There was a time when Javed Akhtar was going through a tough time. In such a situation, he decided to seek help from Sahir. He called and took time to meet him.
That day Sahir saw sadness on Javed's face and said, "Come young man, how are you, are you sad?"
Javed told that the days were tough, money was about to run out.
He told Sahir that if he could get him a job somewhere, he would be very grateful.
Javed Akhtar tells that Sahir sahab had a strange habit, when he was upset, he would take out a small comb from the back pocket of his pants and start rubbing it on his hair. When there was something entangled in his mind, he would start untangling his hair. He did the same at that time too. He kept thinking for a while and then said in his usual style, “Sure young man, let's see what a fakir can do”
Then pointing towards the table kept nearby he said, “We have also seen bad days young man, for now take this, let's see what can happen”, Javed Akhtar saw that two hundred rupees were kept on the table.
If he wanted he could have put the money in my hand, but it was the sensitivity of that man that he felt that I might feel bad. It was the standard of that person that he was not making eye contact with me even while giving the money.
Now his interaction with Sahir had increased because in films like Trishul, Deewar and Kala Patthar the story was by Salim-Javed and the songs were by Sahir sahab. Often they would sit together and discuss the story, songs, dialogues etc. During this time Javed would often say to Sahir mischievously, “Sahir sahab! I have those two hundred rupees of yours, I can give it to you but I won't.” Sahir smiled. When people sitting with him asked him which two hundred rupees he had, Sahir would say, “Ask him”, this continued for a long time.
Sahir and Javed Akhtar kept meeting, literary gatherings kept happening, time kept passing.
And then after a long time, the date of 25 October 1980 came. It was late evening when Javed sahab received a call from Sahir's family doctor, Dr. Kapoor. There was both panic and pain in his voice. He told that Sahir Ludhianvi is no more. He had a heart attack. It was not easy for Javed Akhtar to hear this.
He reached his house as soon as he could and saw that the most charismatic star of Urdu poetry was wrapped in a white sheet. He tells that "apart from his two sisters, many people from the film industry including B.R. Chopra were also present there. When I went close to him, my hands were trembling, when I removed the sheet, both his hands were placed on his chest, the time when I used to meet him in the early days started flashing before my eyes, I touched his palms and felt that these are the same hands with which such beautiful songs were written but now they had become cold.''
Arrangements were made to bury Sahir in Juhu cemetery. It was early morning, after waiting all night, Sahir had to be buried in the morning. This is the same cemetery in which the graves of Mohammad Rafi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Madhubala and Talat Mahmood are. Sahir was buried with full Muslim rituals and customs. All the people who had come with him returned after some time but Javed Akhtar remained sitting near the grave for a long time.
After sitting for a long time, Javed Akhtar got up and started going back with moist eyes. He came out of Juhu cemetery and was about to sit in his car parked in front when someone called him. Javed Akhtar turned around and saw Sahir sahab's friend Ashfaq sahab.
Ashfaq was the husband of Waheeda Tabassum, a great writer of those times, who was very fond of Sahir. Ashfaq was coming in a hurry, he was wearing a night suit, perhaps he had got the news early in the morning and he had left the house like that. As soon as he came, he said to Javed sahab, "Do you have some money with you? I have to give it to the grave-maker, I came in a hurry", Javed sahab asked while taking out his wallet, "Yes, yes, how much do I have to give?" He said, "Two hundred rupees"..
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