Nida Fazli
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A profile
The Hindu, February 9, 2016
Namrata Joshi
Primarily a writer of verse, he maintained a low profile in the Hindi film world
He moved to Mumbai from hometown Gwalior in the early 60s in search of a job and worked with magazines Blitz and Dharmyug initially. A student of literature, Fazli was also steeped in the Bhakti poetry of Kabir and Meera and the Sufi world of Amir Khusro. His poetry emerged from his own heartbreak. Fazli found a voice and a direction when he heard a Hindu devotional poem about Radha’s pain of separation from Krishna.
His poetry was all about simple, easygoing philosophy, rooted in life. It had a folksy, Sufi touch even while dealing with lofty thoughts. His work also dealt with the increasing communal divide and the need to foster communal harmony. Fazli refused to move to Pakistan after the Partition despite the fact that his own father did. His was always a low key presence in the Hindi film world though he did court controversy for taking on Sahir Ludhianvi and Kaifi Azmi for what he perceived to be their faux Marxism.
He once said of Bollywood: “Aawazon ke bazaron mein khamoshi ko pehchaane kaun (In the market of voices who would appreciate silence)”.