Mora gora ang lai le (Bandini)

There's a saying in Hindi "पूत के पाँव पालने में ही दिख जाते हैं", meaning "Even in infancy you can tell what the child will turn out to be". With 'Mora gora rang lai le' as his first song as a lyricist*, a star was born on the horizon of Bollywood music industry - a star that will show others the way for decades to come.

Gulzar (at that time probably 26 or 27 years old) takes firm and assured steps as a first-time lyricist, not falling prey to either over-simplifying or over-complicating his words. The words used in this song are simple enough; the multiple layers, metaphors and complexity noticeable in the his later works not coming into play here.

Though the song is about a woman in love, secretly going out to meet her lover, Gulzar steers clear of the typical choice of words - pyaar, milan, dil etc. In a country besotted with all things fair, he chooses a novel path, making the heroine wish that she was darker, so she could go out to meet her lover in the night undetected (becoming one with the night).

The song turns out to be a winner, with just the right mix of naïveté in the lyrics, sweetness in Lata's voice and innocence in Nutan's expressions - and the formidable backbone of SD Burman's score.

Lyrics, and translation

Mora gora ang lai le, mohe shyaam rang dai de

Chhup jaungi raat hi mein, mohe pee ka sang dai de

[[Take my fair body away, and give me a dark skin
If it gives me my beloved's company, I am ready to be one with the night.]]

Ek laaj roke paiyaan, ek moh kheenche baiyaan

Jaaun kidhar na jaaun, humka koi batai de

[[While shyness stops me from going ahead; yearning propels me ahead, tugging at my arms
Will someone tell me, whether to go ahead or not?]]

Badari hata ke chanda, chupke se jhaanke chanda

Tohe raahu laage bairi, muskaaye jee jalai ke

[[The moon peeps at me from behind the clouds
May you get eclipsed, o evil moon, for mocking my misery!]]

Kuchh kho diya hai pai ke, kuchh pa liya ganwaayi ke

Kahaan le chala hai manwa, mohe baavari banai ke

[[I have lost something in me after finding you, and found something new in myself after losing a part of myself to you.
Where is my heart taking me to, now that I'm already crazy in love?]]

Blog author's comments:
1. My favorite line is "Tohe raahu laage bairi" - it has a very spontaneous and rustic feel to it. (In Hindu mythology, Rahu is an asura that causes solar or lunar eclipse.) The word 'Bairi' has a nice mocking tone as well.
2.* Apparently, there's some controversy regarding the first song written by Gulzar. (As pointed out to me by Raj Shekhar ji), but I'll stay out of it for now. :)