By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The haunting couplet, “Log toot jaate hain ik ghar banane mein, tum taras nahin khate bastiyan jalane mein,” became more than poetry in the life of legendary Urdu poet Bashir Badr, whose death on May 28 in Bhopal has revived memories of one of the darkest phases of his life.
The renowned poet had personally suffered the trauma of the 1989 communal riots in Meerut when his house was set ablaze by rioters. The fire not only destroyed his home but also reduced to ashes a precious diary containing years of his poetic work.
Recalling the painful episode during a literature festival in Dehradun in November last year, noted filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj shared how deeply the tragedy had affected the poet. Bhardwaj, who spent part of his struggling days in Meerut, said he used to meet Bashir Badr frequently during that period.
According to Bhardwaj, the destruction of the diary had left the poet shattered and pushed him into depression. “Badr saab was devastated after the riots. That diary contained many priceless shers,” Bhardwaj had said while addressing the audience.
However, Bhardwaj also narrated how poetry survived the flames. Since he remembered a large number of the verses that had been lost in the fire, Bhardwaj said he helped the poet rewrite them from memory. “I remembered nearly 90 per cent of the shers from the diary and helped him rewrite them,” Bhardwaj said, drawing loud applause from the audience.
The incident remains a poignant reminder of how communal violence can scar lives and art alike. Yet, it also reflects the resilience of literature and friendship, which helped Bashir Badr reclaim words that hatred had tried to erase.