By Arshad Mahmud
How does a piece of music travel across fifty years, bridging the grainy nostalgia of 1970s television with the crisp digital landscapes of today? Shifting from the legendary voice of Nayyara Noor to a contemporary reimagining, this rendition of Meeraji’s poetry proves that while generations pass, the transient, shifting rhythms of human life remain beautifully unchanged.
I began my professional journey as a music composer at the age of 22, in 1972. My very first assignment came through a children’s television programme titled “Akar Bakar”. During this time, I was fortunate to collaborate with a dear friend, Shahid Toosy, who had been my senior in both school and college, and we worked together on composing music for the programme.
Following this, late Shoaib Hashmi, economics professor by profession and a playwright and actor by passion, conceived another programme, this time aimed at adult audiences, titled “Such Gup”. It was a magazine-style show, light-hearted in tone, built around social satire and presented through humorous skits. While the programme featured occasional musical segments with comedic or satirical undertones, it also included a more structured musical highlight, a three to four-minute song that concluded each episode.
These closing songs were beautifully rendered by the legendary Nayyara Noor, whose voice added depth and emotional resonance to the compositions. The poetry selected for these pieces was drawn from the works of some of the finest poets of the Urdu language. Among them was Meeraji, a 20th century Urdu poet. In fact, a significant number of the songs featured in the programme were selected from his collection ‘Geet Hi Geet’ (Songs and songs).
The composition “Koi Kahe Mein Sundar Nar” (They call me a pretty lady) was originally created in the middle of 1973 for “Such Gup,” and was memorably performed by Nayyara Noor.
This new presentation was inspired by a comment left by a viewer on the MoUSICi channel, who recalled the song telecast back in 1973. That simple mention rekindled the memory of the piece and prompted me to revisit it.
The words of this song carry a delicate balance, it is at once deeply philosophical and yet youthful, almost playful in its expression. This style, in many ways, is the hallmark of Meeraji’s poetry. The opening two verses of the composition carry a simple yet evocative imagery, speaking of life in its natural contrasts: nights that are dark and nights that are luminous; moments when the sky is overcast, and others when it clears to reveal a canopy of stars. In their simplicity, these lines reflect the shifting moods of existence.
While revisiting and re-recording this piece, beautifully rendered by Sajar Nafees, an ardent admirer of Nayyara Noor, I felt compelled to include the final verse of the song, which had not been part of the original version. Its inclusion, to me, completed the thought: that nothing in life is permanent, joy and sorrow, hope and despair remain in constant motion. In this realization lies a quiet acceptance, a reminder of the transient nature of life and the gentle rhythm of its ever-changing flow.
I hope you experience the same connection in listening to this piece as we did in bringing it to life.
Arshad Mahmud is a music composer, actor, and educator in Karachi, deeply involved in preserving and innovating Southasian classical and contemporary music.
Feature image: A screenshot from the video
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