Rahi Masoom Raza and his family.

It is said that a person never truly dies as long as they live on in someone’s memories. This measure of life and legacy assumes an extraordinary significance in the case of celebrated author, poet and screenwriter Rahi Masoom Raza.Decades after his death, his words continue to draw readers, scholars and admirers into his world. On Saturday, many of them gathered in his native city of Ghazipur as part of a year-long celebration marking his birth centenary.

Milestones of Rahi’s journey.

Sharing anecdotes from Raza’s life and times with TOI on the sidelines of the programme, they brought to life the many hues of his persona.Nephew and filmmaker Asif Jah recalled that in everyday life, Rahi preferred saafgoi over pleasantries and pretence.“Once I wrote a poem and asked him to take a look at it. He remained silent… Eventually I asked him – Kaisi Lagi? And he bluntly replied… wahiyat (absurd)… disheartened I said … ‘theek hai phir… likhna chord deta hoon… he instantly deterred me and asked how I will improve if I quit so easily,” said Jah.He also called Rahi as a man who followed his heart. “When Mamu came in touch with Nayyar Jahan, she was already married. Rahi was advised by friends and well-wishers to stay away from her and the controversy, but he did not budge and got married in 1966. The hullaballoo contributed to his leaving Aligarh Muslim University, where he was working as a lecturer,” he said adding that he moved to Bombay thereafter.A former student Nadeem Adhami loved his teacher’s wit. “Unka andaz bada dostana tha,” he said adding, “he would crack jokes on himself which takes a big heart and an open mind.”

Rahi’s student, Dr Nadeem Adhami

Citing a memory Adhami said: “Rahi used to limp because of the polio inflicted leg… but instead of being touchy about it, he said… Kaun Kehta hai ki rahi langda hai; jo Marris Road (where Aligarh Muslim University Women’s College is located) tak daud jaye wo langda ho hi nahi sakta.”Urdu enthusiast and former chief secretary Anis Ansari remembered how students were mesmerised by his handsome personality. “People felt that khuda ne unko fursat se banaya tha… He was hard to ignore in a room filled with 40-50 people,” he said.

Verse to prose.

Raza’s persona followed him to the Bollywood. Writer and film maker Amit Khanna admitted that in his early years, he was not fully aware of Rahi’s literary contributions to Hindi and Urdu but deeply felt his intellectual streak.“Urdu poet Majrooh Sultanpuri told me about his about Raza saab’s importance in literary circles… But there was something scholarly in his bearing and Tehzeeb dripped from his words,” he said.Not just in work, Raza left a lasting impression on people he met.“A true literary maestro, Rahi Chacha was in a league of his own in both Urdu and Hindustani. He did not merely play with words; he had an extraordinary understanding of human expression and emotion that gave dialogues a soul,” said actor turned politician Raj Babbar who often turned to him for clearing doubts and followed his advice even when they did not make sense to him.

Real to reel

Film maker Subhash Ghai also swears that he can never forget Dr Rahi. “A witty man, he was like family to me… So, he had to push his pen to write the dialogues of my first film production Karz. But all his work was better than Karz,” Ghai wrote.Calling Rahi his ‘Manas Pita’ and his visit to Ghazipur a pilgrimage, voice artist Harish Bhimani said: “like a father he envisioned the birth of Samay (the narrator in Mahabharat) and shaped him in every episode like a mother.”He also recalled how Rahi’s teaching never let success get into his head. “Once he told me apni avaz se nahi andaz se logon ko apna banao… and I follow this principle till date,” Bhimani said.

1959

To his niece Samar Rizwi, Raza is a jewel in her crown. “Some children are known by their family names while others became their family name. He is a jewel not just in the crown of our family but also that of Indian society who continues to sparkle,” she said.“Rahi’s writing combined Indianness with revolutionary thought and an uncompromising fight against casteism and communalism. He was deeply secular, and his command over Hindu mythology was remarkable,” said noted anthropologist Prof Nadeem Hasnain and close relative.

The love for Raza continues to linger, believes actor and producer, Rahul Mitra. “The most striking thing about him is that he called himself the son of three mothers – Nafisa Begum (his biological mother), AMU his alma mater and Ganga the great river along which he lived,” he said.

Asif Azmi, convenor Maati Foundation.

The programme concluded with attendees lighting earthen lamps in Raza’s memory, reaffirming their commitment to keeping his literary legacy alive. “Ideas don’t die when writers like Raza give them a life beyond their own,” said Asif Azmi, convenor of Maati Trust, which is organising 100 programmes to mark the occasion.Calling those who draw inspiration from Rahi’s work his “intellectual heirs”, Azmi said they had a responsibility to introduce his writing and ideas to the next generation.