by Dr. Jaipal Singh A few other well-known restrictions on the freedom of expression and right to dissent during the Nehruvian era briefly include: (1) import of any newspaper that supposedly undermined friendly relations with any state was banned; (2) import of any (perceived) obscene drawing or painting was banned; (3) Historian Dharampal was arrested
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7 Dishonouring his legacy: Sahir Ludhianvi’s handwritten notes, letters, poems and photographs were found from a scrap shop in 2019 in Mumbai
Renu Sud Sinha
Born Abdul Hayee a hundred years ago, he called himself Sahir (meaning sorcerer, wizard, enchanter and magician) when the world started taking note of the magic of his words. As was the literary tradition those days, like Urdu poets Majrooh (Sultanpuri), Josh (Malihabadi), Firaq (Gorakhpuri), Daag (Dehlvi), he added the city of his birth as takhallus (pen-name) and a magician was born. In the preface to his book, ‘Sahir: A Literary Portrait’ (2019), Surinder Deol calls him ‘a mystery wrapped in an enigma’.