Tujhse naaraaz nahin zindagi (Masoom)

It feels stupid trying to translate one of Gulzar's most iconic and widely loved songs (It got him one of his 10 Filmfare awards for best lyricist (in 1984)). But stupidity is nothing new to me, so here it goes!

The stage is set thus:
Indu (Shabana Azmi) and DK (Naseeruddin Shah) are happily married, with two daughters. The unexpected and unwelcome arrival of Rahul (the love child of DK) in the family shakes the very foundation of their lives. At different points of time in the movie, this song expresses the unspoken feelings of both the protagonists.

But more than that, it speaks for all of us ... of how life keeps throwing surprises our way, much to our bafflement and annoyance. Yet how important these roadblocks are, to maintain the delicate balances in  our lives - of smiles and tears, and of sun and shade.

Lyrics, and Translation:

Tujhse naaraaz nahin, Zindagi! hairan hoon main 

Hairaan hoon main

Tere masoom Sawaalon se, pareshaan hoon main

Pareshaan hoon main

[[Dear Life! I'm not mad at you, just a little weary ...
Stumped by the seemingly innocent questions you keep throwing at me*]]

Jeene ke liye socha hi nahin, dard sambhaalne honge

Muskuraayein to, muskuraane ke karz utaarne honge

Muskuraaun kabhi to lagta hai, 

Jaise hothon pe karz rakha hai

(Tujhse naaraaz nahin...)

[[Somehow I never thought, that I'll have to handle pains in order to live happily

Never realized that I'll have to pay a debt for each smile 

Now every time I smile, 

I am reminded of the debt that's weighing on my lips]]

Zindagi tere gham ne humein, rishte naye samjhaaye

Mile to humein, dhoop mein mile, chaaon ke thande saaye

(Tujhse naaraaz nahin...)

[[Dear Life! But it's not as if these pains are without purpose... because each pain makes me aware of things I never noticed before...

It is only in the scorching heat that we come to know of the relief a cool shade brings**]]

Aaj agar bhar aayin hain, boonde baras jaayengi

Kal kya pata, inke liye aankhein taras jaayengi

Jaane kahan ghum hua, kahan khoya

Ek aansoo chhupa ke rakha tha

(Tujhse naaraaz nahin...)

[[So today, if my eyes well up, I'll cry as long as I want to
Because who knows, tomorrow I may long for these very tears
And then, where will I look for this lone tear drop,
That I had hidden away for so long?]]

My two three cents:

* Earlier I thought the song was addressed not to "life", but to Rahul (Jugal Hansraj). Because just before the song, he asks a question that leaves Naseeruddin Shah totally stumped. I interpreted it as "Main hairaan hoon (ki meri) zindagi tujhse naaraaz nahin" = It amazes me that I am not mad at you  (just baffled by your innocent questions). 

** Something very similar to the lines "Mile jo humein dhoop mein mile, chhanv ke thande saaye" can be found in Gulzar's nazm "Chhaanv-Chhaanv" (from Pukhraj):

Ajeeb hai dard aur taskeen ka saanjha rishta

Milegi chhaanv to bas kahin dhoop mein milegi

(Strange is the relationship between pain and content,

The only place you'll ever find shade, is under the harsh sun)

*** In his album "Pancham: Gulzar Remembers RD Burman", Gulzar introduces this song with the following poignant lines:

"Yaad hai Pancham, jab bhi koi dhun bana kar bhejte the, to saath kah diya karte the, “The ball is in your court”... ye kaun sa ball mere court mein chhod gaye ho tum, Pancham! Zindagi ka khel akele nahin khela jaata... Humari to team hai, aa jao ya bula lo."

Ghalib (Yaar Julaahe)

That Gulzar idolizes Ghalib is no revelation. In his own words "His poems, his lifestyle, his behavior everything are a great inspiration. At a time when people used to carry their religion on their shoulders, Ghalib talked about humanity. The man lost seven children and carried a huge sadness inside him but despite that he was known for his sense of humour." Gulzar's writing is often inspired by (and at times borrows from) Ghalib's work or his thought process.

In this very poem, he refers to Ghalib's collection of work as 'Quran-e-sukhan' - a holy book of eloquence/language/poetry. In his book 'Mirza Ghalib: Ek Swanahi Manzarnaama'**, he goes so far as to call himself a servant to Ghalib.

In this small poem he begins by describing the atmosphere around Ghalib's residence in Chandni Chowk in purani Delhi; and towards the end makes a sudden change in narrative - of how in spite of these ordinary, even depressing, surroundings the brilliance of Ghalib shone through.

Poem and Translation

बल्लीमाराँ के मोहल्लों की वो पेचीदा दलीलों की-सी गलियाँ
सामने टाल के नुक्कड़ पे, बटेरों के क़सीदे
गुडगुडाती हुई पान की पीकों में वह दाद, वह वाह-वा
चंद दरवाजों पे लटके हुए बोसीदा-से कुछ टाट के परदे
एक बकरी के मिमियाने की आवाज़

[The back-lanes of the Ballimaaraan neighbourhood, tangled, like tedious arguments*
Quails - like poets in their own right - conversing at the corner of the lumberyard
Laudations, coated in the sound of the hukkah and the spitting of paan
Old, torn curtains - hanging from a few doors
The bleating of a goat ...]

और धुंधलाई हुई शाम के बेनूर अँधेरे
ऐसे दीवारों से मुंह जोड़ के चलते हैं यहाँ
चूड़ीवालान के कटरे की 'बड़ी बी' जैसे
अपनी बुझती हुई आँखों से दरवाज़े टटोले

[And the dimming lights of the dusk
Walk with their faces close to the walls;
Like the 'Badi Bi' of Choodiwaalaan
Feeling the door with her dimming eyes]

इसी बेनूर अँधेरी-सी गली क़ासिम से
एक तरतीब चराग़ों की शुरू होती है
एक क़ुरान-ए-सुख़न का सफ़ा खुलता है
'असद उल्लाह खाँ ग़ालिब' का पता मिलता है

[It is exactly from this lightless Qasim street
That the order of a thousand lamps begins
A page of the Quran-e-sukhan opens
The address of 'Asad Ullah Khan Ghalib' is found]

*Gulzar took the lines "pecheeda daleelon si galiyaan" from a work of T.S. Eliot. He says "This has come straight from T S Eliot; 'The streets that run like a tedious argument.' Now, that 'tedious argument' is so beautiful…I thought it would be best to borrow these lines from him and apply them to Ballimaran. I always acknowledge this debt. Such beautiful lines and so appropriately for the streets of Ballimaran!! Using those lines, is like paying a tribute to another poet." (source)

**This book by Gulzar is an absolute must have for Ghalib and Gulzar fans.

PS: I have taken a lot of liberty in interpreting this poem. If you have some other interpretations, do share those as well.

Phir Raat Kati (Paheli)

Today being Gulzar's birthday, I think I owe it to this blog to come out of my 2-month long hiatus and bring the blog back to life.

"Phir raat kati" is a quirky little composition by M.M. Kreem and Gulzar, capturing and underlining the fact that "Paheli", in its heart, is a folklore brought alive on screen. The mood of the song is just as beautifully executed by choreographer Farah Khan on screen, bringing out the magic of a folk tale using puppet-like moves.

It's slightly ironic that the stunning cinematography and choreography work so well for the song that the lyrics and the imagery it paints get somehow sidelined. So I thought I'll attempt translating the song, steal some limelight from the dance and put the focus on the lyrics :). 

Lyrics, and Translation

Phir raat kati, aur din nikla

Jab din nikla to raat chadhi

Phir preet ki aisi peeng badhi, rab raakha beliya 
(heyyy-ho, heyyy-ho)

[[Like any other story, this one begins simply enough. The days and nights are succeeding each other like they're meant to, and life is moving at its natural pace.

When one sudden day, this love story is set in motion. And what a love story it is, may God be our saviour!

Kanu's comments: "Peeng badhana" is a term usually used in reference to swings (jhula), and it means pushing the swing to increase its pace and set it in motion.]]

Oontni par jab chaand chale, aur chaand ke peechhe raat chale
Aur taaron ki baaraat chale, rab raakha beliya 
(heyyy-ho, heyyy-ho)

[[(The story is set in the deserts of Rajasthan, about a newly-wed bride on the way to her in-laws place. The baaraat (marriage procession) halts at a baoli where a ghost falls in love with the bride, enchanted by her beauty. This is their love story.) 

I like to believe that "Oontni pe jab chaand chale" is a reference to the beautiful (moon-like) bride travelling by camel through the desert. So the story starts when the bride, along with the baaraat is on her way to the sasuraal.]]

Har raat kahaani chalti hai
Kabhi hawa sunaati hai baatein, kabhi baat zubaani chalti hai
Rab raakha beliya 
(heyyy-ho, heyyy-ho)

[[Ever since then, the story has travelled far and wide; at times taking the wings of the wind, at others by word of mouth.

I love this reference to the beautiful custom of how at nightfall, stories are exchanged - whether on a chaupaal; or as bedtime stories told by mothers and grandmothers to children. And before one knows it, these stories have travelled to far away places, and become lores.]]

Deh ki reti ud jaavegi, preet sada rah jaavegi
Arey samay gujar jaavega babu, lok katha rah jaavegi
Baat puraani ho jaavegi, naam sada rah jaavega
Arey maaroothal mein baalu tab tak unka naam rahega
(Phir raat kati...)

[[Even after the sand of our bodies has flown away (we are long dead), love  remains.

Time passes, dear sirs, but these folk lores stay behind.

The stories may get old, but the names are never forgotten...

As long as there is sand in the desert, their names will live on ... 

(Maaroothal is a tadbhav of the word "marusthal" meaning desert.)]]

Bahut baras jab gujar gaye aur laakh chaand jab utar gaye
Peepal par ek padaav hua, aur phir janme ka chaav hua
Tab se har ek kahaani mein, wo aate hain aur jaate hain
Arey maaroothal mein baalu tab tak unka naam rahega
(Phir raat kati...)

[[(Again the song gives a glimpse of the story...)

The ghost had been dead many years, many moons had passed;

When one day a procession halted under his peepal tree. And it was on this day that he wanted to be born again and have a mortal body (because of the beauty of the bride)...

And ever since then, these characters keep popping up in various tales...

(And I'm telling you,) as long as there is sand in the desert, they will live on]]

I hope you enjoyed the translation and it took you back to the time when you were kids and heard bedtime stories under a star-lit sky.

I also have two very personal reasons to like this song - first, since I've spent 8 years in Rajasthan, the place is very dear to me. The people are so warm and the place so colorful... it's like living in a story. And second, because this dance was  performed by my juniors in college, and those days are very close to my heart...

Raat Ka Nasha Abhi (Asoka)

For an industry obsessed with love, Bollywood music industry has pretty little to show for love's carnal side. Even less so, something that is sensuous without being vulgar. Songs such as this one are few and far between.

The music by Anu Malik is very fresh, and for a change doesn't seem copied from anywhere. Lyrics penned by Gulzar describe beautifully the tale of the night of togetherness and the yearning of the day after, when the lovers are apart. One wishes though, that someone else with a more seductive voice had sung it.

Lyrics, and translation:

Raat ka nasha abhi, aankh se gaya nahin

Tera nasheela badan baahon ne chhoda nahin

Aankhein to kholi magar, sapna wo toda nahin

Haan, wahi, wo, wohi

Saanson pe rakha hua tere hothon ka sapna abhi hai wahin

[[The ecstasy of the night before, has not yet left my eyes

My arms have still not let go of the intoxication of your body

And though my eyes are wide open, that dream is still there

Yes, the same one ....

The dream that your lips told my breath still lingers within me]]

Tere bina bhi kabhi, tujh si machal leti hoon

Karvat badalti hoon to, sapna badal leti hoon

Tera khyaal aaye to, bal kha ke pal jaata hai

Paani ki chaadar tale, tan mera jal jaata hai

[[At times I pretend that it's you I'm sulking with

For every night spent tossing and turning, I invent a new dream to console me

When I think of you, that moment just refuses to leave

And even inside a veil of water, my body burns]]

[Haan, wohi, wo, wohi

Saanson pe rakha hua tere hothon ka sapna abhi hai wahin]

Tere gale milne ke mausam bade hote hain

Janmon ka waada koi, ye gham bade chhote hain

Lambi si ik raat ho, lamba sa ik din mile

Bas itna sa jeena ho, milan ki ghadi jab mile

[[Oh, such beautiful lines! I wouldn't even try to translate them word for word.

When compared to how eternally momentous the time we spend together is; these small things such as being apart in this lifetime don't even matter. Because I know we are destined to find each other in every single life.

As for this life, I only ask for one prolonged day and one lasting night of togetherness - I don't need anything else.]]

[Haan, wohi, wo, wohi

Saanson pe rakha hua tere hothon ka sapna abhi hai wahin]

Khudkushi (Yaar Julaahe)

"Yaar Julaahe" is a collection of Gulzar's nazm's, ghazals and triveni's compiled by Yateendra Mishra. Below is a nazm from the book, called Khudkushi (Suicide).

बस इक लम्हे का झगड़ा था -

दरो-दीवार पे ऐसे छनाके से गिरी आवाज़ जैसे काँच गिरता है -

हर इक शै में गयीं उडती हुई, जलती हुई किरचें!

नज़र में, बात में, लहजे में, सोच और साँस के अन्दर |

लहू होना था इक रिश्ते का, सो वह हो गया उस दिन-!

उसी आवाज़ के टुकड़े उठा के फ़र्श से उस शब,

किसी ने काट ली नब्ज़ें - 

न की आवाज़ तक कुछ भी,

कि कोई जाग न जाये!!!

A mere one-moment tiff -
And the voice crashed on the walls like a glass, shattered -
The splinters, stinging, flew into everything!
In our eyes, in our conversation and its tone, in our thoughts and breaths even |
A relation was to be murdered, and that happened eventually -!

Using a fragment of that very voice, that night,
Someone slit their veins -
Not making the slightest noise,
Lest someone wakes up!!!

--------------------------------

How easily can even the smallest tiff spell the end of a relationship! I love this poem for its imagery of a shattered glass. Truly, words hurt like nothing else could... and that's why I love the part where Gulzar says "उसी आवाज़ के टुकड़े उठा के फ़र्श से उस शब, किसी ने काट ली नब्ज़ें".

"जलती हुई किरचें" is another favorite line for depicting how some thoughtlessly said words burn and sting; and how these very words can change the whole tone of a conversation.

This poem was recited by Dia Mirza for "Dus Kahaniyaan" album. Here's the video from youtube:

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]