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Love at second sight: The ‘live’ly melodies of “Parwaaz”
It was 1992 when I first heard Gham ka Khazana on Jagjit Singh’s Sajda album, a tape that would play infinitely during my father’s shaam-e-ghazals with his ghazal-loving friends. I was only 13 then, but my father, a brilliant ghazal singer in his own right, had established ours as a musical household from my very early years, and I have only him to thank for having a voice as powerful enough in my vicinity to draw me to his late evening harmonium sessions. When Sajda was going strong on the household cassette player, I remember walking around the house humming the tune to Gham ka… in my head as I worked on random chores, and wouldn’t notice how I got them done. Jagjit Singh’s voice had had its first effect on me, and I hadn’t realized. I had probably heard his voice even before, but for some strange reason again, I just hadn’t realized. As the years passed and I got lost in the rut of life, I also lost touch with the musical foundation I had started up on…
15 years later, I now find myself sucked back into Jagjit Singh’s melodious croons as I’m driving through bumper-to-bumper traffic filled with drivers notorious for cursing more and driving less, and not surprisingly, I find myself not in a car, but at Singapore’s Esplanade, packed houseful with ghazal aficionados cheering, applauding, and wah-wah’ing away to the live renditions of Jagjit Singh’s favorite songs. Parwaaz, his 2-CD set, of which I have only heard the first, is delightfully sublime in all its tunes, not only because it has some of his best songs with lyrics that can get you to relate, but also because it has the unique power to “put you where the action is.”
The CD gets underway with Yaad Nahin and aptly describes how one feels during the process of falling in love…
yaad nahin, kya kya dekha tha
saare manzar bhool gaye
uski galiyon se jab guzre
apna hi ghar bhool gaye,
yaad nahin….I don’t remember anything I saw,
Forgot all the sights,
When I passed through her streets (neighborhood),
I forgot my own house
I don’t remember…
As he wraps up the song, his description of how his love has jilted him is met with many warm applauses…
mujhko jinhone qatl kiya hai,
koi unhe batlaaye nazeer…
meri laash ke pehloo mein
woh apna khanjar bhool gayeSomeone had better tell the one who killed me… they forgot their dagger next to my corpse.
In very minimalistic, simple words, Tere Baare Mein takes us through visiting memories of a past love before love happened…
tere baare mein, jab socha nahin tha
mein tanha tha magar,
itna nahin thaWhen I had not thought of you,
I was alone,
but not as alone as I am now.
He then laments on how unexpectedly the love ended…
manaane roothne ke khel mein hum
bichad jaayenge,
yeh socha nahin thaIn this game of getting upset and making up, I never thought we would get separated
One of his most popular songs follows up next in the form of Hoshwalon ko Khabar, thanks to Sarfarosh, and the crowd doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge their agreement. As he turns his nose up at those who haven’t fallen in love, he also brings out the schoolboy in him who has been unsuccessful at relaying matters of the heart to the one he loves…
hoshwalon ko khabar kya
bekhudi kya cheez hai
ishq kijiye phir samajhiye
zindagi kya cheez haiThose in their senses don’t know what being senseless (intoxicated) is like…
Fall in love, then you’ll understand what life is.hum labon se keh na paaye
unse haal-e-dil kabhi
aur woh samjhe nahin yeh…
khamoshi kya cheez haiI couldn’t express to her,
the feelings of the heart.
And she didn’t understand,
what this silence means.
Kagaz ki Kashti is about unabashedly reminiscing and having a chance to take back the growing up years while stripping oneself of all materialistic wants and needs. Living life in its purest, most simplistic form without any pressures of the world and re-living one’s carefree childhood is all he desires, and his lyrics are able to evoke just those emotions…
yeh daulat bhi le lo, yeh shauhrat bhi le lo
bhale cheen lo, mujhse meri jawaani
magar mujhko lauta do
bachpan ka saawan
woh kaagaz ki kashti
woh baarish ka paaniTake this wealth, take this fame,
Steal even if you will, my youth,
but give me back my childhood autumns
that paper boat
those rain watersna duniya kaa gham tha na rishton ke bandhan,
badi khoobsurat thi woh zindagaaniNeither did I have worldly sorrows, nor did I have any relationships tying me down,
that life was so very beautiful
Kiska Chehra travels down the comparison road oft-traveled in Hindi film songs and compares the lover’s face to various aspects of nature… simple lyrics, soulfully sung.
chaand bhi dekha tha, phool bhi dekha tha
baadal bijli, titli jugnu,
koi nahin aisa,
tera husn hai jaisa
meri aankhon ne,
chuna hai tujhko duniya dekh kar
kiska chehra ab mein dekhoon…
tera chehra… dekh kar…
I saw the moon, I also saw the flower
Clouds, lightning, butterflies, fireflies,
Nobody compares to you
My eyes have chosen you after seeing the world
Whose face can I look at now,
after looking at yours…
Listening to his lyrics, one would think Jagjit Singh is obsessed with the chehra (face). Why else would he follow up Kiska Chehra with Kal Chaudhvin Ki Raat Thi and beautifully transition the end of this song into Tera Chehra Kitna Suhaana Lagta Hai? Truly, one of the highlights of this CD is the transition from Kal Chaudhvin… to Tera Chehra without skipping a tune, making one smile in the process of doing so at the effortless maneuvering of his notes. In Tera Chehra he interacts with the audience by sharing a shaayari and cajoling the audience into laughter…
kal chaudhvin ki raat thi
shab bhar raha charcha tera
kal chaudvin ki raat thi
kuch ne kaha, yeh chaand hai
kuch ne kaha yeh… chaand hai
kuch ne kaha, chehra tera…
Last night was the [fourteenth] night of the full moon
The entire night was filled with mentions of you
Last night was the [fourteenth] night of the full moon
Some said, it’s the moon - 2
Some said, it’s your face
transition to…
tera chehra kitna suhaana lagta hai
tere aage chaand puraana lagta haiaag ka kya hai,
pal do pal mein lagti hai,
bujhte bujhte, ek zamaana lagta haiYour face is so pleasant
The moon pales in comparison to youIt only takes a second or two to light the fire,
but extinguishing it can take a lifetime
The humor now breaks out by speaking a few lines and diving into a sher [poem]
Aur kya kya lagta hai?
Sabse pehle tho chashma lagta hai,
phir do chaar daant lagte hain
baal bhi lagte hain,
kabhi… kabhi… ghutne bhi lagte hain[Besides taking a lifetime] what else happens?
First things first, spectacles happen [eyes go weak]
Then a few teeth happen [fall]
Hair also happens [falls]
Sometimes… sometimes… knees also happen [replaced or develop arthritis]Lekin aag yeh aisi hai,
Aakhri umr tak bujhti nahi haiBut this fire is such,
that it doesn’t extinguish until death.Maashooq ka budhaapa,
lazzat dila raha hai…Angoor ka mazaa ab,
kishmish mein aa raha haiThe beloved’s aging,
causes immense pleasure
The fun of a grape [youth]
is now being had as a raisin [in old age]
…to which the audience can be heard laughing, cheering, smirking and applauding, as he finishes off the sher with a few playful tunes on his harmonium.
By the time the CD ends, it becomes a grueling task not to hum any of the tunes you’ve listened to, and you find yourself coming back for more and more. A must-have for all ghazal fans out there. As for me, I’m going on to the second CD and booking advance tickets for his next concert… here’s hoping his next tour comes around sooner than later… yaad nahin kya kya dekha tha…..
Note: The translations above, as with most Hindi or Urdu songs, don’t do justice to the words that are being recited, so I apologize in advance if I’ve gone terribly off-track.
18 Responses to “Love at second sight: The ‘live’ly melodies of “Parwaaz””
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Oye! Striker!!!
Tussi S’pore vich???
Cutting/Pasting to add to your ‘Loves’ :)
” Rehne de aasma zamin ki talash kar,
sab kuch yahin hai na kahin aur talash kar,
har arzu puri ho to jine ka kya maza,
jine k liye bas ek kami ki talash kar…”
sayed_nawaz@emarat.ae
[ebazm@yahoogroups.com ]
How could you forget all those punjabi tracks in the album?! I prefer those tracks to the ghazals in the album.
There were really some good youTube videos of Jagjit Singh performing those tracks at Royal Albert Hall, but I cannot find it now…. that was so lively!
O Balle Balle
Te Maakhiya….
(Can someone please provide lyrics of those punjabi tracks in the album.)
oye k3!! nahi yaar.. inshallah some day yes, but no.. this was purely parwaaz ka jaadoo which transported me to s’pore within the confines of my gaddi :)
HG, the punjabi tracks are in the second CD, not in the first.. i’ve only listened to the first one so far. gonna listen to the second one tonight.. can’t wait!
sooper! nice to see a post on Jagjit Singh.
tere baare mein….
Simplicity is divine!
thanks man, for reigniting all those mausam-e-bahaar. :)
There is a nice hindi/punjabi couplet in this too–
Kisii ne majnu se kahaa
Teri Lailaa dikhti kaali
Majnuu ne jawaab dittaa(diyaa)
Oye teri akh(aankh) na dekhan waali
Ved vi chitta (chitta matlab safed,color white)
te quraan vi chitti
wich syaahi rakh ditti kaali ve
Ghulaam farid jithe akhiyaan lagiyaan
Uthe kyaa gori.. kyaa kaali ve!!!
Now thats SOMTETHING!
That track is “Chulle Ang Na”. Arjun, have you got lyrics of ‘O Balle Balle’?
WAH!!! AWESOME… REFRESHING THE MINDS
And Sayed Nawaz….
“Rehne de aasma zamin ki talash kar,
sab kuch yahin hai na kahin aur talash kar,
har arzu puri ho to jine ka kya maza,
jine k liye bas ek kami ki talash kar…””^:)^^:)^
According to me “Hoshwaalon ko Khabar Kya” - is one of the best picturized song in hindi cinema.
For me everything about the song, singing, music, lyrics - love at first sight !!
Tere aane ki jab khabar mehke… teri khusbu se saara ghar mehke…
chaak jigar ke see lete hain..
humto hain un phoon jaise… jo kaanto me ji lete hain…
waah kya baat hain…
sahilesh u must heard Nida fazli’s nazm sung by Jagjeet….
bachho ke chote haatho ko chaand sitaare chone do
chaar kitaabe padhkar ye bhi hum jaise ho jaayenge
mehfil mehfil gaayenge jab tak aansoo paas rahnege tab tak geet sunayenge
achhi surat waale mumkin hai patthar dil ho
hum to us din rai denge jis din dhokha khaayenge..
It’s one of my fav nazm
Of course “Parvaaz” is extraordianry just because of Jagjeet’s gaayaki..he sung the song “kal chaudhahi ki raat” so beautifully that u just blown away…the line kuche ko tere chor ke jogi hi ban jaaye..n then how deeply he goes in to the term “jogi” like alaap..jogiiiiiiiiiii..jogiii..the aaroh and avroh is awesome….magar parvat tera nadiya teri jungle tere…simply great…
n the another song u r talking abt ..kabhi kabhi to ghutne bhi lagte hai…It’s mind blowing..thanx for recollecting…
I have a long list of Jagjeets Ghazal ..one of them i remeber is…tum nahi gham nahi sharaab nahi..aisi tanhaai ka jawaab nahi…
jaane kis kis ki maut aayi hai aaj rukh par koi nakaab nahi..
Yaad nahin, tere baare mein and tere aane ki…all these songs are actually from his albums called “Saher”..some more jewels are..
Mujhase bichchad ke, Charage Ishq and Tumne dil ki baat keh di..
Waise mera bhi bachpan Sajda gungunaate hue hi beeta hai…mainly
“Dhoop mein niklo, ghataaon mein naha kar dekho”,
“Dard se mera daman bhar de ya allah”,
“Har taraf har jagah, beshumaar aadmi”,
“Meri tasweer mein rang aur kisi kaa to nahin”,
but for more info striker…the brilliance of Sajda is, Jagjit bhai had lost his only son in a road accident, just before this album…so u’ll find that pain in its songs…it makes it unique..
suchita:
yaar send him a mail appreciating his Sher na
[ Sayed Nawaz ], if you can?
He is NOT on PFC but on eBazm
btw You shld get on their yahoogroups,
daily morning dose of a Sher is worth it,
k
@Honhaar Goonda-yeah it is! chule agg na ghade de wich paani,,,
sorry man i dnt have lyrics for o balle balle… u cud just listen to it and try writing though….
Hey Kavita, yeah will definitely write to him.. and thanx for the info of yahoo group will join in.
dodge this:
“haath chute bhi toh rishte naahi choda karte, waqt ki shaaKh se lamhen nahin todaa karate
jis kii aawaaz mein silvat ho nigaahon mein shikan
aisi tasveer ke tukde nahin jodaa karte”-Gulzar..AWESOME!!
anytime, tushar :)
dipankar, the “jogi” bit was so freakin amazing.. just when you thought he couldn’t go any deeper with his voice, he completely takes you by surprise..
suchita, amazing sher yaar.. thanks for that!
ashish, yeah, had read the bit about his son’s passing away right before sajda released. you can definitely sense the pain in his voice, and incidentally, this event also led to chitraji giving up singing for good.. totally understandable..
k3, will sign up for the yahoogroups too, though for me personally, it works more if i hear someone recite it rather than just reading the text..
Striker after reading your post and the following comments i can only say two words “wah Ustaad”.
Mind blowing… aapne ne toh mashallah sher o shaairi ki maano jung hi ched di hain…. Jeete rahiye aur khoob peete rahiye… lol
Suchita: wah!!
here is another by Parveen Shaakir from Pakistan who died in 1994 [ so u cant send HER an email ]:
Dasht-o-darya se guzarna ho,ke ghar may rahna
ab tho har haal may hai hum ko safar may rahna.
Faislay saari usee kay hain humaari baabat,
Ikhtiar apna bus itna ki khabar may rahna.
Koi khaatir , na madaraat, na taqreeb-e-wisaal,
hum tho bus chaahtay hain teri nazar may rahna.
Main tho har chahray may ab tak vahi chahra daykhoon
Usko har roz tamaashaa-e-digar may rahna
Vahi tanhaai,vahi dhoop, vahi be-sitami,
ghar may rahna bhi hua raahguzar may rahna.
Tootna yoon toh muqaddar hai,magar kuch lamhe,
phool ki tarah muyassar ho shajar may rahna.
Har mulaaqaat kay baad ajnabiyat aur baDhi
Usko Aaeenay, humay zom-e-hunar may rahna.
Koi Sappho kay Meera ho, Kay Parveen,usay
raas aata hi nahin Chaand Nagar may rahna.
khaatir: favour
madaraat: sp.treat
taqreeb-e-wisaal: plea for union sweet
muyassar ho shajar…: swaying on a branch
zom-e-hunar: talent-crazed
——————————————
“haath chute bhi toh rishte naahi choda karte, waqt ki shaaKh se lamhen nahin todaa karate
jis kii aawaaz mein silvat ho nigaahon mein shikan
aisi tasveer ke tukde nahin jodaa karte”-Gulzar
Oye striker,
Great yaar, tussi Ghazals bhi sun lete ho. Kya baat hai. Only then you can feel love or express it. Good going. Keep it up.