By Ridham Gambhir

Lakadi ki kaathi kaathi pe ghoda

ghode ki dum pe jo maara hathauda

dauda dauda dauda ghoda dum utha ke dauda

No matter who is listening to this melody, it is reminiscent of the childhood days and the memories associated with it. The man who penned this euphonious song is none other than Gulzar Sahab. And it is on this day that Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar celebrates his 81st birthday.

Gulzar Sahab is acclaimed for dulcet songs like Tere bina zindagi se koi, Ae zindagi gale laga le, Naina thag lenge and other canorous ditties. His career as a lyricist began with the film Bandini. The latter was soon followed by Kabuliwala, Do Dooni Chaar and many more.

His magic wand of words wasn't restricted to songs only. After his recognition as a lyricist, Gulzar began to write scripts for films. The loquacious Bawarchi was a creation of Gulzar and so was the winsome Guddi. The versatility of this man didn't stop here. It was under his direction and decree that Bollywood got movies like Anand, Koshish and Masoom.

Gulzar Sahab wove his magical words in his poetry, Shayari and Nazm as well.

His contribution as an artist was recognized when he was facilitated with the Padma Bhushan in 2004 and a number of National Film Awards. The song Jai ho from Slumdog Millionaire, which was his composition along with A.R. Rahman won him a Grammy Award in the category of Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture. And in the year 2013, Indian cinema awarded Gulzar Sahab with the most prestigious award – Dada Saheb Phalke Award.

For the man whose words are eternal and heart-felt..

Happy Birthday Gulzar Sahaab