“What is the secret behind Sahir Ludhianvi’s everlasting appeal?” Surinder Deol asks in an essay for Firstpost, examining the poet-lyricist’s life and legacy in the year of his 100th birth anniversary.

Mehfil-e-Sahir is Firstpost's ode to Ludhianvi, a collection of video tributes by seven leading Hindi film lyricists — from Varun Grover to Kausar Munir, Irshad Kamil, Shellee, Raj Shekhar, Mayur Puri and Hussain Haidry.

Each of these lyricists has picked the verses that speak most to them, explaining why Sahir's words resonate even three decades after his death.

Sahir Ludhianvi was born on 8 March 1921, in Ludhiana. His poetry and film lyrics from the 1940s onwards made him wildly popular, and earned him titles such as "the people’s poet” and “bard of the underdog”.

“Today we are witnessing new threats to democracy and secularism... In this context, Sahir's voice is essential,” Deol notes in his Firstpost essay. “The values he championed are here to stay for the better part of this century.”

View the complete Mehfil-e-Sahir series here.

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Varun Grover reads: 'Aaj Sajan Mohe Ang Lagalo' (Pyaasa, 1957)

This song from Guru Dutt's Pyaasa is a testimony to Ludhianvi's songwriting acumen, where he could summarise the entire essence of a film in a song. With Sachin Dev Burman's music and Geeta Dutt's mellifluous voice, Ludhianvi penned a love song which is deeply rooted in the Vaishnava traditions. Pictured as a kirtan sung by a group of wandering Baul minstrels, the song depicts the yearning and love of the prostitute Gulabo (played by Waheeda Rehman) for the poet Vijay (Guru Dutt).