In recent times there have been a few songs that have stirred up something inside me. I love the oldies, as I am sure everyone knows by now. There was a phase in the 90s when Hindi music wasn't cool anymore and got trapped in a strange cycle of khatiyas and takiyas, ILU ILUs and Baby babys.
That was the time when many of us switched loyalties and looked westward. Thankfully for me that phase also coincided with my college years when, as it is if you do not gravitate towards rock, you are a moron and misfit of some sort. And our college had the coolest rock band ever! Comprising mostly of students from the North Eastern states of India, where music comes naturally, the rock band belted out all from G N' R to Bryan Adams, from Springsteen to Metallica. Most of these guys played the guitar naturally, were comfortable with drums and had voices that set our college auditorium on fire. They were all laid-back, had longish hair, doing some or other form of (mild) drugs, lived bohemian lifestyles and were least interested in studies. So it was but natural that they were our instant heroes! To us regular and rather straight jacketed North Indians, it was the opening of a whole new world. That is partly the beauty of India, that there are in fact so many sub-cultures region wise, that it takes a lifetime to truly understand and discover India. Needless to say our college jam sessions were legendary and great fun.
Coming back to the film music, in the last decade or so lyrics have made a great come back in Hindi movies. There are some really gifted lyricists such as Prasoon Joshi, Irshad Kamil, Neelesh Misra who have redefined lyrical paradigms, building moments of great imagery and imagination.
This song is a case in point. To be very honest I loved the music from the word go. With A R Rehman's music there is no other way. The picturisation even if with the gorgeous Nargis Fakhri, misses the point somewhere. And somehow the first phrase escaped me as it was wrongly written as 'Katiya Karun'. It was almost after a month of assuming it was some South Indian love phrase, when one late night when I just couldn't sleep, I realised it was actually Punjabi 'Katteya Karun' as in spinning a yarn, as I was doing precisesly that night. And I thought wow! What a beautiful expression. The song, I feel is a milestone in adapting Punjabi lyrics to a passionate song. For, when it comes to the matters of the heart, Punjabi does it just a tad bit more. :-)
That was the time when many of us switched loyalties and looked westward. Thankfully for me that phase also coincided with my college years when, as it is if you do not gravitate towards rock, you are a moron and misfit of some sort. And our college had the coolest rock band ever! Comprising mostly of students from the North Eastern states of India, where music comes naturally, the rock band belted out all from G N' R to Bryan Adams, from Springsteen to Metallica. Most of these guys played the guitar naturally, were comfortable with drums and had voices that set our college auditorium on fire. They were all laid-back, had longish hair, doing some or other form of (mild) drugs, lived bohemian lifestyles and were least interested in studies. So it was but natural that they were our instant heroes! To us regular and rather straight jacketed North Indians, it was the opening of a whole new world. That is partly the beauty of India, that there are in fact so many sub-cultures region wise, that it takes a lifetime to truly understand and discover India. Needless to say our college jam sessions were legendary and great fun.
Coming back to the film music, in the last decade or so lyrics have made a great come back in Hindi movies. There are some really gifted lyricists such as Prasoon Joshi, Irshad Kamil, Neelesh Misra who have redefined lyrical paradigms, building moments of great imagery and imagination.
This song is a case in point. To be very honest I loved the music from the word go. With A R Rehman's music there is no other way. The picturisation even if with the gorgeous Nargis Fakhri, misses the point somewhere. And somehow the first phrase escaped me as it was wrongly written as 'Katiya Karun'. It was almost after a month of assuming it was some South Indian love phrase, when one late night when I just couldn't sleep, I realised it was actually Punjabi 'Katteya Karun' as in spinning a yarn, as I was doing precisesly that night. And I thought wow! What a beautiful expression. The song, I feel is a milestone in adapting Punjabi lyrics to a passionate song. For, when it comes to the matters of the heart, Punjabi does it just a tad bit more. :-)
A translation of this beautiful song by Irshad Kamil. Pardon a few poetic liberties:
I spin your yarn
Every night
That is what I do all night
Spin fluffy balls of cotton all night.
Every night
That is what I do all night
Spin fluffy balls of cotton all night.
As if my body were a spinning wheel,
And the love of my beloved-
Fluffy balls of pure white cotton.
I spin and spin and spin,
Till it’s a thread shiny and thin.
In your thoughts my days fly.
I live for you, for you I'll die.
And the love of my beloved-
Fluffy balls of pure white cotton.
I spin and spin and spin,
Till it’s a thread shiny and thin.
I dance, I hop, and I measure the bales.
And whatever I compare you with,
It but fades and pales.
I go to extremes.
I am bursting at the seams.
I am exploding like pop corn
Abundant cotton like puffs of pop corn.
I am not afraid of the world now.
I live for you, I’ll die for you.
And whatever I compare you with,
It but fades and pales.
I go to extremes.
I am bursting at the seams.
I am exploding like pop corn
Abundant cotton like puffs of pop corn.
I am not afraid of the world now.
I live for you, I’ll die for you.
But for the time being,
In my love’s lively, lonely little barn,
Every night I spin your yarn.
Fluffy white balls of cotton I spin,
That’s what I do all night.
In my love’s lively, lonely little barn,
Every night I spin your yarn.
Fluffy white balls of cotton I spin,
That’s what I do all night.
