The lines, ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti, Sona Ugle, Ugle Heere Moti, Mere Desh Ki Dharti’ are immortal in the hearts of Indians. These lines featured in a song from the film Upkar, starring Manoj Kumar, the mind behind the lines was Gulshan Kumar Mehta, popularly known as Gulshan Bawra, who left for his heavenly abode 15 years ago. Were you aware that before he became a lyricist, he was a simple clerk? Even though Gulshan Bawra is not with us today, his songs keep him alive in the hearts and minds of people. The legendary lyricist breathed his last on August 9, 2009 and passed away at the age of 72. Throughout his illustrious career he has been credited with writing some of the biggest chartbusters of the 70s.
He was born on April 12, 1937 in Sheikhupur, Pakistan. He moved to India after the partition and got a job of a clerk in the Western Railway, as per the reports. When he came to Mumbai in 1955, he hoped to write songs in films and started his struggle for recognition. Three years later, on August 23, 1958, he was given his first opportunity by the musical duo Kalyan-Anand for the film Chandrasena and wrote his first song.
Going by more reports, he was given the name Gulshan Bawra by distributor Shanti Bhai Patel, after he heard two of his lyrics from the film Satta Bazaar. In his career, he penned a total of 237 songs and has worked with prominent musicians like Laxmi Kant-Pyarelal and RD Burman. The reports state that he had a very close relationship with RD Burman. The demise of Mohammad Rafi hit him hard, with whom he had worked on the superhit track Deewane Hai Deewano Ko Na Ghar Chahiye which was featured in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Zanjeer.
With RD Burman, he gave a number of chartbuster singles, which featured in blockbuster releases. Some of these include Sanam Teri Kasam, Agar Tum Na Hote, Yeh Vada Raha and many more.
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