildaar Chalo Chaand Ke Paar Chalo,'  'Teer-e-Nazar Dekhenge, Zakhm-e-Jigar Dekhenge' (both from Pakeezah, 1972) and a rare gem of a song, 'Apne Aap