Gopaldas Neeraj (popularly known as Neeraj; 4 January 1925 – 19 July 2018) was an Indian poet and author of

Hindi literature Hindi literature ( hi, हिन्दी साहित्य, translit=hindī sāhitya) includes literature in the various Hindi language which have writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃś ...

. He was also a poet of Hindi Kavi sammelan (Poets Meet). He was born in the village of Puravali, near Mahewa in Etawah district in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India on 4 January 1925. He wrote under the pen name "Neeraj". He was awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 1991 and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 2007. Besides writing, he earned his living teaching in a college and was a Professor of Hindi Literature in Dharma Samaj College, Aligarh. Around 2012, Neeraj was the chancellor of

Mangalayatan University Manglayatan University is a private university established in 2006, recognised by University Grants Commission (UGC). Its campus is located in the city of Aligarh in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The main moto of this university is 'Learn ...

, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Several poems and songs written by Neeraj have been used in Hindi movies. He wrote songs for several Hindi films and was proficient in both

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Shankar–Jaikishan Shankar–Jaikishan (also known as S-J), were an Indian composer duo of the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949 to 1971. They are widely considered to be one of the greatest ever music composers of the Hindi film industry. After Jaiki ...

, and

S. D. Burman Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. He later began composing for Hindi movies and became one o ...

, for both of whom he had written highly popular film songs. Neeraj died, aged 93, on 19 July 2018 in New Delhi. He had been admitted to hospital with a lung infection.

Filmography

Some of the popular film songs written by Neeraj include:

References

External links

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Get All Poems of Gopaldas Neeraj at Hindi Sahitya

गोपाल दस नीरज- कविताकोश Gopaldas Neeraj at Kavita Kosh

C.M. announces Rs. 20 lakh assistance for Gopaldas Neeraj Foundation

Life and work of Neeraj

भारतीय साहित्य संग्रह में नीरज की कृतियाँ

An account from the Atlanta appearance by the poet Neeraj which took place in October 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neeraj, Gopal Das 1925 births 2018 deaths Hindi-language poets Hindi-language writers Indian male songwriters Hindi-language lyricists 20th-century Indian writers People from Etawah Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education People from Aligarh Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education 20th-century Indian male writers Indian lyricists