Is Mod Se Jaate Hain (Aandhi)

Here is one song that always stumped me when I was younger. I wasn't able to make a head or tale of it. It was after I read the script of the movie (I haven't watched it yet) that the song really started to make sense. A bit delayed, but here it is on my blog :)

About the movie:
Though the movie (Aandhi, 1975) gained much notoriety (and a ban) for bearing a similarity to the life of a certain Ms Gandhi; in my opinion the whole political background was incidental to the movie which is essentially a story about love, ego and personality clashes. But mostly about love. 

The movie traces the love story (and marriage) of an ambitious daughter of a politician (Aarti) and a hotel-manager-by-profession but poet-at-heart guy JK. Aarti's political ambitions prove to be a bit too much for JK and his ego; and they decide to go their separate ways. The movie (constantly switching between flashes from past and present) revolves around what happens when a chance encounter brings them back.

The stage is set thus:
The song occurs at two very important junctures in the movie. First is a mod (turn) in their lives - JK and Aarti have just gotten married and are all starry-eyed about their future. [Spoiler alert!] The second time the song occurs at the climax of the movie; when they finally decide to go their own ways and marks the second mod of their journey.

With this background, let's move ahead to the translation part :)

Lyrics, and English translation:

Is mod se jaate hain

Kuchh sust kadam raste

Kuchh tez kadam raahein

[[From this turn walk by, 

Some lazy paths, 

And a few fast paced lanes.

This is the beginning of a new phase in the relationship of JK and Aarti. Life could take the turn towards the unhurried life that JK dreams of; or could end up in the expressway of Aarti's ambitions. 

Even when de-referenced from the movie, this line sets the tone for the highly abstract yet deeply meaningful lyrics coming ahead.]]

Patthar ki haveli ko

Sheeshe ke gharaundon mein

Tinkon ke nasheman tak

Is mod se jaate hain

[[Towards a mansion made of stones,

In a house of glass

Or a nest of mere twigs

Can we go from this turn

The song further talks about how this turn could lead them towards an everlasting relationship (patthar ki haveli), a brittle one (sheeshe ke gharonde), or one which even the slightest of wind (of trouble) could wreck (tinkon ke nasheman).]]

Aandhi ki tarah ud kar ek raah guzarti hai

Sharmaati hui koi qadamon se utarti hai

In reshmi raahon mein, ik raah to wo hogi

Tum tak jo pahuchti hai, is mod se jaati hai

[[A road, like a raging storm, passes by

And one takes the steps demurely 

Of these silken roads, I look out for the one

That'll take me to you, when I take this turn

The song further speaks of the various tones this relationship could take - volatile like a gale, or a timid one. "But whatever form it takes, of the many enticing options I want to choose the one that'll lead me to you."]]

Ik door se aati hai, paas aa ke palatti hai

Ik raah akeli si, rukti hai na chalti hai

Ye soch ke baithi hoon, ik raah to wo hogi

Tum tak jo pahunchti hai, is mod se jaati hai

[[One road comes from far away and then suddenly takes a U-turn

And there's this lonely road, which neither stops not goes anywhere.

I sit here thinking, there must be a road out there

That'll take me to you, when I take this turn

You're quite sure of the direction of your life, and then it suddenly takes a U-turn. And at times you spend too much time down a road that won't lead you anywhere. 

"But I will sit here and wait for these roads to pass, till the one comes along that'll take me to my lover, my destination.]]

My Two Three cents:

1. This song was written as a nazm, and adapted in the movie. The nazm is not specific to marriage and  its consequences though. Neither is it a love ballad. It simply talks about how one turn could make you end up at a completely different place. Some lines from the nazm:

सहरा की तरफ़ जाकर, इक राह बगूलों में खो जाती है चकराकर

रुक-रुकके झिझकती-सी, इक मौत की ठंडी-सी वादी में उतरती है

इक राह उधडती-सी छिलती हुई काँटों से, जंगल से गुज़रती है -

इक दौड़ के जाती है और कूदके गिरती है, अनजानी ख़लाओं में 

Thanks to @stwta for giving the youtube video of the nazm by Bhupinder Singh.

2. In the movie Aarti tells JK "तुम्हारे पास ये कविता न होती तो तुम बहुत ऑर्डिनरी आदमी होते". I read somewhere that this was something that actually Rakhi told Gulzar. In fact, to me JK's character feels quite similar to Gulzar. His sense of humor and poetic sensibilities are trademark Gulzar. But then, he created the character!

3. Here, Gulzar talks about Sanjeev Kumar and the making of Aandhi.

Aadat (Ijaazat / Pukhraj)

This nazm written by Gulzar was also used by him (partially) in the very poetic movie Ijaazat. As it happens, one of the protagonist (Maya) is a poetess. And the hero (Mohinder), besotted by her, also keeps reciting her poems frequently (in this scene, for example). How one wishes our day-to-day conversations were as lyrical.

This poem talks about how one keeps on living even when there is nothing worth living for. It is as if we were living out of habit, just for the sake of it. "Aadatein bhi ajeeb hoti hain!"

_______________________
आदत 

साँस लेना भी कैसी आदत है
जिये जाना भी क्या रवायत है
कोई आहट नहीं बदन में कहीं
कोई साया नहीं है आँखों में
पाँव बेहिस हैं, चले जाते हैं 
इक सफ़र है जो बहता रहता है
कितने बरसों से कितनी सदियों से
जिये जाते हैं, जिये जाते हैं

आदतें भी अजीब होती हैं
_______________________
Habits

What a strange habit breathing is!
Such a peculiar custom - this thing called life!
Not even the slightest stirring in the body
Or so much as a shadow in the eyes...
Yet the feet keep walking senselessly
A purposeless journey that's been in motion
For many years, many centuries.
(And) we have kept on living (out of habit)

Habits are such strange things!
_______________________
[रवायत = Ravaayat = Custom
बेहिस = Behis = Unconscious]

Tere Bina (Guru)

The stage is set thus

Gurukant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan) and Sujata (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) are newly married. But the ambitious Gurukant is just a notch more in love with his work than his wife. So much so that Sujata feels Guru's work is like the other woman in his life.

This song, though picturised as a 'happy' song, is actually Sujata's reproach on the frequent absence of her husband.

(As pointed out very helpfully by soloescapes, this song comes up when Sujata goes away when she learns that Guru married him because of the dowry. The song shows glimpses of their happy times and the current "crisis". (Thanks!))

Lyrics, and translation

[Dum-daara dum-daara mast-mast dum 

Dum-daara dum-daara mast-mast dum 

Dum-daara dum-dum]

O humdum bin tere kya jeena

[[My love, what is a life without you...]]

Tere bina besuaadi-besuaadi ratiyaan o sajna (x2)

Rookhi re o rookhi re

Kaatoon re, kaate kate na

[[Without you, my nights are bland and monotonous, sweetheart. These dull and dry nights are impossible to go through.

Kanu's comments: 'Be-suaadi' is a very rarely used word, but very appropriate and effective here. Gulzar's lyrics often have a word that makes you to fall in love with itself; and for me in this song, it's definitely besuaadi.]]

[Dum-daara dum-daara mast-mast dum ...]

Na ja chaakri ke maare

Na ja sautan pukaare

Saawan aayega to poochhega, na ja re

[[Don't go away for your job; which, like a mistress, keeps calling you. What will I say when the rain comes and asks for you?

Kanu's comments: Love how these lines subtly imply that Guru is always on the beck and call of his job (na ja sautan pukaare), even if it means ignoring his wife and spending less time with her. Rains are often considered the romantic season, and to desert your newlywed wife in such a weather for your job will no doubt leave her feeling unloved. 

(Blast from the past: Tere do takya di naukri, ve mera laakhon da saawan jaaye)]]

Pheeki-pheeki besuaadi ye ratiyaan 

Kaatoon re, kate na kate na

Ab sajna tere bina, tere bina, kaate kate na

Kate na kate na tere bina

Tere bina besuaadi-besuaadi ratiyaan o sajna 

[[These bland and insipid nights are impossible to go through.]]

[Dum-daara dum-daara mast-mast dum ...]

Tere bina chaand ka sona khota re

Peeli-peeli dhool uda de jhootha re

[[Without you, even the the moon seems to be fake - instead of showering gold it's blowing yellow dust at me.

Kanu's comments: 1. Love the use of khota (counterfeit) here. Gulzar's love of the moon is legendary, and could make for a long post in itself. The plethora of adjectives he has used to describe the moon can run into hundreds.]]

Tere bina sona peetal

Tere sang keekar peepal

[Aa ja katein na ratiyaan]

[[Without you, gold is like copper; while when you are with me even a Kikar tree is like Peepal. 

Kanu's comments: Love these lines. Very poetic, and have a nice musical ring to them.

Without you, even the most expensive things hold no value to me. - Gold and jewelry can't compensate for your absence.

With you, even a common tree like Kikar becomes sacred like Pipal (which is considered very sacred in Hindu and Buddhist mythology).]]

[Dum-daara dum-daara mast-mast dum ...]

Jhadi (Pukhraj)

झड़ी 

बंद शीशे के परे देख, दरीचों के उधर
सब्ज़ पेड़ों पे, घनी शाखों पे, फूलों पे वहाँ
कैसे चुपचाप बरसता है मुसलसल पानी


कितनी आवाजें हैं, ये लोग हैं, बातें हैं मगर
ज़हन के पीछे किसी और ही सतह पे कहीं
जैसे चुपचाप बरसता है तसव्वुर तेरा
______________________________


Downpour

Beyond the panes of the closed window
See how the incessant rain quietly pours down
On the flowers and lush branches of those trees

Surrounded by myriad sounds, people and small talk
On the back of my mind, on a different plane altogether
Pours down a similar incessant rain of your thoughts

[Dareecha = Window
Musalsal = Continuous
Tasavvur = Thoughts]

O Humdum Suniyo Re (Saathiya)

A short post :)

This is what Gulzar has to say about the song, and it pretty much leaves no need for a translation: 

"Shaad Ali wanted this song during the credit titles. People criticised me for what they called ridiculous images like Nange paao chand aayega, but I was using the moon to symbolise the hero's character. The hero and heroine are secretly married and he goes stealthily to her house every night. The song was the storyline in a nutshell." (Source)

Lyrics, and English translation

O humdum suniyo re, o janiya suniyo re

O janiya shaam ko khidki se 

Chori-chori nange paaon chaand aayega

[[Listen, my love. When the night comes, the moon will come to be with you;  barefoot, stealthily from the window. (I'll come to secretly meet you at night.)]]

[Ho suniyo re, o janiya re

Ho suniyo re, o janiya re]

[Dheem-dheem tanana, dheem tananana]

Galiyon se aayega, 

[Dheem-dheem tanana, dheem tananana]

Seeti bajaayega

[Dheem-dheem tanana, dheem tananana]

Neem ke ped se

[Dheem-dheem tanana, dheem tananana]

Paas bulayega

[[Listen, honey. (The moon) will come from the street, whistling a tune. From atop the neem tree, it will ask you to come closer.]]

My two cents

1. In a interview, Kunal Ganjawala remembered how Himesh Reshammiya asked him to sing "Dil keh raha hai" (Kyon Ki...) the same he sang this song; because Himesh loved the way Kunal sounded in "O humdum".
2. This is one of my favorite road trip tracks :)

PS: Can someone give me the rap portion's lyrics? The one that's available online doesn't seem right.

Marjaani (Billu)

Time for one of the less celebrated Gulzar tracks - Marjaani from Billu Barber, oops "Billu" (since the term 'barber' is apparently offesnsive). 

The song is about a a boy and girl in love, facing opposition from their elders in particular and the world in general. The couple has tried staying away from one another, but it doesn't seem to be working. So they decide to to ask the world to go to hell, and elope. IMO, the song is quite cute!

Without much ado, let's get to the translation :)

Lyrics, and English translation

At times I'll go into the thought behind the lines and then get to the translation part.

Theek hai theek-theek sab kuchh theek hai

Paas hai sab kuchh rab nazdeek hai

Rab ke hazoor mein kasmein bhi kha li

Duniya ki auni-pauni rasmein nibha li

[[Kanu's comments: In India, it's customary to have arranged marriage. In most cases, it is necessary to at least get elders' 'approval' before marrying. To pass this test you have to be good-looking, god-fearing, well-off and a lot of other things.

So the boy is saying "All right, so everything is satisfactory. I am well-off and I believe in God. We took our vows in the presence of God and complied with all sort of stupid worldly rituals."]]

Phir bhi na maane koi to dafa kar

Maane jo maane na maane to bhala kar

Duniya na maane khasmanukhaye

Khasmanukhaye marjaani

[[If they still wouldn't approve of our love, they should leave us alone. If they agree, that is good; and if they don't, that's OK too. Because if the wretched world doesn't approve of us, it can simply go to hell.]]

[Marjaani-marjaani, Marjaani-marjaani

Marjaani-marjaani, o khasmanukhaaye Marjaani]-2

[[To hell with this wretched world!]]

Haaye, khyaal bhi jaane kya-kya sochta rahta haiga

Uff! Ye nochta rahta haiga

Hey! To mud ke dekha na kar, jo sar mein soch aayegi

To paaon mein moch aayegi

[[Now the girl is a bit apprehensive and she keeps thinking of the past, "I just keep thinking of one thing or the other. These thoughts prick me like needles." 

The boy tells her to stop regretting, "Hey, don't look back. Because the more you think of the past, the harder our journey ahead will be."

I absolutely love the "Jo sar mein soch aayegi, to paaon mein moch aayegi" part. It literally translates to "If you think, you'll get a sprain in your foot". Walking with a sprain is very hard. So the boy's asking her to stop thinking of the past if she wants their journey ahead to be smooth.]]

Uth-uth ke raaton mein maine ye paala hai

Andhi jawaani mein, dard ek chhaala hai

[[G: "Night after night, I've stayed awake and nursed this pain. It's like an ulcer that's ruining my youth."]]

Dil tera na rogi baliye, dil tera na jogi baliye

Dil tera sansaari haiga, lage dil ko beimaani

[[B: "Your heart is neither sick, nor is it a monk. It's very much worldly. It hasn't denounced the world. So it's but natural for it to feel bad about the injustice."]]

[Marjaani-marjaani, Marjaani-marjaani

Marjaani-marjaani, o khasmanukhaaye Marjaani]-2

Haan, chalo ab door yahan se pahaadon se bhi aage

Woh, jahaan pe subah jaage

Ho, bade sab kahte hain ye chuno achchhe humsaaye

Samajh ke jo samjhaaye

[[Now the girl is quite convinced that it's the best to just take off to a place where things are not this bad, "Let's go somewhere far away; farther even than the hills - to the place where the morning awakes."

The boy is remembering how everyone kept pestering him about choosing a wise life-partner, "The elders kept asking me to choose a life partner who'd be intelligent enough to understand things I failed to; and in turn made me understand."]]

Ro-ro ke raaton mein aankhein bhi khaali ki

Likh-likh ke taarekhein deewarein kaali ki

[[She is remembering the woeful days when they were apart, "I cried so much that now my eyes are void of tears. I kept writing and crossing out dates till there was no white space left on the walls."]]

Chup kar, chup-chup kar baliye

Bhaag le chhup-chhup kar baliye

Duniya se bhaagein duniya mein, duniya ko hui hairaani

[[B: "Hush, my love (You don't have to worry about all that any more). Let's run away from the world, yet somewhere in the world. This will surely leave the world baffled." 

(Usually when someone's given up on the world they commit suicide. Staying in this world right in front of everyone's eyes will irritate the world no end.)]]

[Marjaani-marjaani, Marjaani-marjaani

Marjaani-marjaani, o khasmanukhaaye Marjaani]-2

My two cents

1. So far as I've understood, the word 'Khasmanukhaye' originally meant a woman who'd eat (bring misfortune to) her husband (khasam). But now it simply mean someone wretched, or someone who brings misfortune.

2. I came across this really cute piece on the internet where a girl explains why Punjabis use so many swear words. In her words, "In punjabi culture (at least what I saw of it) complimenting or gushing over someone was supposed to jinx (nazar lag jaati hai). So they go out of their way to be abusive. I know my friends mom always calls her grandaughter Chudail (witch) and jhalli and she loves her to bits. My grandma would say "Kinni soni lagdi hai marjaani" to me all the time if I dressed up and was looking pretty. It is harmless namecalling and very cute too." (Source)

Bekaraan (7 Khoon Maaf)

Lillah! [(Praise be) to Allah!]

I'm lost for words... I mean, really.

What a perfect way to describe someone so divinely stunning she takes your breath away! This song is so beautiful that the word 'beautiful' doesn't even begin to describe it. 100% pure poetry.

Let's not waste any time, and jump right to the translation part :)

Lyrics, and translation

Bekaraan hain bekaraan,

Aankhein band keeje na

Doobne lage hain hum,

Saans lene deeje na

[[Bekaraan = Infinite, limitless

Will you please close your deep, enormous eyes; because I'm getting drowned in these? At least let me breath. 

Kanu's comments: Ever since I came to know the meaning of word bekaraan, I've been in love with it. 'Infinite eyes' is such a beautiful expression. I think it is Pablo Neruda-esque.]]

Lillah!

[Praise be to the Lord! (for creating such a divine beauty)]

Ek zara chehra udhar keeje, inaayat hogi

Aapko dekh ke, badi der se, meri saans ruki hai

[[Will you please do me a favor and turn your face the other way? Because your beauty has taken my breath away. And if I keep looking at you, I'll surely lose my breath.]]

[Bekaraan hain bekaraan...]

1. Ek zara dekhiye to

Aapke paaon tale

Kuchh to atka hai kahin

Waqt se kahiye chale

[[Have a look, I think there's something (stuck) under your feet. Oh, it is time that has gotten stuck there. Now would you give it the permission to move? Because it stops when you stop.

Kanu's comments: What a beautiful way to say that the time stops to look at your beauty when you stop. And how utterly it is ruined in translation!]]

Udti-udti si nazar

Mujhko chhoo jaaye agar

Ek tasleem ko har baar meri aankh jhuki hai

[[When you even fleetingly look at me, I lower my eyes in salutation.]]

[Aapko dekh ke badi der se meri saans ruki hai]

2. Aankh kuchh laal si hai

Raat jaage to nahin

Raat jab bijli gayi

Darr ke bhaage to nahin

[[Your eyes seem a little bloodshot, I hope you didn't stay awake last night. I hope the power cut last night didn't scare you.]]

Kya laga honth tale

Jaise koi chot chale

Jaane kya soch ke is baar meri aankh jhuki hai

[[What is it (like a bruise) under your lips? 

I don't know what thought just crossed my mind, which has made me lower my gaze.

Kanu's comments: I didn't really get the essence of this para ... Was it in reference to how Irrfan Khan plays the role of a sadistic, abusive husband who used to beat Priyanka up? Help - anyone who has seen the movie?]]

[Aapko dekh ke badi der se meri saans ruki hai]

[Bekaraan hain bekaraan...]

Aankhein teri bekaraan

Aasmaan hi aasmaan

[[Your infinite eyes - like the sky]]

The song begins with the following sher:

Ik baar to yun hoga, thoda sa sukoon hoga
Na dil mein kasak hogi, na sar pe junoon hoga

[[Someday, it will be so - I'll find my peace
There will be neither this longing in my heart, nor this madness in my head]]