“Ranjish hi sahi”

I have gone from Pop, Country, Hindi, Indian Folk, Rock, Ghazal, Soul, Hip Hop….quite a strange progression of music genres. Every now and then..I go back to the favourites of each. If I look back on the Ghazal era of my life [also read as 2nd and 3rd year of Engg; for obvious reasons], a few ghazals still flood back a lot of memories…pent up emotions…and a myriad of feelings. One such unforgettable Ghazal is Mehdi Hasan’s “Ranjish hi sahi”.

I played with the idea of [attempting] a translation, but quickly dismissed the thought. It simply cannot be done justice. A few other people have attempted it and these can easily be found using Google Search .

While rendition of a ghazal [and there have been a few of this particular one] holds its true meaning and feeling, it is important to understand the “bol” [lyrics] of a Ghazal as it is the core or the heart of the same. So as you listen to the ghazal [courtesy Youtube]; here are the ‘bol’ [lyrics].

Ranjish Hi Sahi…Dil Hi Dukhanay Kay…Liye Aa
Ranjish Hi Sahi…aaa phir se…Mujhe Chhod Ke jaane ke liye aa…

Pehle se…marasim na sahi…phir bhi kabhi to
Pehle se…marasim na sahi…phir bhi kabhi to
Rasm-e-rah-e-duniya hi nibhane ke liye aa

Ab tak..dil-e-khush feham ko…tujh se hain..umeedein…
Ye aakhri shamain bhi bujhane ke liye Aa
Ranjish hi sahi

Kis kis ko…batayein judai ka sabab hum
Tu mujhse khafa hai to zamanein ke liye aa

Ek umar se hoon…lazzat-e-girya..say bhi mehroom
Aye raahat-e-jaan..mujhko rulane ke liye aa

Kuchh to…mere pindaare mohabbat ka bharam rakh
Tu bhi to kabhi mujh ko manane ke liye aa..

Maana ke mohabbat ka…chhupaana hai mohabbat
Chup ke se…kisi roz jataane ke liye aa

Jaise tumhein aate hai…na aane ke bahane…
Aise hi kisi roz na jaane ke liye aa..

The lyrics are not just powerful, they are meaningful, blatantly true, and tantalizingly full of pain and angst. I have a kinship with this ghazal as there was a point in my life, when I had these exact feelings towards a certain someone .

I remember a very touching anecdote, which makes this ghazal even dearer. I remember my cousin, [who I reckon is one of the best ghazal singers I have had the privilege of knowing], singing it out to me and brother in his Mumbai home. It was late, on a rare cool Mumbai night; we were in true “spirit” of ghazals and we even had accompaniment [from the ceiling fan of the flat below!!]. It was near perfect; as for the first time, I understood what a ghazal is all about, how it is composed, rendered and presented. I am glad that we had that session; without which I would have never ventured into the Hariharan-Ghulam Ali-Mehdi Hasan-Talat Aziz phase of my life.

What just hit me is that because I showered heaps of praise on my cuz [mostly deserved] and took a great fancy to this ghazal, he started referring to me as “ranjh”…well…if only it were “ranjeet hi sahi” I guess he equated “me” to “ranjh” which is pain/angst..amplified.Which..most people will agree is not that far off anyways

Today I just felt like re-living that ‘mehfil’ and remembering…
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Footnote:
Mehdi Hasan [Khan sahib; Shehenshah e ghazal] was born in Rajasthan, India 1927. Belonging to a family of singers…Mehdi Hasan has won many a heart across the globe. He has sung for Pakistan Radio, and in Lollywood movies, but was mostly known and loved for his heart warming Ghazals and Urdu poetry.

I don’t love you…

Girl : I think I am in love with you
Boy: What? You love me…???
Girl: Yes, I do…with all my heart…
Boy: How do you know?
Girl: I just know …do you? Love me?
Boy: I don’t love you…

I have been a big fan of the movie Patch Adams (1998). Largely, I must agree because I am a big fan of Robbin Williams. I have seen all of his films and learned so much from him as an actor. He is simply one of the best actors this century has seen.

In the movie Patch Adams, which is a true life story, of a man Hunter “Patch” Adams (you HAVE to see this one), Robbin Williams fancies the female protagonist Corinne Fischer (played by Monica Potter, who by the way I absolutely adore). Robbin Williams, is interrupted the first time he tries to read it out to her….but can only finish it after she has passed away….

The poem in discussion is one composed by Pablo Neruda in his work titled  Cien Sonetos de amor Or One Hundred Love Sonnets XVII. The poem is called No te amo como si fueras rosa …..which means…I don’t love you as if you were a rose……

She..

I would like to dedicate this song…”She” by Elvis Costello to every girl who has meant something to me…and at some point if she has, I would have told her so. Its a long list…so I am going to leave it at that. What spurred me to this dedication? Well I am awfully nice

She by Elvis Costello

She
May be the face I can’t forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay

She
May be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day

She
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell

She
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one’s allowed to see them when they cry

She
May be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I’ll remember till the day I die

She
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I’m alive
The one I’ll care for through the rough in ready years

Me
I’ll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I’ve got to be
The meaning of my life is

She
She, oh she

This song appeared as an OST (Original Sound Track) in the movie Notting Hill (1999), directed by Roger Mitchell starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Here is the song itself…..

A pyschological tip – Piet Hein

A very good friend of mine… recommended this poem. Obviously I obliged. I was really astonished at
the simplicity. This poem is amazingly profound…. yet remarkably simple. Hats off to the poet, Piet Hein
Stuff like this, seems unreal when you read it. It is sometimes frustrating, as for one you see someone, who is so much better than you… I take that positively and drives me to be as good. Not always though. I have always been in awe of Rock lyricists or even some Bollywood lyricists. It is just impossible to pen down your thoughts…. like those guys seem to be able to do. Recently someone said the same about my poem !! I assured them that they were mistaken…. but could not help smiling…and feel on top of the world

Of online Authors, Poets and Poetesses

Its an old saying that you seem to find things when you are actually looking for them. Although it sounds quite mundane, it does hold true. Think about it. Unless you wanted to read about what I have written in the last few days (that is if you know me)….or are an avid blogger yourself…or just hit the “random post” button…would you have landed here and be reading this?

Ever since I have been blogging, I have been reading other people’s blogs as well. Some of them have such flair that it almost belittling