Khaali Samandar (Raat Pashmine Ki)

A while back I did this post (which finds a man describing his ladylove in the terms of the sea, sunset, the moon etc (the kind of exquisite imagery that we have come to associate with Gulzar)). 

The poem in this post also features almost the same set of elements, yet it takes the imagery a step further in that one is not sure till the end if the man is talking about his sweetheart or the tide (yes, that same high-tide, low-tide, ज्वार-भाटा वाली tide).

Anyway, here is my interpretation of the poem, which deeply appeals to me as a hardcore romantic and a sea-lover.

ख़ाली समंदर  (An Empty Sea)

उसे फिर लौट के जाना है, ये मालूम था उस वक़्त भी जब शाम की -

सुर्खोसुनहरी रेत पर वह दौड़ती आई थी 

और लहरा के -

यूं आग़ोश में बिखरी थी जैसे पूरे का पूरा समंदर -

ले के उमड़ी है 

[[She had to go back - we knew this even as 

She came --

Running on the evening-sand rendered crimson

And swaying, broke into my arms like the billowing ocean]]

उसे जाना है, वो भी जानती थी, 

मगर हर रात फिर भी हाथ रख कर चाँद पर खाते रहे कसमे 

ना मैं उतरूँगा अब साँसों के साहिल से,

ना वो उतरेगी मेरे आसमाँ पर झूलते तारों की पींगों से 

[[Even knowing that she had to go,

We kept swearing on the moon, night by night

That I won't descend into this sea of breathlessness

And she won't come swooping down from the stars fastened to my sky]]

मगर जब कहते-कहते दास्ताँ, फिर वक़्त ने लम्बी जम्हाई ली,

ना वो ठहरी --

ना मैं ही रोक पाया था!

[[Oblivious to these vows,

When the time yawned in between telling its eternal tale

Neither she stopped --

Nor was I able to make her stay!]]

बहुत फूँका सुलगते चाँद को, फिर भी उसे 

इक इक कला घटते हुए देखा 

बहुत खींचा समंदर को मगर साहिल तलक हम ला नहीं पाये,

सहर के वक़्त फिर उतरे हुए साहिल पे 

इक डूबा हुआ ख़ाली समंदर था!

[[No matter how hard we tried to keep the moon aflame

We saw it dying, one phase at a time

We couldn't pull the sea any closer to the shore,

By dawn, all that there was on the shore

Was a sea -- sunken and empty]]

My two cents:

1. It's not just the metaphors used in the two poems (this one and this one) that are similar; even the flow is quite alike. The lovers meet as the evening is descending upon the sea shore, and they have to part ways as the night ends. The poems are both very beautiful but in a tragic way, leaving you with a wistful heart and an unfathomable yearning. At least that's what happened with me on both occasions.

2. I was not justifiably able to translate the "ना मैं उतरूँगा अब साँसों के साहिल से / ना वो उतरेगी मेरे आसमाँ पर झूलते तारों की पींगों से" part. I think he is talking about how, every night, the shore and the tide vow to never leave each other; but they're helpless in the hands of the time. Your comments?

O Saathi Re (Omkara)

आज-कल बहुत कम ही फ़िल्मी गीत ऐसे बन पा रहे हैं जो दिल को छू सकें और दिमाग़ में ठहर जायें।ओंकारा फिल्म का गीत 'ओ साथी रे' उन चुनिन्दा गीतों में से एक है।तो जब इस ब्लॉग पर कई महीने बाद लिखने की बात आई (वो भी गुलज़ार साब के जन्म दिन पर), तो इसको चुनना लाज़मी था।(पर इसे चुनने की उससे भी बड़ी वजह हैं रोहन देसाई जी, जो कई बार मुझसे इस गीत पर लिखने को कह चुके हैं।)

(Longish post)

Gulzar calls Vishal Bhardwaj and extension of himself, and this harmony is quite apparent in the songs they have produced together. Out of my favorite romantic numbers in recent times, quite a few come from this collaboration. Be it the utterly beautiful "Bekaraan" from 7 Khoon Maaf, the playful "Dil to Bachcha Hai Ji" from Ishqiya, the soulful "Aur Phir Yun Hua" from Striker or "Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai" from Kaminey - they manage the strike a chord with you.

In the same line, another favorite is "O Saathi Re" - with its haunting melody and exquisite imagery, the memory of this song lingers on long after it has ended. Props to Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal Bhardwaj for making the song even more ethereal with their fervent and touching voices.

In Omkara, all the leads characterize a facet of human nature. (Posters displaying the leads and their basic underlying nature can be seen in the picture above (spoken like a school student)).

This song features Omi (Ajay Devgn), who is driven by passion and Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), who is the face of innocence - both deep in love. As it happens in love, time simply flies. And like any other couple in love, they just don't want the day to end, ever.

Lyrics, and translation:

O saathi re, din doobe na

Aa chal din ko rokein, dhoop ke peechhe daudein

Chhaon chhue na

O pihu re

[[O dearest, wish the day never ends!

Come, let's stop the day; let's run after the sun

Lest the darkness catches up with us

Come, O beloved!]]

Thaka-thaka sooraj jab, nadi se ho ke niklega

Hari-hari kaai par, paaon pada to phislega

Tum rok ke rakhna, main jaal giraaun

Tum peeth pe lena, main haath lagaaun

Din doobe na

[[When the sun, tired after its day's hard work, reaches the river

It might slip on the moss-covered stones

You stop it from drowning, while I drop the net to fish it out

You carry it on your back, and I'll give you a hand

(Whatever we do) let's stop the sun from setting]]

[[Typical Gulzar imagery here at work.]]

Teri meri atti-patti

Daant se kaati katti

Re jaiyo na

O pihu re

[[Let's make this pact that we will never leave one another

O, my dearest!]]

O pihu re, na, jaiyo na

[[Never leave me, my love!]]

Kabhi-kabhi yun karna, main daatun aur tum darna

Ubal pade aankhon se, meethe paani ka jharna

[[At times, pretend that you are afraid of me

Then if I scold you, act scared and start crying rivers]]

[[Lovers are often seen to reflect each-others' nature. Here, the usually grave Omi agrees to play along with the impish Dolly's whims, to see a smile on her face.]]

Tere dohre badan mein, sil jaaungi re

Jab karvat lega, chhil jaaungi re

[[Let's be so close as if we are stitched together

So much so, that if you so much as turn side, I'll get bruised]]

Sang le jaaunga

Teri meri angni mangni

Ang sang laagi sangni

Sang le jaaun, o pihu re

[[You will be with me wherever I go

We are inseparableu

You will be by my side

And wherever I go, you will go with me]]

(O saathi re, din doobe na...)

Three bonus bullet points :)
1. Gulzar talks about the musical form of this song (Excerpt from the book - In the company of a poet by Nasreen Munni Kabir):

"Sanchaari is a Bengali form of music that he (Vishal Bhardwaj) and I have discussed many  times. He used it in the Omkara song, 'O Saathi Re'. The Sanchaari allows you to go away from the antara [the second stage of a musical composition] and later return to it."

2. In an imagery similar to the first antara - in the poem "Sun Set" by Gulzar (from the collection Pandrah Paanch Pachhattar), the sun slips on moss covered clouds. Excerpts:

बिदक के हट गया था वो (सूरज) / बहुत फिसलन थी और काई जमी थी बादलों की / पकड़ के आसमां, कोशिश भी की थी उसने संभलने की 

 3. In this youtube video, Gulzar speaks about how if we choose "Bidi jalai le" over "O saathi re" from the same film, he cannot be questioned about writing songs of the commercial kind.

My favorite lines from the song:

तेरे दोहरे बदन में सिल जाऊँगी रे / जब करवट लेगा, छिल जाउंगी रे 

O Saathi Re video:

Matka Bharke Sooraj Ulta... (Pandrah Paanch Pachhattar)

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

वक़्त के पुरइसरार किसी 'कॉमेट' की तरह 

क़ायनात से आईं तुम और क़ायनात में लौट गईं !!

Time-bound, like a comet

You went back to the universe you came from !!

Chupke Se (Saathiya)

"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.

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...