Filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur was recently able to retrieve lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi’s handwritten nazms, letters from friends, and photographs from his childhood, school and college days, from a scrap dealer at Juhu in Bombay. Dungarpur set up the Film Heritage Foundation in 2014 to preserve India’s film heritage. He handed over the Ludhianvi collection to conservators at his Foundation. Among the collection were also some film negatives. Dungarpur paid Rs. 3,000 for the goods.
Sahir Ludhianvi was a Padma Shri awardee and was unmarried. His house at Juhu in Bombay remained a subject matter of litigation for years after his demise in 1980. He was known for his lyrics in Phir Subah Hogi, Naya Daur, Taj Mahal, Hum Dono, Kabhi Kabhie and many other films.