While browsing through Gulzar's book 'Pandrah Paanch Pachhattar' (Fifteen Fives are Seventeen Five), I suddenly came across this beautiful nazm. I say suddenly, because I had read the book before, and it was like I had completely skipped this poem. And what a poem it is!
Somewhat similar in sentiments to the lines 'Tu ab se pahle sitaaron mein bas rahi thi kabhi' by Sahir Ludhianvi (incidently, one of Gulzar's favorite lyricists); this nazm goes one step further and weaves the entire persona of the leading lady and her meeting with the poet around the universe and its miracles.
And since I've always been in love with seas, seashores, sunsets and such; the fact this meeting takes place after sunset and before sunrise makes it all the more alluring to me. How I long for a romantic night-out by the sea!
Not surprisingly at all for a Gulzar poem, it once again makes stellar use of similes and metaphors.
मटका भरके सूरज उल्टा, शाम ने दूर समंदर की दहलीज पे जाकर
रात का पश्मीना पहने तुम आई थीं !
You came!
When the evening was pouring a pitcher-full of sun at the far end of the sea
You came, wearing the pashmeena of the silken night
रात तुम्हारे जिस्म से फिसली पड़ती थी
जिस्म तुम्हारा एक जलते सय्यारे सा
दूध और धूप से गूंधी मिट्टी
एक फ़लक भर खुश्बू थी आवाज़ तुम्हारी !
The silken night kept sliding off your body
Your body, like a smoldering celestial object
Molded from clay kneaded in milk and sunshine
Your voice, like a sky-full of fragrance!
तुम बोल रही थीं
होंठ तुम्हारे चाँद की काशें काट रहे थे !
मैं हैरां ...
हैरां हैरां ...
As you spoke,
Your lips sliced slivers off the moon
I was disconcerted ...
Bewildered, amazed ...
मटका भर के सूरज का, एक और सहर निकली पानी से
उँगली थाम के सुबह की तुम पानी पर चलते-चलते एक और उफ़क को लौट गईं !
And when another morning emerged from the sea, with a pitcher-full of sun
You went back to another horizon, holding the morning's finger in your hand
"All happy families are alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." - Begins the novel Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. The same could be said of couples as well. And if you follow closely the lyrics and poetry by Gulzar, you'll notice a lot of non-perfect couples, and very few perfectly happy ones.
So there is someone who has been just a touch unfaithful (Hazaar raahein mud ke dekhin), someone very much in love but forced to part ways with their loved one (Mera kuchh saamaan), a wife waiting, in vain, for her husband who doesn't show up (Khaali haath shaam aayi hai), a hero yearning for a woman who refuses to be with him (Aye Ajnabi, Satrangi Re), a couple living separately but still in love (Tere bina zindagi se koi), or even a ghost wondering if he will be able to stay with the woman he loves, forever (Dheere Jalna). The same pattern of less than perfect relationships can be traced throughout his non-filmy poetry as well. It's as if his universe is populated with these couples, living apart but constantly striving to come together.
This particular song features a star-crossed couple - married, but forced to live separately due to circumstances. And needless to say, anyone who has ever been in love can identify with what Gulzar has said about separation pangs.
Lyrics, and English Translation:
Doston se jhoothi-moothi doosron ka naam le ke,
teri-meri baatein karna
Yaara, raat se din karna
Lambi judaai teri bada mushkil hai,
aahon se dil bharna
Yaara raat se din karna
(The hero says -)
[[Every time I talk about us, I have to use the false cover-up of others' names
And with each passing day, it is becoming more and more difficult to fill the empty space in my heart with sighs and wait for another night to turn to day]]
[My comments: It's quite uncanny how Gulzar takes something very usual amongst youngsters (at least of yerster-years) and slips it into his songs - namely, covering up one's secret love life by hiding behind others' identities. I have always loved this line the most, for saying so much in so few words!]
Kab ye poori hogi door ye doori hogi
Roz safar karna - Yaara raat se din karna
[[When will this distance go away
When will this journey that I have to make everyday, the journey of turning another night into day, end?]]
Chupke se, chupke se, raat ki chaadar tale
Chaand ki bhi aahat na ho, baadal ke peechhe chalein
Jalein katra-katra, galein katra-katra
Raat bhi na hile aadhi-aadhi,
Raat bhi na hile aadhi-aadhi aye
Chupke se, chupke se, raat ki chaadar tale
(The heroine says -)
[[Hush, my love, let's meet secretly under the veil of the night
Let's hide behind the clouds, lest the moon comes to know and creates a scene
Let us burn together and melt bit by bit
While the night waits with bated breath]]
[My comments: Gulzar's association with the moon is legendary. Almost as noticeable in his songs is the recurrence of lovers meeting under the moon light. Right from his first song Mora Gora Ang Lai Le, where the heroine begs to be made darker, so she can easily meet her lover at night; to a more recent O Humdam Suniyo Re, where the moon (hero) frequents his lover's street at nights.]
Farvari ki sardiyon ki dhoop mein
Moondi-moondi akhiyon se dekhna
Haath ki aad se
Nimmi-nimmi thand aur aag mein
Haule-haule maarwa ke raag mein
Meer ki baat ho
[[(I wait for the day when) In the soft sunlight of February, you would look at me, shading your half-open eyes with your palm
When the mild winter meets fire, I wish we could sit together and talk about Mir, with the Raag Maarwa playing in the background]]
[My comments: For a beautiful interpretation of this paragraph, I must guide you towards this amazing post by the equally amazing Pavan Jha who is an encyclopedia of anything and everything Bollywood.
I must also mention how it reminds me of the para "Jaadon ki narm dhoop aur aangan mein let kar" from "Dil Dhoondhta Hai"]
Din bhi na doobe, raat na aaye, shaam kabhi na dhale
Shaam dhale to subah na aaye, raat hi raat chale
[Chupke se ...]
[[(When we are together) I wish the day would never end, the night never come, and the evening stays with us
And even if the evening ends, I wish the next morning doesn't come and the night goes on and on]]
[My comments: Who else is reminded of "O Saathi Re, din doobe na" from Omkara?]
Tujh bina pagli ye purwai
Aa ke meri chunri mein bhar gayi
Tu kabhie aise hi gale lag jaise ye purwai
Aa gale lag jaise ye purwai
[[Without you, even the winds go crazy
I wish that some day, you will embrace me like this breeze
Come, engulf me completely like the crazy winds...]]
Saathiya sun tu
Kal jo mujhko neend na aaye paas bula lena
God mein apni sar rakh lena, lori suna dena
[Chupke se ...]
[[Listen, my love!
I wish a day comes when, if I am unable to sleep, you would make me lie next to you
Or sing a lullaby to me, with my head in your lap
Till that day comes, meet me secretly under the veil of the night ...]]
Of course, I need not talk again and again on how I love the movie and its music! The coming together of ARR and Gulzar has always spelled magic, well may be except in JTHJ.
For my take on other songs from the movie Saathiya, click here.
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 debtfor 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."
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)
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 :).
[[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...
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]
"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:
