Challa (Jab Tak Hai Jaan)

I didn't like this album. I was angry that the combination of Rahman and Gulzar coming together for a Yash Chopra movie could produce such mediocre music. I mean, you don't expect this from a team that gave you Dil Se, Saathiya, Guru and Raavan. Even Fiza and Yuvvraj had better songs!

So I ignored the album. I never listened to it. And the number of times 9XM played Jiya Jiya Re made things even worse. I couldn't stand another minute of Anushka prancing about in her shorts sprouting words that seemed they were written almost half-heartedly.

And in ignoring this album, I also ignored Challa. Well, also because having heard Bullah Ki Jaana etc.; this song was a little underwhelming coming from Rabbi (plus it had Rahman's music so it should have been better, right?). And Rabbi's voice just didn't suit Shah Rukh Khan. All in all, the song had a lot working against it.

In any case; at a later date I happened to listen to this song without all these factors pulling it down, and realized that it's *just* the sort of song to bring together Rahman, Rabbi and Gulzar; all of whom seem deeply rooted in the Sufi way of love and devotion. It's a song about searching for that supreme power that guides, loves and protects us all - without manifesting itself in a physical form. It's a song about wondering if such a power really exists; and how we go about like mad men looking after it; as if it's a physical thing that could be seen, smelled, heard or touched.

It's this wandering of this mad man (jhalla, pronounced challa in Punjabi) that this song talks about. 

Lyrics and Translation:

Challa ki labda phire
Challa ki labda phire
Yaar oda ghar keda
Lokaan to ponchda phire

[[What do I search for, like a man gone crazy?
I go about asking people, if they know which house is His]]

[[Khuda ka ghar - mandir, masjid - Gulzar has written about this is many poems. How these houses of Gods have been unable to protect men when they needed it most - at the times of riots and such. So, to look for God's house is specially foolish of our challa.]]

Challa hansda phire
Challa ronda phire
Challa gali-gali rulda phire

[[At times laughing, crying at times
I go about, from street to street]]

Challe tu sabda
Challe tera koi nai
Challa gali-gali rulda phire

[[I belong to everyone, yet I own no one
And I go about, from street to street]]

Challa ki labda phire

[[What do I search for, like a man gone crazy?]]

Rang satrangi de
Bulbulan di boli
Dhop de paireen chale
Chhavan di le doli

[[I expect that He will have the colors of the rainbow
And the voice of a canary
And even when He walks in the sun
It's as if a shadow is following Him around]]

Oye kaale-kaale badlan ch chaand labda
Goongiyaan hawavan di aawazan sunda
Yaaron aas-paas vasda ae yaar mera
Vikhda ni odi khushbuvaan sunghda

[[And I look for the moon in the black clouds
I listen to the silent voices of the winds
I'm sure that He lives nearby
And though I haven't seen him, His fragrance always lingers nearby]]

[[You can see a lot of "Chhaiya-chhaiya" in this quartet and the one right above it. The essence is the same - looking for God, seeing him manifest himself in colors, smells and sights.

The thought behind"goongiyaan hawavan di aawazan sunda" can be traced back to many a Gulzar poem, specially this one

Wo jo shayar tha, chup sa rehta tha
Behki behki si baatein karta tha
Aankhein kaanon pe rakh k sunta tha
Goongi khamoshiyon ki aawazein!
Jama karta tha chaand k saaye]]

Challa ki labda phire...

[[What do I search for, like a man gone crazy?]]

Na visaal hoya kadi
Na judaai hoyi
Ishq de qaidi di
Na rehaai hoyi

[[I have never met Him, nor have we ever been separated
Afterall, what freedom does a prisoner of love seek?]]

Lokon sufne ch milne da vaada usda
Saari-saari raat na akh lagdi
Mere saa vi thode-thode ghatt aunde
Meri nabz vi thodi ghatt vajdi

[[It is his promise of meeting me in my dreams
That keeps me awake at night
My breath is becoming slower with time
And so does my heartbeat]]

[[The top two lines in quartet seem like a tribute to Ghalib:
taa fir  na  intezaar meiN neeNd aaye 'umr bhar
aane  ka 'ahad  kar  gaye  aaye  jo KHwaab meiN]]

Challa ki labda phire...

[[Yet, what do I search for, like a man gone crazy?]]

Dhan Te Nan (Kaminey)

(For best effect, I suggest you listen to Dhan-te-nan while reading this piece)

There is something about the mad energy of Dhan-te-nan that makes us all pump our fists in the air and go Dhan-te-nan with Shahid Kapoor and Chandan Roy Sanyal.

A little background first - Charlie (Shahid) and Chandan are both small-time crooks with big dreams - it's the city of dreams after all. Times are hard and becoming a bookie is the way to easy money. This is Charlie's one big dream - having enough dough so he can start betting on horses. And guess what? Today was Charlie's lucky day! He has just come unexpected across a huge bag of cocaine; which means he'll soon have enough money to start what he had always wanted to do. With luck and Laxmi both at his (and Chandan's) sides; high on dreams and coke; they go out to celebrate their good stars. And it is this infectious high that has translated so well on the screen (and the song).


Lyrics and Translation:
(Often I have tried to "translate" Gulzar's words and often I have ended up ruining them. So this time let's try this in a different way. I won't try to translate the words, I'll just give my take on them - my interpretation, if you will. This will mean two things - first, we will be saved the pain of seeing the lyrics ruined. And second, I will be able to add context whenever it's needed.)

Aa ja aa ja dil nichodein
Raat ki matki todein
Koi goodluck nikaalein
Aaj gullak to phodein

[[So Charlie has recently come across some money that'll set him up on the road to finally becoming a bookie and start betting on horses. What he needs now is luck - good stars, if you will. And he's ready to break open the sky for that piece of luck.]]

Dil dildara mera teli ka tel
Kaudi-kaudi paisa-paisa paise ka khel
 [[I must admit that this line always left me puzzled. I mean, what? Why would anyone's heart be like oil? And then I realized the answer is there in the very first line of the song "Aaja aaja dil nichodein". You see, like the "telis" used to squeeze the seeds till the last drop of oil came out; our Charlie needs every last bit of his heart's desire and luck to win at this game (of money).]]

Chal-chal sadkon pe hogi dhan-ten
Dhan-te-nan ta-na-na-na

[[Let's go and conquer the street! Dhan-te-nan!! Here we come, Mumbai!!!]]

Aa ja ke one-way hai ye zindagi ki gali ek hi chance hai
Aage hawa hi hawa hai, agar saans hai to ye romance hai

[[The only way to go in life is forward. We are losing time one second at a time and this life time is our only chance. The dream will only last as long as our breath does.]]

Yahi kahte hain, yahi sunte hain
Jo bhi jaata hai, jaata hai, wo phir se aata nahin

[[And this is what we keep hearing and what they keep saying - "That which is gone, is gone. It's not coming back." Aane waala pal, jaane waala hai / Ho sake to ismein, zindagi bita do, kal jo ye jaane waala hai]]

Koi chaal aisi chalo yaar abke samandar bhi pul pe chale
Phir tu chale uspe ya main chaloon shahar ho apne pairon tale

[[Le't's play a trick - let's do something so incredible that even the sea does our bidding. Let's be someone who the entire city looks up to.]]

Kai khabrein hain, kai kabrein hain
Jo bhi soye hain kabron mein, unko jagana nahin

[[Gulzar often uses the term "kabr" (graves) for people who are dead inside. Their bodies are like graves or tombs for their dead souls. Here again - The world is full of dull and dead people. Let's not wake them up - what business do they have in this vibrant and thriving city of ours!]]

Aaj aaja kal nichodein, raat ki matki todein

[[Let's squeeze every bit of tomorrow out of today and go out and go dhan-te-nan on the streets]]

Mera Yaar Mila De (Saathiya)

As Gulzar often says, if a lyricist is devious and smart enough, he would build multiple layers into his songs. As you scratch the surface, another layer will reveal itself. And this way he would sneakily say the thing he wanted to say, along with the thing the director wanted him to say.

The song begins with an anguished cry - a cry of someone lost, someone in despair.

On the screen we see Adi (Vivek Oberoi) frantically looking for Suhani (Rani Mukherjee) - in the background the track begins - "Banjar hai sab banjar hai, hum dhoondhne jab firdaus chale / Teri khoj talaash mein dekh piya, hum kitne kaale kos chale". On the face of it, this song is a lover's search for his beloved.  And the deft picturisation by Shaad Ali makes us believe it is, indeed, about a lover's quest.

But if we strip the song off its picturisation, the words are all about the quest for God. Gulzar's desposition for the Sufi way often manifests itself in his songs and poetry. This one is no different. To him, God resides not in idols or stones ("kankad, patthar, but") - but in a loving and devoted heart. It's not by looking for firdaus (Eden/heaven) or looking at the stars ("maine tote-tote taare chune") that you can find Him. When your love for God becomes an obsession, and transcends even that; when you destroy your identity in that quest; is when you can truly find Him / be one with Him.

Lyrics and translation:

Banjar hai sab banjar hai hum dhoondhne jab firdaus chale

Teri khoj-talaash mein dekh piya, hum kitne kaale kos chale

Banjar hai sab banjar hai

[[Seeking heaven, all I see is this wasteland

How many joyless miles must I travel looking for you?

It's just wilderness all around ...]]

Mainda yaar mila de saaiyaan, ik vaar mila de saaiyaan

[[God, please unite me with my beloved. All I want is to see him but once.]]

Maine pota-pota falak chhaana, maine tote-tote taare chune

[[I have shattered the stars to pieces and searched through every inch of sky with my own fingertips]]
(Thanks Anurag Bhardwaj for correcting the Punjabi bits for me :) )

Taaron ki chamak ye subaho talak, lagti hi nahin pal bhar ko palak

[[The incessant starlight till the morning, doesn't let me sleep even for a second.
(even the gentle starlight is agonizing for someone in love)]]

Maine pota-pota falak chhaana, maine tote-tote taare chune

Sirf ek teri aahat ke liye kankad, patthar, but saare sune

Hun mende te ruswaaiyaan

[[I have shattered the stars to pieces and searched through every inch of sky with my own fingertip

Seeking the sound of your footsteps, I've borne the silence of pebbles, stones and idols alike.

And yet I find only disgrace and ridicule]]

[Mainda yaar mila de saaiyaan, ik vaar mila de saaiyaan]

Aa dekh meri peshaani ko taqdeer ke harfe likkhe hain

[[Come, and see the words of fate written on my forehead ]]

Pairon ke nishaan jab dekhe jahaan sau baar jhukaaya sar ko wahaan

[[Wherever I see even the hint of your footsteps, I bow my head a hundred times]]

Aa dekh meri peshaani ko taqdeer ke harfe likkhe hain

Main kitni baar pukaarun tujhe, tere naam ke safhe likkhe hain

[[Do you not see the words of fate written on my forehead?

How many times must I call out to you? Pages have been written only of your name.]]

Tera saaya kahin to bolega, main sunta raha parchhaiyaan 

[[In the hope of hearing your voice, I've spent my life listening to shadows]]

My two  three cents:

1. To Shaad Ali's credit, he absolutely nails the picturisation. "How many joyless miles must I travel looking for you?" - the way Adi travels through cities/village by whatever means - buses, trucks, tractors. And the way religious symbols keep popping up in the visuals - a saadhu showing him the way, a photo of Mother Mary in the hospital, an abandoned church in the back - it all ties up really well.
2. The line 'Tera saaya kahin to bolega main sunta raha parchhaiyaan' reminds me of 'Main hawa pe dhoondhoon uske nishaan' from Chhaiya-Chhaiya - Listening to something intangible, in the hope of finding some sign of his loved one/God.
3. Of course, both Chhaiya-chhaiya and this song are Sufi in nature - so the underlying theme is very similar - though the songs themselves are as happy and as despairing as can be. But one thing that I found very interesting is the line "Jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaon, paaon ke neeche jannat hogi" (for those in love, heaven is easily achievable) in Chhaiya-chhaiya. In turn, in this song, "Banjar hai sab banjar hai hum dhoondhne jab firdaus chale" (seeking heaven, all he finds are wastelands). So, it's not by looking for heaven that you find it, it's by being one with your loved one. And then the heaven is at your feet.

Naam Ada Likhna (Yahaan)

"Sugar and spice and all things nice, that's what little girls are made of", go the words to a famous nursery rhyme.

Human mind forms connections between two completely unrelated things at times. My mind has adopted this as a hobby. For one fine day, listening to "Naam ada likhna" reminded me of this little nursery rhyme. Specifically this line (and others of this metre):

"Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas chaand rahta hai

Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas shaam rahti hai"

"The moon perches by my side at times; and at others the colors of evening cloak me."

 

The heroine of "Yahaan" is Ada, a child-woman who, though caught right in the middle of the Kashmir conflict (her brother is an insurgent), somehow remains untouched by it. For her, the world still holds hope; and joys however small (such as getting to wear a pair of jeans) still make her jump about in delight ("Urzu durkut"). And it is perhaps this optimism, that allows her to fall in love with Aman, a captain of the Indian army.

This is a song of young love, the kind that fills hearts with hope, against all odds.  

"Barf pade to, barf pe mera naam dua likhna" 

(When it snows, right down my name on it as a wish.)

"Aao na, aao na, Jhelum mein bah lenge

Vaadi ke mausam bhi, ik din to badlenge"

(Let's float about in the Jhelum till love is allowed to blossom in the valley once again)

"Kal jo mile to maathe pe mere sooraj uga dena"

(If we get a future together, mark it with a red dot of sindoor)

Composed by Shantanu Moitra and sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Shaan; it is the kind of song that fills you with calm and puts a smile on your face. (Somehow I always assumed it was composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, Kashmir + Gulzar connection, I guess. Anyway, all credit to Shantanu Moitra for creating a timeless tune.)

Lyrics and Translation:
Poochhe jo koi meri nishaani, rang henna likhna
Gore badan pe ungli se mera, naam ada likhna

[[If asked who I am, tell them I am "Ada",
The name scrolled on my fair body, in the color of henna]]

Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas chaand rahta hai
Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas shaam rahti hai

[[The moon perches by my side at times; 
and at others the colors of evening cloak me]]

Aao na, aao na, Jhelum mein bah lenge
Vaadi ke mausam bhi, ik din to badlenge

[[Let's float about in the Jhelum,
till love is allowed to blossom in the valley once again]]

[Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas chaand rahta hai
Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas shaam rahti hai]

Aaun to subah, jaaun to mera naam saba likhna
Barf pade to, barf pe mera naam dua likhna

[[When I arrive, see me as your morning; and if I leave, say I was a gust of wind
When it snows, right down my name on it as a wish]]

Zara-zara aag-vaag paas rahti hai
Zara-zara kaangde ki aanch rahti hai

[[She warms me like a blazing fire
There is a kaangdi-like glow about her]]

[Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas chaand rahta hai
Kabhi-kabhi aas-paas shaam rahti hai]

Shaamein bujhaane aati hain raatein
Raatein bujhaane tum aa gaye ho

[[The way nights come to put out evenings,
You have come to put an end of my nights]]

Jab tum hanste ho, din ho jaata ho
Tum gale lago to, din so jaata hai

[[Your smile makes the sun shine brighter
The comfort of your embraces make the days drift off]]

Doli uthaaye aayega din to, paas bitha lena
Kal jo mile to, maathe pe mere suraj uga dena

[[When the day comes, make me sit next to you
And if we get another tomorrow, make the sun rise on my forehead]]

Zara-zara aas-paas dhoop rahegi
Zara-zara aas-paas rang rahenge

[[We'll always have our bit of sunshine
And we'll always have our share or colors]]

Phir Se Aaiyo (Namkeen)

"Itna na mujhse tu pyaar badha, ki main ik baadal aawaara / Kaise kisi ka sahaara banoon, ki main khud beghar bechaara"

[From Chhaya (1961), lyrics by Rajendra Krishan]

How can someone who drifts about like a cloud, having no home or stable income, support someone else? Isn't one a fool for falling in love with such a man?

For Mithu, who has only known despair and loneliness all her life, this very drifter is the ray of hope, happiness and love. It matters not to her that Gerulal is a truck driver who is in her village for a few days in passing; it matters not to her that he doesn't even realizes she loves him. Perhaps it's not even her intent to make him know. Right now all that matters is that his presence is enveloping her life like the clouds envelop their village atop the mountain; making it look a bit less miserable; giving a semblance of serenity and even beauty to it.

Needless to say, the trio of Pancham-Gulzar-Asha has once again succeeded in creating a song full of pathos. Gulzar's words as well as Asha's voice are at once full of hope and longing. Pancham gives a haunting score like only he could. Like another of this trio's song (also my favorite), Chhoti Si Kahaani Se, this song is picturised in the hills - except that instead of dripping with rains, these hills are covered in mist - just the sort of place this song takes you to, even without the visuals.

But what indeed is much more stunning about the visuals here, is Shabana Azmi. Without uttering a single word, she manages to convey so much. The tiny smile constantly playing on her lips is a dead giveaway of the state of her heart. Roaming barefoot in the mist-covered valley, she looks content and happy - she couldn't care less if no one else listens to the tune of her heart - it's for her and it's for him, the cloud-like drifter that she awaits.

Lyrics and Translation:
Phir se aaiyo badra bidesi, tere pankhon pe moti jadoongi
Bhar ke jaaiyo humaari talaiya, main talaiya kinaare miloongi
Tujhe mere kaale kamli waale ki saun

[[Come again, O visiting cloud; and I'll embellish your wings with pearls
Make the pond full of water; and it's by its shore that I will meet you
I beseech you, in the name of God!]]

Tere jaane ki rut main jaanti hoon, mud ke aane ki reet hai ki nahin
Kaali darga se poochhoongi jaa ke, tere mann mein bhi preet hai ki nahin
Kachchi puliya se ho ke gujariyo, kachchi puliya kinaare miloongi

[[I know that you have to depart come the season, but would you promise to return as well?
I intend to ask the gods if you love me the way I do
Come by the narrow bridge, and it's here that I will meet you]]

Tu jo ruk jaaye meri atariya, main atariya pe jhaalar laga doon
Daaloon chaar taabeez gale mein, apne kaajal se bindiya laga doon
Chhoo ke jaaiyo, humaari bageechi, main peepal ke aade miloongi

[[If you promise to stay longer, I'll bedeck the terrace with frills and lights
I will put amulets around your neck and mark you with a black tikka with my kohl (to ward off evil)
When you come to touch my garden, it's by the peepal tree that I will meet you]]

My two cents:
Like Ijaazat's Maya and Aandhi's JK, Mithu writes poetry. In fact, as someone who cannot speak, her diary is her only outlet - It's here that she writes of her woes and fears; and of her dreams and hopes. Like Maya and JK, Mithu is all about sentiments and uses poetry to get away from the harsh reality that is her life.

Maya is in this on-again-off-again relationship with a married man, which she knows leads nowhere. JK was married to a woman who was poised to become (and indeed does become) much more successful and powerful than him, leaving him on the way up. Mithu has only known a life of poverty and misery, living with her senile mother and two sisters, while barely making a living.

All three are surrounded by uncertainty and heartache. Words are their escape. (Like Gulzar? Like all poets indeed?)

Watch the video here:

(You can watch the full movie on youtube here)