“Ik dilke tukde hazaar huye, koyi yahan gira koyi wahan gira…
Bahte huye aansoo ruk na sake, koyi yahan gira koyi wahan gira…”
My father wrote this unforgettable soulful song in 1948 for the film Pyar Ki Jeet. This was one of his personal favorites, and went on to be the lament in his life as he kept losing people he cared for one by one. His greatest attribute was his acceptance of life and other people on a complete "as is where is" basis.
Early Life
Born as Om Prakash in 1917 in Jalalabad, he started writing poetry at the tender age of seven. A wandering minstrel named Amar gave him the ‘takhallus’ of ‘Qamar’ (Moon), and Jalalabadi was added to honor his hometown.
1940s 
1950s 
Portrait The lure of the Film industry brought him to Pune in the early Forties. In 1942, he wrote lyrics for his first film Zameendar. Thereafter he shifted to Mumbai with family and thus began an eventful career in the glorious film industry which went on for nearly 4 decades.
His songs were elusive wordplays that made you ponder deeply. Potent love, deep excruciating pain, and ecstasy beyond comprehension were portrayed in his effervescent songs. Golden voices like NoorJehan, Mohd. Rafi, Geeta Roy, and Lata Mangeshkar added mesmeric glitz to his lyrics.
As a lyricist he handled anything from the ridiculous to the sublime with equal deftness. From the mesmeric duet “sun mere sajana” to the comic anthem “aaj pahli taarik hai”, his versatility knew no bounds. The film Howrah Bridge (1954) with songs like “mera naam Chin Chin Chu” skyrocketed his career.
In his personal life, he was a highly principled personality, a true Karma yogi who took care of his family against all odds. He shared a rare bond of togetherness with my mother, preferring simple home life over the glitz of the industry.
"Most music lovers may not be aware that Qamarji was a polished and highly acclaimed Adabi Shayar as well."
Read His Poetry