Lyricist Abhilash dies of cancer

Veteran lyricist and writer Abhilash died of cancer last night in Mumbai. He had been ailing for a long time.

The writer was once hindered by a creative block, but a muse eventually surfaced in the form of a well-wisher whose offhand comment on the artiste's inner strength (shakti) sowed the seeds for the iconic hymn ‘Itni Shakti Humein Dena Daata’ from N Chandra’s Ankush (1986), a career-defining film for Abhilash. It went on to live as second life as the theme song of several of Indian’s nationalised banks.

Abhilash took to poetry and songwriting as a teenager in Delhi, even though his family harboured dreams of academic excellence for him. As a young writer, he was inspired by the works of poet and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi and eventually met his idol at a poetry event. Ludhianvi gave him advice that would later prove invaluable.

Abhilash then came to Mumbai and worked the night shift as a timekeeper in a mill. He then got reacquainted with Ludhianvi, who served as a constant source of encouragement. A chance meeting with classical singer and composer K Mahavir, who taught Usha Mangeshkar, led to a breakthrough.

Abhilash began writing lyrics to Mahavir's tunes and soon came under the radar of legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. The lyricist also worked on a song for Salil Chowdhury for a documentary. His first film as a lyricist was Phir Aya Toofan (1973) starring Dara Singh and Madhu Malini.

Soon he began writing lyrics for films such as Raftaar (1975) and Awara Ladki (1975) and worked for composers such as Usha Khanna and Bappi Lahiri. He wrote the dialogues and songs for Zahreelee (1977) starring Neetu Singh.

In a career spanning nearly five decades, he also wrote songs for films such as Sawan Ko Aane Do (1979), Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988) and Hulchul (1995).