Jaane Woh Kaise Log Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu-Hindi

Posted on October 12, 2012 by mrandmrs55

Guru Dutt evokes classic Christ-like imagery in his depiction of Vijay the struggling poet in Pyaasa (1957).

We now present the lyrics and full English translation to one of my all-time favorite Guru Dutt songs “Jaane Woh Kaise” from Pyaasa (1957). I think my undying love for Guru Dutt is pretty evident at this point, but in case you need some convincing to get over the bold Clark Gable ‘stache, start here. Pyaasa is no ordinary film. When released to roaring accolades in 1957, Pyaasa broke precedent upon precedent in both impact and style. Notice how every song in this film seems to flow naturally as a consequence of the plot, as if the lyrics of the songs were a poetic continuation of the spoken dialogue? It was a technique pioneered by Guru Dutt that was later emulated by every great director in Bollywood. And the film hit some hard topics. I discuss more of the political stance of the film and the fascinating struggle Guru Dutt faced behind-the-scenes earlier, but now let us look instead to the classic “Jaane Woh Kaise” hit from the immortal pen of Sahir Ludhviani. It’s a mixture of everything right in the world: Guru Dutt as actor, Hemant Kumar with vocals, S.D. Burman composing, and Sahir in the back with the words of wisdom. This Hemant Kumar gem is truly the industry standard for awkward dinner party songs–even copied in modern times by Mira Nair in her film Vanity Fair (2004)!

Guru Dutt is employed as a dinner party waiter for his rich boss, Rehman, where he is confronted by the reality of his former lover, Mala Sinha, having abandoned him for wealth by marrying none other than the man currently employing him. The injustice of it all gets to him, and by chance, he’s a poet at heart who does what any other tragic poet would do in the situation: drop everything and throw a pity party.

Mala Sinha plays a cold-hearted social climber in Pyaasa (1957).

I love the cinematography in this song–Guru Dutt and his brilliant Director of Photography V.K. Murthy were known for their overblown yet graceful dolly-ins (watch the camera fly in “Waqt Ne Kiya“!), and so too in this song, the camera acts as a silent messenger of emotional turmoil, extracting a beautifully devastating toll on each of the key players in the room. And Guru Dutt holds his ground with arms outstretched as if crucified–a soft-spoken martyr against a background of bookshelves in which his own spoken words will later be immortalized and massacred. Again, you really need to see the film to appreciate the poetic genius of Guru Dutt film-making.

So enough talk, onto the lyrics and English translation of “Jaane Woh Kaise” from Pyaasa (1957)! Check out the picturization on youtube and let us know what you think in the comments!

Jaane Woh Kaise Log Lyrics and Translation

Jaane woh kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila
I wonder what kind of people find their love reciprocated
Humne to jab kaliyaa.N maangii kaa.NTo.N kaa haar milaa
Whenever I asked for flowers, I received a garland of thorns

Khushiyo.N kii manzil DhoonDii to gham kii gard milii
I searched for a destination of joy, but I found a circle of sadness
Chaahat ke naghme chaahe to aahe.N sard milii
I desired tales of love, but I received only the coldness of sighs
Dil kii bojh ko duunaa kar gayaa, jo ghamkhwaar milaa
The burdens of my heart only doubled if I met someone meant to relieve my sorrow

BichhaD gayaa har saathii dekar pal do pal kaa saath
Every companion gave me a few moments of company, and left
Kisko fursat hai jo thaame diiwaano.N kaa haath
After all, who has the free time to hold a crazy man’s hand?
Humko apnaa saayaa tak aksar bezaar milaa
Even my own shadow is often weary of me

Isko hii jiina kehte hai.N to yuu.N hii jii le.Nge
If this is what they called life, then I will live like this
Uff na kare.Nge, lab sii lenge, aa.Nsuu pii lenge
I will not sigh, I will seal my lips, and swallow my tears
Gham se ab ghabraana kaisaa, gham sau baar milaa
After all, how can I be concerned by sadness? I have met sadness a hundred times

Humne to jab kaliyaa.N maangii.N kaaTo.N kaa haar milaa
When I asked for flowers, I found a garland of thorns
Jaane woh kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila
I wonder what kind of people find their love reciprocated

Glossary:

kali: flower; kaanTaa: thorn; haar: garland; manzil: destination; gham: sadness; gard: circle; chaahat: love, desire; naghma: tale; aah: sigh; sard: chilly, cold; bhoj: burden; duunaa karna: to double; ghamkhwaar: a remover of sadness (note: the w is silent, as in khwaab); bichhaD jaanaa: to become separated; saathi: companion; fursat: free time; haath thaamnaa: to hold hands; saayaa: shadow; bezaar: fed up, weary; lab: lips; aa.Nsuu: tears; gham: sadness: ghabraanaa: to become anxious, concerned

Singing his heart out, Guru Dutt transforms Rehman’s classy dinner gathering into a awkwardly personal pity party in Pyaasa (1957).

Guru Dutt revives the martyr-style mis-en-scene in the reprise of “Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye” at the famous finale of the film! The scene has got to be one of the all-time greatest of Hindi cinematic history. For this and about a million other reasons, Pyaasa is absolutely mandatory classic Bollywood viewing!

-Mrs. 55

Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu-Hindi

Posted on October 4, 2012 by mrandmrs55

Nanda runs in two directions at once, coming and leaving, in “Ek Pyaar Ka Naghma Hai” from Shor (1972).

We next present the lyrics and full English translation to the eternal love ode “Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai” from Shor (1972). What makes “Ek Pyar Ka Nagma” so timeless? It is on everyone’s list of favorites. Part of it is that the lyrics are some of the best poetry written in accessible language (don’t get me wrong, personally if someone wants to burst into the Urdu-textbook “Mere Mehboob Tujhe,” I’m down for that too!). “Ek Pyar Ka Nagma” is rendered with almost magical emotion by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh–simultaneously a song of dream-like ecstasy and of tender nostalgia. It’s incomparable. The song speaks to a deep love between two souls undergoing hardship, to cherishing those brief precious moments spent together in happiness, and most of all, to remaining hopeful. The song is simple and evocative–and one of the most beautiful you’ll ever hear.

Manoj Kumar picturizes the famous violin introduction to “Ek Pyaar Ka Naghma” at a family beach outing.

Arriving about midway through the politcally-charged film, Shor, the song is partly told in golden-hued flashback of a family trip to the beach. Manoj Kumar plays a hard-luck activist and single father who’s wife, Nanda, is killed in a train accident.

Now some of you may at first be confused, if not disturbed, by Manoj Kumar’s radical cinematography in this sequence, typical of his edgy style. He experiments with several epigenetic, if you will, modifications at once that create an entirely signature effect: slow-motion, still photography inserts, split mirror screens. It was the 70s, and it was the time to experiment–and he’s one of the few Indian directors who did indeed drizzle these new techniques into his big screen productions. It’s unexpected, but upon closer analysis, I’ll argue works brilliantly. Manoj Kumar is no fool. To picturize a song about ephermal bliss, of prolonging a brief moment–he actually freeze frames his film to highlight the transience and importance of memory. His split frames, showing Nanda walking in and out of the center of the screen, of two halves of the beach merging, capture the duality of life that the lyrics speak of. In context, these techniques actually bring together the reflective themes of the film itself and of the love shared between its protagonists. For it, Manoj Kumar won the Filmfare Award Best Editing in 1972!

Nanda’s own reflection stares back at her as a symbolic representation of past and future in Manoj Kumar’s radical cinematography of Shor (1972).

So follow along below with our English translation of this lovely ode to carpe diem and unconditional devotion, “Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai” and watch the youtube version here!

Ek Pyaar Ka Naghma Hai Lyrics and Translation

Ek pyaar kaa naghmaa hai
Life is a tale of love
Maujo.N kii ravaani hai
Life is the flowing of waves
Zindagii aur kuch bhi nahii.N, terii merii kahaanii hai
Life is nothing more than your and my story

Kuch paakar khonaa hai
In gaining something, we lose something
Kuch khokar paanaa hai
In losing something, we gain something
Jeevan ka matlab to aanaa aur jaanaa hai
The meaning of life is to come and to go
Do pal ke jeevan se, ek umr churaani hai
From a few moments of existence, we must steal a whole lifetime
Zindagii aur kuch bhi nahii.N, terii merii kahaanii hai
Life is nothing more than your and my story
Ek pyaar kaa naghmaa hai…
Life is a tale of love…

Tu dhaar hai nadiyaa kii
You are the waters of a river
Mai.N teraa kinaaraa hoo.N
I am your shore
Tu meraa sahaaraa hai, mai.N teraa sahaaraa hoo.N
You are my support, I am your support
Aankho.N mei.N samandar hai, aashaao.N ka paanii hai
In my eyes is an ocean, it contains the water of hopes
Zindagii aur kuch bhi nahii.N, terii merii kahaanii hai
Life is nothing more than your and my story
Ek pyaar kaa naghmaa hai…
Life is a tale of love…

Toofaan to aanaa hai
Storms will come
Aakar chale jaanaa hai
But in the end, they will pass
Baadal hai yeh kuch pal kaa, chhaakar dhal jaanaa hai
These clouds are only momentary, after rising they will diminish
Parachhaaiiyaa.N reh jaatii, reh jaatii nishaanii hai
But these shadows remain, these symbols of you remain
Zindagii aur kuch bhi nahii.N, terii merii kahaanii hai
Life is nothing more than your and my story
Ek pyaar kaa naghmaa hai…
Life is a tale of love…

Glossary:

naghma: tale, ravaani: flowing, turning; zindagi: life; kahaanii: story; matlab: meaning; umr: age, lifetime, dhaar: water; nadiyaa: river; kinaaraa: shore; sahaaraa: support; samandar: ocean; aashaa: hope, wish; paanii: water; toofaan: storm; baadal: cloud; parchaaii: shadow; nishaanii: symbol, sign

Manoj Kumar remembers his dead wife and the love she left behind in Shor (1972).

The film, as in many Manoj Kumar patriotic hits, ends on a defiantly tragic note. Like Shaheed (1965), in which he is martyred with pride, or Upkar (1967) in which he loses his limbs for the glorious cause, in Shor too, Manoj Kumar becomes deaf–a poetic price for his son to gain back his lost voice. The film is a must-see for many reasons, if only to complete your understanding of the role Manoj Kumar played in Bollywood and defining the political tensions of his era. Although Manoj Kumar can no longer hear his late wife sing “Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai” to him, and from now on will no longer be able to hear his son, he remains hopeful and comforted by memories of the moments he once spent in happiness.

– Mrs. 55

Mausam Hai Aashiqana Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu Hindi

Posted on August 1, 2012 by mrandmrs55

Meena Kumari pines for an unseen admirer in “Mausam Hai Ashiqana” from Pakeezah (1971).

We revive our popular Pakeezah series and bring you the lyrics and English translation to “Mausam Hai Ashiqana” from Pakeezah (1971) in honor of Meena Kumari’s 80th birthday today! This beautiful melody rendered, of course, by none other than Lata Mangeshkar carries the sense of gently waking up from a dream. Indeed, “Mausam Hai Ashiqana” is sung just as Meena Kumari discovers the abode of her secret admirer–and is filled with joy and hope for the future. The song is one of Pakeezah‘s finest (what does that even mean though, when EVERY song from Pakeezah is a crown jewel?!), and focuses heavily on scenic imagery and the landscape. Perhaps this too is because of Meena Kumari’s growing sickness as filming of Pakeezah became more and more delayed (see our post on behind-the-scenes drama!)

Meena Kumari passes the long hours daydreaming of her beloved in Pakeezah (1971).

The sounds of birds chirping are even woven into the opening of the musical track with a shot of silhouetted birds flying across the sunrise: a symbol of Pakeezah’s new freedom. The whole effect is feel-good and tender–especially coming after the traumatic elephant attack of the previous scene. Unlike the other semi-classical Lata solos in the film, “Mausam Hai Ashiqana” is pure filmi bliss outside the mujra setting. At last, Pakeezah is able to express a sincere and true anticipation for her beloved’s arrival–sentiments that Pakeezah had before only pretended to feel when dancing before an audience. Queen of her own realm, Pakeezah eagerly explores the new landscape for once without the fetters of a cruel society. Find the lyrics and translation to “Mausam Hai Ashiqana” below and follow along on youtube!

Mausam Hai Aashiqana Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu Hindi

Mausam hai aashiqaanaa
The season is amorous
Aye dil kahii.N se unko aise mei.N DhoonD laanaa
Oh my heart, find him somewhere and bring him to me

Kehna ki ruth jawaan hai
Tell him that the atmosphere is youthful
Aur hum taras rahe hai.N
And that I am pining for him
Kaali ghaTaa ke saaye
The shadows of dark clouds
Phir humko Das rahe hai.N
Are once more attacking me
Dar hai na maar Daale
I am afraid they will kill me
Saawan ka kya Thikaanaa?
What shelter can there be from the rains?

Suraj kahii.N bhii jaaye
The sun may go anywhere
Tum par na dhuup aaye
But let sunlight not fall upon you
Tumko pukaarte hai.N in gesuuo.N ke saaye
The shade of my tresses calls out to you
Aa jaao, mai.N bana doo.N palkon kaa shaamiyaanaa
Come, I will make a tent for you from my eyelids

Phirte hai.N hum akele
I wander about alone
Baaho.N mei.N koi lele
Let someone take me in their arms
Aakhir koii kahaa.N tak tanhaaiiyo.N se khele?
After all, for how long can one play with loneliness?
Din ho gaye hai.N zaalim
The days have become cruel
Raate.N hai.N qaatilaanaa
The nights are murderous

Yeh raat yeh khamoshii
This night, this silence
Yeh khwaab se nazaare
These visions from my dreams
Jugnuu hai.N ya zameen par utre hue hai.N taare?
Are these fireflies or stars that have fallen to Earth?

Bekhwaab merii aankhe.N
My eyes are without dreams
Madhosh hai zamaanaa
But the world seems intoxicated

Mausam hai aashiqaanaa
The season is amorous
Aye dil kahii.N se unko aise mei.N DhoonD laanaa
Oh my heart, find him somewhere and bring him to me

Glossary:

mausam: season; aashiqaanaa: amorous; ruth: atmosphere; jawaan: youthful, young; taras rehna: to be pining; ghaTaa: cloud; saayaa: shadow; Dar: fear; maar Daalnaa: to kill; saawan: rains; Thikaana: shelter; suraj: sun; dhuup: sunlight; gesuu: tresses of hair; shaamiyaanaa: tent; tanhaaii: loneliness; zaalim: cruel; qaatilaanaa: murderous; khamoshii: silence; khwaab: dream; jugnuu: firefly; madhosh: intoxicated

Waiting for Rajkumar to return home, Meena Kumari sings a song of longing in Pakeezah (1971).

Can we also talk about how Meena Kumari is seen to be wearing an oversized khaki button down during bits of this song, as in, she is wearing his shirt! I never put that together before. Oh, it’s the little things! For more translations from the musical epic that is Pakeezah, check out our English translation of Chalte Chalte!

-Mrs. 55

Deewana Hua Badal Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu-Hindi

Posted on July 17, 2012 by mrandmrs55

Sharmila Tagore plays a shy Kashmiri village girl in Kashmir ki Kali (1964)

Next we present the full lyrics and English translation to the jewel “Deewana Hua Badal” from Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). A beauty of beauties, “Deewaana Hua Badal” embodies the timeless dream of Kashmiri paradise. This charming duet by Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle is the highlight of the film Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), starring Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore. With a gently uplifting melody and traditional orchestration, “Deewana Hua Badal” captures a sense of pure bliss in the surroundings of the beautiful Kashmiri mountainside. Shammi Kapoor follows his lover Sharmila Tagore to the base of the famous Dal Lake where lotus flowers bloom and intricate wooden houseboats line the banks.

For centuries, Indians have been entranced by that heavenly treasure, Kashmir. Mughal emperor Jahangir famously wrote of Kashmir in the 17th century,

“Gar firdaus ruhe zameen ast,
Hameen asto, hameen asto, hameen ast.”

“If there is Paradise on this Earth,
Then it is here, it is here, it is here…”

And classic Bollywood was no different. For years, all love dream sequences and the most beautiful of songs were set in Kashmir’s Shalimar gardens. Kashmir Ki Kali is but one of many films set in this paradise from that time period–before internal war and strife drove filmmakers away from Srinagar to the Swiss mountains. Being partly Kashmiri myself, I can attest to the sublimity of the countryside and what the natural beauty means to its people and history. The politics and tragedies that have plagued this gem are completely beyond the scope of this blog, but regarding its impact on Bollywood, Kashmir will remain forever the lover’s ideal.

Sharmila Tagore and Shammi Kapoor Kashmir Ki Kali Dal Lake

The famous Dal Lake of Srinagar, Kashmir is the gorgeous backdrop for “Deewana Hua Badal” from Kashmir Ki Kali (1964).

If I’m ever making a list of my favorite Bollywood songs, “Deewana Hua Badal” IS my number one choice. Since I was a little girl, this enchanting song found a special place in my heart. In fact, my own grandparents honeymooned in Srinagar by the famous Dal Lake in the early 1950s! When you listen to the sweetness of this song’s lyrics and melody, then imagine the paradise of vintage Kashmir, it’s easy to fall to in love! Please enjoy our full lyrics and English translation to “Deewana Hua Badal” below!

Deewana Hua Badal Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu-Hindi

Male:
Yeh dekh ke dil jhuumaa
Upon seeing her, my heart swayed
Lii pyaar ne a.NgaDaaii
And love sprang forth
Diiwaanaa huaa baadal
The clouds became mad with love
Saavan kii ghataa chhaaii
The rain clouds of Spring abounded

Aisii to merii taqdiir na thii
My fate was once not as such
Tumsaa jo koii mehboob mile
To have met a lover like you before
Dil aaj khushii se paagal hai
Today my heart is crazy with happiness
Aye jaan-e-wafaa tum khuub mile
Oh my faithful one, we met at the right time
Dil kyuu.N na bane paagal?
Why should my heart not go crazy?
Kyaa tumne adaa paaii!
What style you have!
Yeh dekh ke dil jhuumaa
Upon seeing her, my heart swayed
Lii pyaar ne a.NgaDaaii
And love sprang forth
Diiwaanaa huaa baadal
The clouds became mad with love

Female:
Jab tumse nazar takaraaii sanam
Ever since my gaze struck you
Jazabaat kaa ek tuufaan uThaa
A storm of emotions lifted within me
Tinake kii tarah mai.N Bah nikalii
Like a twig, I was swept away
Sailaab mere roke na rukaa
Despite my effort, I could not stop the flood
Jeevan mei.N machii halchal
There was a stirring in my soul
Aur bajane lagii shahanaaii
And music of the shahanaii began to play
Yeh dekh ke dil jhuumaa
Upon seeing him, my heart swayed
Lii pyaar ne a.NgaDaaii
And love sprang forth

Male
Diiwaanaa huaa baadal
The clouds became mad with love

Hai aaj naye armaano.N se
Today with new desires
Aabaad merii dil kii nagarii
The city of my heart is filled
Baraso.N se khizaa.N kaa mausam thaa
For ages it was the season of Autumn
Viiraan baDi duniyaa thi merii
My world was a barren waste
Haathon mei.N teraa aanchal
Then in my hands came the drape of your saari
Aayaa ki bahaar aayii!
And when it came, the Spring followed!
Yeh dekh ke dil jhuumaa
Upon seeing her, my heart swayed
Lii pyaar ne a.NgaDaaii
And love sprang forth

Female:
Diiwaanaa huaa baadal
The clouds became mad with love
Saavan kii ghataa chhaaii
The rain clouds of Spring abounded
Yeh dekh ke dil jhuumaa
Upon seeing him, my heart swayed
Lii pyaar ne a.NgaDaaii
And love sprang forth

Male:
Diiwaanaa huaa baadal…

Glossary

angaDaaii: a turn, a leap; diiwaanaa: crazy (in love); baadal: cloud, saawan: rain; ghataa: cloud; taqdiir: Fate; mehboob: lover; khushii: happiness; paagal: crazy; jaan-e-wafa: faithful one; nazar takraanaa: to strike a gaze; jazabaat: emotion; tuufaan: storm; tinake: twig; straw; sailaab: flood, deluge; halchal: stirring; shahanaaii: a woodwind instrument traditionally played at Indian weddings; armaan: desire; aabad: filled; nagarii: city; khizaa: Autumn; mausam: atmosphere; viraan: wasted; duniya: world; aanchal: drape of a saari or dupatta; bahar: Spring

A few notes on this translation: The word angaDaaii does not have a simple English translation. Please see our translation of Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe for further discussion of this complex word. Basically, all of those awkward stretching movements Shammi is doing in the beginning are examples of angaDaaii. Furthermore the line “deewana hua baadal…” can be interpreted in two ways! Although we have written “the clouds became mad with love,” this line could easily mean the inverse: that he who is mad with love became a cloud. This alternative meaning could make some sense–he felt so light and happy with love that he lifted up and joined the clouds. I’m not going to get carried overboard though. We will leave it up to you to decide to how interpret these famous opening lines!

Shammi Kapoor blushes and shimmies during the opening of “Deewana Hua Badal” from Kashmir Ki Kali (1964).

Some of you may question the opening performance by Shammi Kapoor in this song. Yes, he’s absurd as he comes tumbling down the stairs, bulging out of his tight clothes. Yes, his lipstick is a tad too red. And yes, you can see the line below his chin where Costumes forgot to blend his pasty white pancake foundation into his neck. But I’ve come to terms with everything Shammi is: a spastic, messy heartthrob. And since in this film, Sharmila Tagore isn’t wearing half of the sweeping cat-eyeliner that would later become her signature, someone had to wear enough make-up for the team!

– Mrs. 55