Sehba Akhtar (30 September 1931 – 19 February 1996) was a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and a film songwriter in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Early life and career

Akhtar was born Akhtar Ali Rehmat in the household of Rehmat Ali Rehmat, a

and a contemporary of the renowned playwright Agha Hashar Kashmiri, in

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. Sehba originally belonged to

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...

. He started writing verses in his school days. He finished his high school from

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

and later attended the

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Kh ...

. Later, before Pakistan's independence in 1947, he visited

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

along with Quaid-e-Azam

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

to attend a public gathering organized by Karachi students. Soon after the independence of

in 1947, he shifted to Pakistan and also started writing poems and songs for Pakistani movies and the Pakistani public.

Popular poems

Akhtar wrote many famous poems and songs for the Pakistani people and also became involved in writing film songs for some Pakistani films. * "Mein Bhi Pakistan Hoon Tu Bhi Pakistan Hai" Sung by Muhammad Ali Shehki, music by Sohail Rana, a

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

production * "Tanha Thee Aur Hamaishah Say Tanha Hay Zindagi" sung by

Mehdi Hassan Mehdi Hassan Khan (; 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012), known as Mehdi Hassan, was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer of great renown. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of ghazal singing, ...

* "Chand Ki Seij Pe Taaron Se Saja Ke Sehra" Sung by

Runa Laila Runa Laila (born 17 November 1952) is a Bangladeshi playback singer and composer. She started her career in the Pakistani film industry in the late 1960s. Her style of singing is inspired by Pakistani playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and also f ...

, music by ''Deebo Bhattacharya'' for film ''Jhuk Gaya Aasman'' (1970) * "Mujhe Bhulaane Walay Tujhe Bhi Chaen Na Aaey" Sung by Habib Wali Mohammed (a non-film

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

song) * "Wahain Zindagi Kay Hasee'n Khawb Tootay" Sung by Jamal Akbar, Music by Kareem Shahab Uddin. * "Tera Mera Sathi Hay Lehrata Samandar" Film Samander, sung by Ahmed Rushdi * "Ae watan maan ki tarah", sung by Mohammad Ifrahim

Death and legacy

In late 1995, he became very ill in London, but insisted on returning to Pakistan to launch his poetry book, ''Mashal''. He later died on 19 February 1996. In

, Pakistan, there is a 'Sehba Akhtar Road' named after him and a library in Nazimabad No.4, Karachi also carries his name.

Awards

Akhtar received the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

award from the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 1996.Profile of poet Sehba Akhtar on rekhta.org website
Retrieved 26 April 2024

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhtar, Sehba Urdu-language poets from Pakistan Pakistani male songwriters Pakistani songwriters 1931 births 1996 deaths Muhajir people Writers from Karachi People from Jammu 20th-century Pakistani poets Recipients of the Pride of Performance