The last word

Hum labon se keh naa paaye, unse haal-e-dil kabhi, Aur wo samjhe nahin, ye khamoshi kya cheez hai… is just one of the verses that’s going to stay with Nida Fazli’s fans long after he is gone. Chandigarh residents remember the celebrated Urdu-Hindi poet who would often regale poetry lovers in the city.

Poignant thought

Nida Fazli was not only a great poet, but also a great person. He was an embodiment of cultural harmony. He is one Urdu poet hugely popular in a Hindi- speaking belt, so simple was his language and so poignant his thought. He was an experimental poet too. He infused modern sensibility in age-old dohas and brought it into the mainstream. He would not only be remembered for his poetry but also prose; his autobiography Deewaron Ke Beech is one of the finest examples of Urdu-Hindi prose.

Madhav Kaushik vice-chairman, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi

Peace messenger

Ik darakht aisa mohabbat ka lagaya jaye, jiska humsaye ke aangan main bhi saaya jaye. Nida Fazli was one person who always stood up for peace in the subcontinent. He was as loved in India as in Pakistan for his secular thoughts. He would be remembered for his significant contribution to doha, ghazal and nazm. And he was particularly fond of Chandigarh. He was here last year too.

Chander Trikha,

former director, Haryana Sahitya Academy

Great man

I would remember him as a great actor-poet. He could hold audiences’ pulse and pause, punctuate at the right places. His poems were sure out-of-the-box; kind of revolutionary.

GS Channi theatre director, filmmaker

Real take

I met Nida Saheb in mid-January and am still not able to believe that we have lost such a gem. His poetry was seeped in reality of life. The coming generation could learn so much by his works. In my upcoming ghazal album Safar, we have eight of his nazms.

Ranbir Kumar

Ghazal singer, music composer

Philosopher poet

For me, he was one of the greatest Urdu poets. Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahaan nahi milta kahin zami to kahin aasmaa nahi milta or Ghar se masjid bahut door hai/ chalo yun kar len kisi rote bacche ko hasa diya jaye...are amazing verses. He was aware, sensitive and his verses had depth. He was close to being a philosopher or we could say he was one.

Atamjit, playwright  — As told to Mona