We were trying to make a film on one of his stories, Maas Ka Dariya, but somehow it never materialized. Now, I marvel that he remained creative till the last moment. I think, he had a story for every occasion.

His contribution to Hindi literature is indeed noteworthy. In that sense, I do feel that he got the Sahitya Akademi award too late. He got it two years ago but he deserved his much earlier. One of my last conversations with him was on the telephone when he called me from Delhi. He wanted to comment on the use of language in my lyrics for Kajra Re and Beedi. He congratulated me for using words that are very typical in places like Meerut and were never used in the popular cinema medium. He was very kicked that he and his grandchild are singing the same songs and using the same words.

I have too many memories of my friend. He was family to me. I missed him a lot when he relocated to Delhi. Somehow, he didn’t want to carve a career in Mumbai. It was because of him that I made my monthly trips to Delhi. This time when I go, I will really miss him. My evenings in Delhi will be very blank.

— (As told to Harneet Singh)