YEH RAAT BHEEGI BHEEGI

On full moon nights there's a lot that is paranormal. There is a mystique in the air, moments in time as if suspended in mid air, buoyed by the rays of the moon. The iridescent web of moonlight envelops the Earth in a gossamer cloak. Everything is bathed in a celestial light. On top of that if it is a monsoon night, the interplay of rains and moon can lead to quite a crescendo of emotions. The effect can be electrifying.

It could lead to two things: Utter confusion or utter clarity. There are chances that on some such night the misty monsoon clouds scheme with Moon's very own mystery factory to lead your thoughts into a total mess. Your paramour may be right in front of you, yes, the one you were looking for all your life, yet you would find ways to distance yourself. The reality would be staring you in the eye, but you would avert your gaze and refuse to accept the writing on the wall. What ensued was sheer torture. To deny yourself that fulfilment, to sit on your higher ground, simmering with desire.

Yet sometimes such a night could bring amazing clarity. It was as if the magnificent moonlight had to be viewed through the prism of a tiny raindrop. It would not be a full-fledged rainbow that would be created but little colour coded messages of cupid that would come and strike you unawares. Keeping away was no more worth it. It was best to go with the flow. Accept the inevitable. We are tiny specks in this universe and the probability of two such specks meeting and connecting so well, against all odds, had a higher significance than you would care to accept. The universe had conspired to bring those tiny specks together. Universe or Twitterverse? Your guess is as good as mine!

Raj Kapoor-Nargis(Can there ever be a better onscreen couple?), Shankar Jaikishan, Lata ,Manna Dey all bring amazing synergies into the song. The lyrics are too pretty exceptional. A translation of this ethereal song by Hasrat Jaipuri:

This wet wet night,

This ethereal ambience.

There a mighty moon bright

Dazzles with its magnificence. 

Why is the moonlight now quiet

After lighting up this fire?

The mixed signals of the weather

Have put our sleep in a quagmire. 

A sapphire blue sky, a dainty breeze,

These moist buds as if comatose.

In this setting of idyllic ease

And fervent, free flowing prose,

Why is this heart losing patience?

Why am I not in a state of bliss?

Why this life seeks cadence?

As if there was something amiss. 

My heart seeks that impossible dream,

That I couldn’t find in broad daylight.

Or maybe I search for my lost sheen

In the dazzle of this night. 

Is there no one who remembers me

Even if by some stroke of chance?

He who would smile devastatingly

And instantly put me in a trance. 

And why is the moonlight now quiet

After lighting up this fire?

The mixed signals of the weather

Have put our sleep in a quagmire.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PAL BHAR MEIN YEH KYA HO GAYA-TRANSLATED

Well, went for a long drive today, making some pretext to get some outdoors work done. The weather as some Twitter ladies say was 'Clooney Weather'. Which means cloudy weather, dangerous weather, irresistible weather and kinda reckless weather. Some parts of Delhi are simply beautiful to drive through. My favourite is the Chanakyapuri Diplomatic area, very well kept with lush green trees and flowers everywhere.

Once I was done with work at some offices there, I stepped out to see that a relentless downpour had started. Was not carrying an umbrella, it was getting late. So just said 'what the heck' and got totally drenched. Rain in India is greeted with such gusto. Suddenly everything and everyone starts smiling- the parched ground, the roads, the trees, the children, the peacocks. It's a feeling perhaps a Londoner can never understand or appreciate. Let Londoners do what they do best. We in this part of the world will always welcome rain with open arms. One has to concede that we have a rather long and sultry summer. Rain is like manna from heaven, replenishing the Earth, rejuvenating everything.

We have hundreds of songs about waiting for rains and even more celebrating rain. This is one of the most beautiful rain and monsoon songs by Lata. Shabana in her prime, a lush green Bengal countryside and nostalgia (ha ha don't they always go hand in hand)...... And yes I have to still learn how to tie a saree Bengali style. Need help Madhvi, Madhulika, Sushmita, Srijeeta and all those other Bong bombshells out there!

Here's a translation of this beautiful rain song. You will notice how nature was such a huge part of people's lifestyle once. If you listen to nature, it gives all the answers. It is only when we alienate ourselves from nature and start living sterile, synthetic lives that the world looks dull and unexciting. So step out, enjoy the breeze, get drenched, splash in the puddles, smell a flower:

Oh! What happened in a moment!
In to a spin I was sent,
And there went my heart too,
As the gentle zephyr blew.
My dupatta calls out to the breeze
That the rains this year are such a tease.
My loved one brought in the rains and how!
It’s difficult to live without him now.

The gentle breeze lets ebb and bob,
A small sailboat of hope.
My earings dangle and throb
And quietly give me the dope,
That he will be here in a while.
Just call him with a loving smile.

In the gardens the flowers blossom.
They cling to me and help me fathom.
For they say tread slowly oh pretty girl!
Hold us and come along.
You will find him not before long,
The one who has you in a whirl.

Oh! What happened in a moment!
In to a spin I was sent,
And there went my heart too
As the gentle zephyr blew……….
My loved one brought in the rains and how!
It’s difficult to live without him now.