Engineer, songsmith, revolutionary, Shailendra died young to live forever

Raj Kapoor's naive innocence, as seen in "Mera joota hai Japani" to "Sab kuch seekha hamne", Dilip Kumar's restrained sorrow in "Toote hue khwabon" or "Yeh mera diwanapan hai", Shammi Kapoor's exuberant ebullience in "Chahe koi mujhe jungli kahe", or Dev Anand's cheerful jauntiness in "Khoya khoya chand" to "Gaata rahe mera dil" all owe their origin to one man.

One of Hindi cinema's most inspired, capable yet self-effacing wordsmiths, acknowledged duly by his peers Raj Kapoor called him his "Pushkin" and seen as inspiration by a later generation of lyricists, especially Gulzar, Shailendra, born Shankardas Kesarilal on this day

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