DIL KI GIRAH KHOL DO-TRANSLATED

Another classic song in a waltz setting composed by Shankar Jaikishan from that mesmerising psychological thriller, Raat Aur Din. It's all about unfolding all the layers of the heart, letting go of fears and inhibitions and taking life head on. Can't find a good enough video though I remember Nargis was not her best looks-wise, this being her last movie. But there was a very dashing young Feroze Khan waltzing with her. It's a great song to just listen to on a silent night as this. The crickets making that sound outside. The arch shaped moon hangs like a silver swing for imaginative flights of fantasy. Darkness is not the absence of light, but an opportunity to feel 'touch' without the distraction of 'sight'. Ha ha now before I let my loony crab mind go berserk, let's just move to Lata's songs with Manna Dey as I think I am already done with her best ones with Rafi. Nargis looked ok. She had put on a lot of weight by then. Nothing compared to her earlier Raj Kapoor movies but yes, it was a woman's role not a girl's. Hats off to these women who defied to be put into yardsticks measured only by a 24 inch waist or a size zero. In their own elegant, understated yet confident way, these movies and actresses were more progressive and liberated than the ones being churned out today where women are given little to offer than cameras gazing over bare mid-riffs, perfect abs and bossoms with little clue about what goes inside a woman's mind.


A translation of this sublime song by Shailendra. Pardon a few poetic liberties:

Open the knots of your heart,
And all the layers that keep us apart.
Don’t stay quiet, come along.
For God’s sake let’s sing a song.
We are not strangers anymore, you see.
Oh! Come, come close to me.

Let the hearts meet this instance.
Let all constraints pass.
Let all chasms and distance
Drown in this glass.
I will smile into your eyes happily
If you promise to smile back at me.

We are no more ‘you and me’ it seems.
We have become something else.
Lost in the sparkling realm of dreams
We dance to these enchanting bells.
We need not ask anyone for direction
And may not tell them our destination.

Tomorrow someone may ask us
What happened to you yesterday?
Our hearts instruct us to move on thus.
Let us not look back today.
Let’s not call or try to find
people who are left far behind.

But do open the knots of your heart
And all the layers that keep us apart.
We are not strangers anymore, you see.
Oh come, come close to me…

MORA GORA ANG LAYILE-TRANSLATED

This song is special because it is the first song ever penned by Gulzar for Hindi movies.:-)  Gulzar who went on to give stunning gems, songs of such fresh imagery and depth that they came to be remembered for his inimitable style. There are many movies that are still remembered solely for his songs-Mausam, Aandhi, Ijaazat, Kinara, Anand to name a few. This particular song borrows from the very Indian mythical story of Krishna and Radha, who were  the eternal lovers.  He uses the typical dialect of central India, the Hindi speaking belt. This pure Hindi was used a lot in Thumris, a semi-classical form.

The myth goes that Radha who was fair would seek refuge of a misty night and dress up in a deep blue saree to go meet Krishna, who was dusky and alluring. But invariably her fair skin would give her away. In this song she innocently wants a darker hue like her beloved so she can go meet him. S D Burman uses his characteristic cricket sound in this song that would always endow his songs a rustic charm and the sounds and smell of a dense, dark forest. It is amazing how he has used this sound to express moods from slow seduction to wrecklessness, though this one conveys innocence at its best. Nutan is totally deglamourised yet so simply enchanting. Her acting was her strong point. I have played this song before in Lata classics but do once again to point out how S D, who was born on 1 October 1906, in Comilla, British India, now in Bangladesh, to Rajkumari Nirmala Devi, princess of Manipur and Nabadwipchandra Dev Burman, the second son of 'Ishanachandra Dev Burman', Raja of Tripura based most of his songs on the folks songs of northeast India especially of Tripura, Manipur and Bangladesh. One reason I love these songs is that they so beautifully capture the cultural traditions of such a vast and diverse region.



Here's a translation of this mystic song by Gulzar. Pardon a few poetic liberties. He set high standards in his first song:

Take this fair form of mine.
Give me that dusky hue divine,
So that I can blend with this night’s mystery.
For all I want is my beloved’s company.

My honour tugs at my feet.
While desire pulls at my arms,
To venture out and go meet
Him and be captive to his charms.
I really don’t know which way to go.
Wish someone could tell me and take me in tow.

And oh! You wretched moon.
Why did you have to remove the silken shrouds?
You have revealed my colour as I swoon,
While you smile, gaping bright through the clouds.
Hope you too go through tough times
For making a plaything of these climes.

I have lost something but gained a lot.
I have got something but now I am in a spot.
Where are you taking me, my heart
After shaking my world apart?
I wish I could blend with this night’s mystery
For all I want is my beloved’s company.....

RAAT BHI HAI KUCH BHEEGI BHEEGI-TRANSLATED

Waheeda Rehman happened to be one of the finest dancers of Hindi film industry. Watch her move like a nimble footed gazelle in this song with unusual lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi that take alliteration to another level and enchanting music by Jaidev (so that's a Punjabi duo at deft work there....Err Punjabi rappers aka Honey Singh, take a leaf I guess!). The surprise package of this song is Sunil Dutt who otherwise had such a genial,sweet and clean visage. He looks particularly menacing with dark, piercing eyes and deadly mannerisms. She a fairy-like nautch girl in pristine white and he a notorious dacoit from the ravines of Chambal. Much of this film was shot in Bhind and Morena, areas we passed everytime we went to our previous location where we lived before Delhi in Babina near Jhansi. This was practically the dacoit hot bed, the outback that created real life anti-heroes once such as Paan Singh Tomar and Phoolan Devi. The dacoits are now long gone but even today when one passes that area at night in a train from Delhi, there is a tendency to check all doors nervously and see if your bags are in order....and if you listen hard enough through the rambling of the rail, you can hear faint gunshots in the background...well almost!;-)
A translation of this masterpiece by Sahir Ludhianvi, one of my favourite Urdu poets ever. Pardon a few poetic liberties:

The night is asplash with drizzle.
Dense clouds overcast.
The brave moon at half mast
Holds fort in the choppy skies.
If you come this way in this mizzle,
The tinkle of my anklets will open its eyes,
And find its lost sizzle.
 
Whom do I tell this?
How do I tell this?
What is the state of my heart today
My thoughts are in disarray.
There is some peace and bliss 
but then only slight.
The pain may have gone away
But a dull ache I still do fight.

The dewdrops of love from your eyes dart
And quell the flames of my scorching heart,
Before my emotions begin to scatter.
As a blazing forest stands to gain
Doused by an incessant rain
Pitter patter pitter patter.

My senses may be in a daze
But my unconsciousness is not absolute.
The will to attain you is resolute.
Even if I end up lost in this maze
And even if the sky today is mostly grays….
And the dense clouds overcast.
But the brave moon at half mast
Holds fort in the choppy skies.
If you come this way in this mizzle,
The tinkle of my anklets will open its eyes,
And find its lost sizzle…………

DO DIWAANE SHEHER MEIN-TRANSLATED

The touch-and-go weekend ingested and digested, we’re set for another long week. Sundays spent house-hunting can hardly be called laid back or refreshing. A house, a home, an abode, a retreat, a haven to fit your needs, requirements, co-ordinates and budget is elusive to say the least. This song sums up just that! The pursuit to acquire a safe roof on your head, something most young couples start life with, is indeed a daunting task. The endearing voices of Bhupinder Singh and Runa Laila provide just the right touch of freshness, vulnerability and spirit of enterprise backed by Gulzar’s unconventional lyrics and vibrant music by Jaidev. These challenges to find a suitable house may give lot of stress, cause for deliberation and differences of opinion. But often it is these worldly pursuits that keep many glued together. The desire to create a space, an asset together is not exactly the deficiency of material wealth, but the ability to see dreams together. Sometimes the pursuit of few things that we feel are lacking in our life keep the interest in life alive. If this wasn’t true, one would not see incidences of depression and such psychological ailments much higher in affluent nations or communities whose material needs are fulfilled. Wanting and working towards something means looking ahead and holding on tight till you reach that goal. Embrace your inadequacies and challenges. For complete fulfillment often means the inability to see dreams anymore…..

A translation of this delightful song by Gulzar. Pardon a few poetic liberties:

Two silly souls about town,
Come bright night or afternoon,
Look for a place to call their own-
An abode, some dreams and a bit of moon.


Oh! When will we have a house in this maze?
Will the window open to the skies?
To bring on days of sunshine or haze,
Singing rich serenades or sweet lullabies
Or the sky wide open stare in from the window?
The clouds sauntering in like spies,
And be witness to our world on the go.

Though all I want is a ruse,
A delicious excuse,
To forever live in the sky blue eyes
Of my mesmerising muse.

At times when stars tread on Earth,
The sky becomes earthy and ephemeral.
The moon adopts this home and hearth,
That night it sleeps here, vivid yet visceral.
For that one ethereal moment
I seek a lifetime in those eyes,
The cause of my bliss and torment,
Those limpid oceans in disguise.

It is for these reasons, known and unknown,
That come bright night or afternoon,
These two silly souls about town,
Look for a home to call their own-
A haven, some dreams and a bit of moon.


 




 

YEH DIL AUR UNKI NIGAHON KE SAAYE-TRANSLATED

Last year the whole year I had researched Lata songs, almost 2-3 per day and I selected only her superlative songs and imagine at the end of the exhaustive year, I still felt I had touched but a tip of her talent , vocals and expressions. There are the beautiful classical based songs, the typical nautch girl or mujra songs, the haunting sad songs, the light romantic ones, the pure spiritual ones. It was actually like immersing in an ocean of melody.





But this is undoubtedly one of my favourites out of all those. It has a lovely mountain freshness, an echoing sound, a perfect balance of innocence and vivaciousness. One could climb a hill trail singing this song and be oblivious to the distance one had to map. Lata is truly the voice of a sylph, a dream in this and it is a very difficult song to sing. The music is by Jaidev, who is rarely named by people as their favourite composer but he did create some lovely songs for films such as Hum Dono, Reshma aur Shera, Gaman and Gharonda. The lyrics too are rather evocative, written by Jan Nisar Akhtar who afterall was Javed Akhtar ka baap!!:-))...This song is composed in Raag Pahadi in the taal Keherva and as the name of the raag suggests, many mountain songs are based on this raag such as 'Aaja aaja re tujh ko mera pyaar pukare'(Gumraah),'Saawan ke Jhule pade'(Jurmana), 'Aaja re, aaja re O mere Dilbar'(Noori), 'Dil pukare Aare aare aare'(Jewel Thief), 'Isharon isharon mein dil'(Kashmir ki Kali) and 'Kabhi Kabhie mere Dil mein'(Kabhie Kabhie) and 'Kora kaghaz tha yeh man mera(Aradhana) though it's not to say that only mountain songs have been made on it. Such is the rich wealth and legacy of our classical music that it has taken myriad shapes and forms to enthrall us over the years. Here's a translation of this beautiful song by Jan Nisar Akhtar(pardon a few poetic liberties):

All I have is my heart
And the shadows of his gaze…
And soon I am engulfed in the
Warm feel of his embrace.

Naughty sunrays kiss the mountain tops.
The breeze kisses the river as it gushes and hops.
All along this way from here to above,
Are the warm silhouettes of our love.

Dense clouds reach out and cuddle
The tall shadowy trees.
Light and darkness huddle
In an interplay of mysteries .
The long, misty road ahead
Promises of many words unsaid.

Our hearts beat free, undaunted
A lot like these valleys that are haunted
By love’s colorful alcoves
And a hundred unseen treasure troves.

All I have is my heart
And the shadows of his gaze
And soon I am engulfed
In the warm feel of his embrace…………..

PHOOLON KE RANG SE-TRANSLATED

Saying that Kishore's songs are beautiful is stating the obvious. That is why I rarely feature his songs as my endeavour is not to put up the most popular songs or the most heard songs. I try to bring songs which we may be forgetting. But today is an exception. This is one of Kishore's most evocative songs, wonderful poetry by Neeraj and enchanting music by the maestro S D Burman. The song has some beautiful shots of a train journey through Europe and I am reminded of a similar journey we had two years ago. In fact I had written this last year on the same day remembering Kishore on his birthday. Today I play it to commemorate World Poetry Day.

What would be our movies without this beautiful, soul uplifting poetry that eases all tensions at the end of a long day. In fact long after the movie plots become redundant and dated, these songs are here to stay, for they adapt and align themselves to very contemporary feelings that we all experience and admire every day. This song has that stamp of eternal love. I saw a glimpse of it up early this week, even if through a rather sad incident. We had gone to pay our respect to a brave and brilliant officer who passed away suddenly in prime health. Now we have known the couple for over 15 years and spent great times together. They really complemented each other- he was a gregarious, glib talker, the life of the party and very social, connecting with kids and ladies and men. She his calm, composed and rock steady counterfoil, shy but solid in times of stress and need, genuinely caring for anyone in trouble. It was harrowing to see her in a state of complete hysteria and trance as she could not even recognise anyone of us for two days we were there. Her mind had completely blanked out all other associations at her colossal loss. In a strange way such intensity and depth of love left us totally stunned and speechless, that we came back home quietly humbled. I could just pray that if at all there is a rebirth, they should be together again next time round too. May God give her the strength to endure the pain right now as she has two beautiful sons to care for. But the incident left me and I am sure many, aspiring to hope for that kind of devotion and love to a person. Well enjoy this beautiful song and be thankful that at least in the realm of our exquisite poetry, such love is celebrated all the time:)


A translation of this evocative song by Neeraj. Pardon a few poetic liberties:

Took some floral tints for a start,
And used the pen of my heart,
To write you a letter each day and vent,
A few words about how you torment
Me each and every moment.

I go to sleep dreaming of you.
I wake up and your memory uncurls.
I remain entangled in your thoughts,
Like the thread in a string of pearls.
Clouds and lightening, sandalwood and water.
That is how we are bound together.
There are many storms we have to weather.
We’ll have to take birth many times.
So intoxicating are this love’s rhymes,
So sweet it’s enchanting chimes.
We’ll have to take birth many times….

You are the music that I breathe,
The lilt of my heartbeat.
You are the swan song of my dreams-
Precious, one of a kind.
You are the bloom that gleams
And scents the lanes of my mind.
Whether it’s a short journey
Or a long sojourn.
Whether it’s a deserted cranny
Or a vibrant procession.
The moment I think you out aloud,
My heart is alone in a crowd.

North or south, east or west.
Your smile adds zest
to all directions.
And I do try my best,
Using all sense and inflections,
To avoid, evade and desist.
But it becomes more difficult to resist.
Storms stopped me, raging thunders curbed.
The world called me fondly away.
But I went on unperturbed.
A picture was enough to hold sway
For me to leave all and come your way.
We will have to take birth many times.
So intoxicating are this love’s rhymes,
So sweet it’s enchanting chimes….

SHOKHIYON MEIN GHOLA JAYE-TRANSLATED

Ever tried to define love? It is a tall order in this world where true love is getting to be a rare phenomenon, preoccupied as we are with getting along the tedious chore of just making a living. Well this song is a brave attempt by the poet Neeraj to atleast tabulate the ingredients of love for future generations so they could try and make the potion almost like a Chemistry lab experiment! And yeah kudos to Kishore, SD, Dev, Lata and Waheeda to give it vivid colours and feel and tune. You have to go touch, feel, taste and smell your love. And as alluring as it may appear, chances are you won't be able to do all of that to a computer screen;-)< A translation of this 'looooove'rly poem by Neeraj that has that special Kishore stamp. Have added a few lines to bring out the meaning here and there. Hope it helps some to zero in on their love:-)

Take a fair amount of mischief,
Some mirth and jokes in liberal showers,
Get the surge of the ocean from a coral reef,
And mix in the radiance of flowers.
Then add a small measure of liquor.
The state of giddy stupor
That you get from all the above
Is what we call love.

Love is like a childhood full of laughter.
It is like the weather gone off kilter.
May feel like an ember while you still flirt.
But as soft as dewdrops when you touch it in spurt.
And no matter where you are,
It could be a known place or somewhere far.
You could be in a crowd or all alone,
In the middle of a fete or in solo zone.
What lingers in your mind like a hand in a glove.
That is what we call love.

And if one had to identify that loved one,
His colour like molten gold is magnetic, bright,
Warming your world each day like the sun.
Her body would ooze the nectar of life
Softly purging your mind of all strife.
As if a tune buoyant and light
Played softly in the still of the night.
And no matter if it is sunny or gray.
What waits for you each moment while you are away,
With the peace and calm of a dove,
Is what we call love.

When you remember your love interest,
Loneliness too passes by with ease.
As if a flute plays and stays abreast
Breathing life into a town like the breeze.
And whatever be your worldly pursuits
The daze that consumes you and refuses to wane,
The intoxication that lightens your routes,
The colour that permeates each lane,
As if cascading from the heavens above,
That'S what we call love.