Charitraheen

In early 90s there used to be a serial on Doordarshan called Charitraheen, based on Sharatchandra’s Bengali novel by the same name. Though I was quite young to get the import of the serial, I quite fondly remembered it title music. I later came to know that it was composed by my favorite composer, the legendary Salil Chaudhary. The melody and the lyrics still used to ‘haunt’ me. Someone today reminded me of the haunting feeling. So here’s the lyrics of the song:

शीतल मंजुल कोमल, तेरा आँचल
मेरी सुधियों में लहराया
झल-मल झल-मल
और एक शाम मैंने तेरे नाम लिख दी

हौले, हौले-हौले; पुर्वा ड़ोले, पुर्वा ड़ोले
ढलते दिन की अरुणाई में सपने घोले; सपने घोले
सपने घोले
और एक शाम मैंने तेरे नाम लिख दी

पंछी एक बिचारा, टूटा हारा, टूटा हारा
सुने नभ में उड़ता फ़िरता, मारा-मारा
मारा-मारा
और एक शाम मैंने तेरे नाम लिख दी

शीतल मंजुल कोमल, तेरा आँचल
मेरी सुधियों में लहराया
झल-मल झल-मल
और एक शाम मैंने तेरे नाम लिख दी

And here is where you can download it from. Salilda.com has done a great job in giving us a chance to enjoy the (sometimes considered long-forgotten) melodies of the great Salil Chaudhary. I don’t know the lyricist of the song, if any of you have any clue, let me know. Also, note that this the third song composed by Salil Da on this blog. So I’m turning out to be quite a bit of a fan. 🙂

The unsaid…

Another self-composed one, after a while. Actually wrote this one sometime back. But somehow found today an appropriate time to post. Also, have been a bit busy lately.

So here’s the gazal:

तुम नही तो और कोई चल रहा है संग,
कश्ती के लिए कब रुकी नदी की है तरंग।

न पूछो उसका नाम जो हुई फ़िज़ा मे गुम
मान लो कि दिल मे छुपी थी कोई उमंग।

कि भूल जाऊँ या संजोऊँ ख़्वाब वह हँसीन
बढ़ूँ तो किस तरफ़ कहो कि रास्ते हैं तंग।

ज़िन्दगी के ये सवाल देखकर के अब
दिल-ओ-दिमाग़ मे छिडी है जैसे कोई जंग।

रंग खिल उठे जो सुने हमने वो जवाब
खुशी के हैं कि गम के पता किसके है वो रंग।

वो कहते हैं न उनके लिए ग़म करे कोई
गम बिना भी है कोई क्या ज़िन्दगी का ढ़ंग।

Importance of being earnest

Noticeable things don’t happen. You just notice things and conclude that they were noticeable.

However, sometimes you are supposed to do noticeable things. Typical in national politics or in corporate environments. Let’s say when you are giving a presentation, or a public speech, or when you want to highlight a point in a strategy meeting, or in job interviews. And peculiarly, you cannot afford others knowing it that you deliberately made something noticeable. Basically, you have to make the deliberateness of noticeability non-noticeable, deliberately. 🙂

Its tough. Its a skill. I hate it.

I just heard from a friend, application of this skill in his love life. I’ve heard hiding something from your beloved before. I’ve also heard pretending, and over-expression of affection. But making things noticeable unnoticeably. Bit too much for me. Gets too complicated to handle. And grows anxiety in me. But the friend seemed enjoying it. So I enquired – ‘Has it got any purpose, or is it just for the kicks?’. He suddenly felt ‘noticed’, and changed to topic. And I get away with my anxiety unnoticed. 🙂

Too much of a mind game. Worth blogging. I hope Machiavelli might have written a book called The Princess. 🙂

BTW, introducing a new blogger, who also likes filling empty spaces with Urdu poetry, Appul.

Aag lage kanaar mein

A reflection of what is within., and what cannot be said, because there are societies outside, and there are boundaries, and there are incapabilities within and incapabilities without, and there is the responsibility to be pure, and there are promises to meet, and there are self-adorned burdens of friendships, and there is ego.

So poetry helps that something, which cannot be said, let out at times:

(a gzal by Jigar Muradabadi):

ओस पड़े बहार पर, आग लगे कनार में
तुम जो नहीं कनार में, लुत्फ़ ही क्या बहार में

[कनार == bosom] [लुत्फ़ == pleasure]

उसपे करे ख़ुदा रहम, गर्दिश-ए-रोज़गार में
अपनी तलाश छोड़कर, जो है तलाश-ए-यार में

हम कहीं जानेवले हैं, दामन-ए-इश्क़ छोड़कर
ज़ीस्त तेरे हुज़ूर में, मौत तेरे दयार में

[ज़ीस्त == life]

तुम जो नहीं कनार में, लुत्फ़ ही क्या बहार में

One rendition of the gazal can be found in ‘Rare Gems’ -Chitra Singh – 1974.

Sorry for the previous post (Aaj hi hoga). It’s not by me. But I don’t recall the poet. If anyone knows, let me know.