aañsū huuñ hañs rahā huuñ shagūfoñ ke darmiyāñ
shabnam huuñ jal rahā huuñ sharāroñ ke shahr meñ
aansu hun hans raha hun shagufon ke darmiyan
shabnam hun jal raha hun shararon ke shahr mein
Salam Macchlishheri is one of the few poets who escaped the ideological impact of Progressive Writers Movement and wrote a different kind of romantic poetry marked for its spontaneity and naturalness. He was one of the most read poets of his time and had special appeal with young readers.
He was born Abdussalam on July 01, 1921 at Macchlishehr in Jaunpur district. He was first made to learn Quran by heart. In 1935, he passed the middle school examination from a District Board school. He could complete only his high school education after which he got an employment and worked for Allahabad University library. During his service in the library, he got an opportunity to study the literatures of several languages. In 1933, he changed his job and worked as a script writer at Lucknow radio station. While in Lucknow, he also acted as the honorary editor of the University magazine called Mizraab. In 1952, he was promoted as Assistant Producer and posted at Srinagar radio station. After his tenure there, he was promoted as Producer and sent to Delhi radio station. For his cumulative contribution, the prestigious Padma Sri award was also conferred on him.
Salam published three collections of his poetry: Merey Naghme, Wusatein, and Payal. While working at radio stations, he also wrote radio plays and operas as well as a novel called Bazoo Bund Khul Khul Jai. He suffered from jaundice and cancer of liver which claimed his life on 19 November, 1975, in Delhi