I get up, I think of, I wish and pray,
That you, my friends, would be well;
That you’d have a very happy day,
And your worries would go to hell.
I wish that good health and success,
Would always await at your threshold;
And gods in heaven’d together bless,
That joys and riches increase manifold.
I also wish you unprecedented glory,
And you’d always steal the limelight,
That fans would lap up your story,
Of grit, fairness, courage and foresight.
From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).
This was done when a course mate, Viru, suggested that people sharing memes as WhatsApp forwards had become passé and impersonal. He suggested that we should be as personal and unique as possible.
Here is my second attempt (pics have been added only in the blog and not in the original message on WhatsApp):
An awesome day is at your doorstep.
There is good in every day,
It’s not difficult to find;
For everyone of us in some way,
Is good at heart and kind.
Despite all the things that’re wrong,
If you look for something right;
It won’t really take you long,
To find across the tunnel light.
God made the world in such a way,
That good would always prevail;
Yes, people and things do go astray,
But good? Well, it would never fail.
From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems.
This was done when a course mate, Viru, suggested that people sharing memes as WhatsApp forwards had become passé and impersonal. He suggested that we should be as personal and unique as possible.
Here is my first attempt (pics have been added only in the blog and not in the original message on WhatsApp):
Good morning Allu, Anil Chopra, Anil Kalia, Anil Koshti, Bhoj, Billoo, Bisku, BKD, Subrata Chaks, Charlie, Doc, Gaur, Krish, Malay, Manu, Milind, MM, Pat, Pops, Purvi, Robin, Saroj, SAS, Shammi, Srini, Vadoo, Vijay, Vinod and Viru.
A great day awaits you.
Some get up to wish Good Morn, Some rise to express good wishes; Some start the day with scorn, Others for doing last night’s dishes.
Each one of you is unique, The best in your own special way; Yes, an odd ‘idiot’, an odd freak, But deserving of an awesome day.
So, Good Morning, 46 plus 8, I wish you smiles and cheers; Let Love overwhelm innate Hate, Let laughter replace barbs and jeers.
Second song of the new series that we started day before yesterday. This too has lyrics by Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Thank you very much for the enthusiastic response to the first post.
Shiv Kumar Batalvi‘s life and poetry can be compared with Lily of May, short-lived but providing immense joys to all those who came in touch with either or both. He lived between 23 Jul 1938 and 06 May 1973. As I said in the first post, he and Lord Byron died before their 37th birthday.
Whereas, Lord Byron had a number of affairs including scandalous and licentious ones, Shiv Kumar’s poetry was driven by just two of them: Maina, a young girl that he met in Baijnath and Uma, Gurbakhsh Singh Preetlari’s daughter. Maina died and Shiv penned his elegy Maina for her. Uma left for the US and married someone else. Later Shiv Kumar too married Aruna and they have two children: Meharban and Puja.
When Uma Gurbakhsh gave birth to her first child, Shiv Kumar Batalvi penned his most poignant poem: ‘Main ek shikra yaar banaya’, which is rated as his most famous.
Mainu tera shabaab lai baitha is equally popular.
On the 14th of April, this year, we had the third annual meet of our music group ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne’ (Please read: ‘YKDN Live Fest In Kandaghat On Waltzing Numbers’). We had a ghazal and Sufi singer Pammi Hanspal with us. At the end of our Live Fest, he sang this song and we were all floored. That’s as much for Pammi’s singing skills as for the effect of the extraordinary lyrics penned by Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Here are all of us joining in for the rendition of this extraordinary Ghazal by Shiv Kumar Batalvi:
Of course, these are amateurish efforts. The ghazal is so popular even after 45 years of Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s demise that one can hear it at various gatherings. Everyone seems to know the lyrics.
Of course, my nostalgia goes back to hearing it from a great son of Punjab: Asa Singh Mastana though there are various versions of this ghazal including by one of the greatest ghazal singers: Jagjit Singh.
(Photo courtesy: Panj Pedia)
Asa Singh Mastana lived between 22 Aug 1927 and 23 May 1999. He made a name for himself on the All India Radio from 1940s onwards by singing Punjabi folk songs either by himself or in concert with Surinder Kaur and Kuldeep Manak. Some of his songs became so popular that these are hummed even today. One of my all time favourites is the tear-jerker: Jadon meri arthi uthha ke chalange. I shall be giving that to you as I go along. Another is: Mutiyare jaana door pya, which has flavour of a typical Punjabi wedding.
Another two favourites are the Heer and Jugni that he sang for the Hindi movie Heer. Yet another is Sarke sarke jaandiye mutiyare ni.
In 1985, he was honoured by the government of India by the award of Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.
Now lets look at the beauty of the lyrics (Please do remember that this ghazal has been sung by many different singers and each has chosen some stanza or the other and his own sequence):
First in Punjabi transliterated:
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha,
Rang gora gulab lai baitha,
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
Dil daa darr si kite naa lai baithe
Lai hee baitha janab lai baitha
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
Kini beeti te kini baaki eh,
Mainu eho hisaab lai baitha,
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
Shiv nu ikk gham te hee bharosa si
Gham toh kora jawaab lai baitha
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
Wel jad vi mili hai farza taun,
Tere mukh di kitaab lai baitha,
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
Mainu jad vi tusi ho yaad aye,
Din dihaade sharab lai baitha,
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
Changa hunda je sawaal na poochda,
Mainu tera jawaab lai baitha,
Mainu tera shabab lai baitha
And now the translation by me:
Your young beauty has seized my senses
(Your) fair-rosy colour has seized me
Your young beauty has seized my senses
I feared for my heart that it shouldn’t be seized,
(But) It was seized, my dear Sir, it was,
(Your) young beauty has seized my senses
How much life is spent and how much remains
This calculation has seized me
Your young beauty has seized my senses
Shiv relied on just one sorrow
(That) Grief too has abandoned me
Your young beauty has seized my senses
Whenever I had free time from my duties,
I was seized by the book of your face,
Your young beauty has seized my senses
Whenever I have thought of you,
I took to drinking even during daytime,
Your young beauty has seized my senses
It would have been good if I hadn’t asked the question,
I was seized by your answer.
Your young beauty has seized my senses
Please enjoy Asa Singh Mastana sing the most popular ghazal of Shiv Singh Batalvi: Mainu tera shabab lai baitha:
https://youtu.be/SAUh28WCvpY
Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s love poems had all the melancholy about them that he faced in his life with unrequited love.
This one is very important since it talks about drinking in her gham (sorrow). All of us know that finally this gham and consequent drinking heavily into the wee hours of mornings that killed him.
He was the youngest recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award and he died young.
हरदम खुशी की तमन्ना की थी तेरे प्यार में,
ज़िन्दगी भर के ग़म मिल गए उधार में।
खिज़ा आने का इंतज़ार भी ना किया,
हम तो लुट गए काफिला-ए-बहार में।
मुहब्बत में हो गए रुस्वा कुछ इस तरह,
नज़र आने लगी तौहीन-ए-उल्फत हर जगह,
तेरी महफ़िल में बदनाम होना यकीनन था,
हंसने लगे हम पे सब लोग बेवजह।
ना समझे इस में हमारा क्या था कसूर,
मानते हैं मुहब्बत की थी हमने ज़रूर,
पर इसकी इतनी बड़ी मिलेगी सज़ा,
यह बात तो दिल के बहुत ही थी दूर।
हम लेंगे तेरी बेवफाई का इन्तकाम,
तेरी रुसवाई का भी कर लेंगे इंतज़ाम,
फ़ना हो जाएंगे तेरे प्यार में इस कदर,
के लोग तुझको भी कर देंगे बदनाम।
Hardam khushi ki tamanna ki thi tere pyaar mein,
Zindagi bhar ke gham mil gaye udhaar mein.
Khiza aane ka intezaar bhi na kiya,
Ham to lut gaye kaafila-e-bahaar mein.
Muhabbat mein ho gaye ruswa kuchh is tarah,
Nazar aane lagi tauheen-e-ulfat har jagah,
Teri mehfil mein badnaam hona yakeenan tha,
Hansne lage ham pe sab lig bewajah.
Na samajhe is mein hamaara kyaa tha kasoor,
Maanate hain muhabbat ki thi hamne zaroor,
Par iski itani badhi milegi saza,
Yeh baat to dil ke bahut hi thi door.
Ham lenge teri bewafai ka inteqaam,
Teri ruswayi ka bhi kar lenge intezaam,
Fanaa ho jaayenge tere pyaar mein is kadar,
Ke log tujhako bhi kar denge badnaam.
Ik meri akh kashni duja raat de uneendre ne mareya…..
Lyrics: Shiv Batalvi
Composition and Music: K Pannalal
Singer: Surinder Kaur
Ladies and gentlemen, I am starting another series today titled: My Favourite Punjabi Songs.
Why Punjabi? Simple; it is my mother tongue (my mother passed away last year on the 9th of August). She was the biggest influence that I had on my thought process, the way I led my life, my emotions and my language. I was born in her parents’ house (it was called Pakkyan Waala since for a number of years it was the only brick and lime-mortar house in the village whilst others were thatched clay houses) in Village Urapur, District Jullunder (now spelled Jalandhar).
My mother married my father when she was only sixteen. However, so strong was the influence of her parents that the last words that she whispered before she went away last year were: Pitaji, Beeji main aa rahi haan (My father and mother, I am returning to you).
Similarly, even though she spent all her years with my father in Himachal wherein Hindi was more prevalent, she could never forget her Punjabi roots. The other day I read a joke that a Punjabi is a person who speaks any language in Punjabi. My mom for nearly seventy years after leaving Punjab, spoke Hindi in Punjabi. Taste this, for example; it is my mother’s instruction to the servant at home in what she believed is Hindi: “Bahadur, neeche kyaari se gande poot ka laao.”
Truly, whilst you can take a Punjabi out of Punjab but you can’t take Punjab out of him or her.
During my childhood and boyhood, I have listened to Punjabi songs on the radio, in movies that I went to with my parents, and during weddings and other parties. Ladies used to sing some of these songs (that I would give you) sitting around a dholaki with a lady playing the dholaki and another (sitting in front) rhythmically beating a metal spoon on the wooden body of the dholaki. Others would be dancing keekli or gidda.
My mom and her sisters would not just sing but dance too.
My mother (right) and her youngest sister Jaspal dancing during the celebrations for my mom’s 75th birthday on 15th March 2007. My buaji’s son Bawa (an accomplished A.I.R. singer and dancer is seen her playing the dholaki.My mother dancing with my son Arjun and his wife Samira on the eve of their wedding on 8th May 2014
These songs that I shall be putting up here are not in any particular order or ranking. I am just giving them to you as I recall them.
Surinder Kaur and her sister Parkash Kaur were my late mother’s favourites. Whenever my mother traveled with us long-distance we listened to the two sisters frequently on cassettes; songs such as: Kala doriya, Lathhe di chaadar, Jutti kasuri, Bajre da sitta, Gori diya jhanjhra, Sarke sarke jaandiye, Chan ve ke shaunkan mele di, Chan kitha guzari aayi raat ve and Dachi waliya mor mohar ve.
(Pic courtesy: Famouspunjabi.com)
Surinder Kaur was certainly the more popular and accomplished of the two sisters: Surinder and her elder (by ten years) sister Prakash. She was born on 25 Nov 1929 in Lahore (now in Pakistan). When Surinder was not yet 14 years old, the two sisters cut their first duet maavan ‘te dheean ral baithian on 31 Aug 1943 for HMV. After the Partition of India, the family moved to Ghaziabad, Delhi. When she was 19 years old she married Professor Joginder Singh Sodhi. He was to emerge as her greatest support who assisted her first to become a playback singer in Hindi films and later to follow her passion of Punjabi folk songs.
Before she died on 14th June 2006, she not only recorded more than 2000 songs but also promoted Punjabi culture and folk songs. Some of her duets have been sung with other great singers of Punjab: Asa Singh Mastana, Karnail Gill, Harcharan Grewal, Rangila Jatt, and Didar Sandhu.
She was a song-writer herself. In addition, she sang songs penned by Bulleh Shah, Nand Lal Noorpuri, Amrita Pritam, Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
On her death, the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, described her as the Nightingale of Punjab.
A few months before she died, she was awarded the fourth highest civilian honour by government of India: the Padma Shri. However, she was taken aback to know that the recommendation for the same had gone from Haryana (because she had settled in Panchkula) and not from Punjab, the state whose culture and folk-music she relentlessly promoted for more than five decades.
(Pic courtesy: Hindustan Times)
Shiv Kumar Batalvi, as I have written elsewhere, had many things in common with the English poet Lord Byron except that whilst the latter was of aristocracy, Shiv died in penury. Otherwise, the description of beauty, sadnesses and melancholy are the same. Both died before reaching the age of 37 years. Shiv Kumar Batalvi lived between 23 July 1936 and 6 May 1973.
Shiv was born on 23 Jul 1936 in village Bara Pind Lohtian, Shakargarh Tehsil, Sialkot District (now in Pakistan). He is called Batalvi, because at the Partition’s time, when he was only 11 years old, his family moved to Batala in Punjab.
His first anthology of poems was published in 1960, titled Piran da Paraga (The Scarf of Sorrows). He became the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967, for his magnum opus, a verse play Loona (1965).
Many of his poems are love poems of parting. For example, he fell in love with a girl called Maina who died. He wrote an elegy called Maina. Similarly, he was in love with Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari’s daughter. When she married someone else, he wrote his famous love poem ‘Main ek shikra yaar banaya’. In 1967 he married Aruna, a girl from his own Brahmin caste.
After Shiv returned from his visit to England in Sep 1972 his health deteriorated and he finally died on 6th May 1973. He was brought to PGI Hospital Chandigarh. But, he walked away from the hospital saying he didn’t like dying in a hospital.
Shiv Kumar Batalvi, in his short life earned the distinction of being one of the most famous poets of Punjab and yet on his 45th death anniversary this year, he was virtually neglected by the Punjab government and dignitaries.
Very little is known about the Composer K Pannalal. I picked this up from the You Tube:
“Pannalal Kathak….later called K Pannalal was one of the early composers and singers of AIR who excelled in classical mould……. It was an era when film composers Ravi, Roshan, OP Nayyar, Dan Singh were employees of All India Radio ….. Most in the new generation might not even know that it was AIR that moulded artists who later became big names in the Hindi film industry….. K Pannalal, though passed away long back in 1975, has left behind his traditions to his family….. and notable amongst them is his son-in-law, the acknowledged Ghazal singer, Chandan Das….. A treat to watch this along with other radio singers like Trilok Kapoor, Pushpa Hans, Mahinder Pal, Pramilla Das seen in the brief excerpts ….. Enjoy this rare Doordarshan recording.”
Lets look at the lyrics of the song and their translation:
Ni ek meri akh kashni
Ni ek meri akh kashni
Dooja raat deyo neend re ne maariya
Ni sheeshe ‘ch tarerr pai gai (x2)
Vaal vandi ne deyaan jadon mareya
Vaal vandi ne deyaan jadon mareya
Ni ik meri akh kashni
Ik meri sass ni buri
Bherri roi de kikkar to kali
Haaye bherri roi de kikkar to kali
Ni aandhe jaandhe taane maar di
Ni aandhe jaandhe taane maar di
Ni mein usdha kuch vi vigaadhiya
Ni ik meri akh kaashni
Ni ik meri akh kaashni
Ik meri nandh buri bherri ser karanh nu jaave
Ik meri nandh buri bherri ser karanh nu jaave
Ni dooroh toh oh ainjh lagdhi
Haaye ni dooroh toh oh ainjh lagdhi
Jeeve majni matakdhi aave
Ni ik meri akh kashni
Ik mera kanth ni jeeve
Ik mera kanth ni jeeve
Raat chandhani teh doodh da katora
Ni eko gal maadhi usdhi
Haaye ni eko gal maadhi usdhi
Layi lagni oh maa ne vigaadhiya
Ni ik meri akh kashni
Ni ik meri akh kashni
Dooja raat deyo neend re ne maariya
Ni sheeshe ‘ch tarerr pai gai
Haaye sheeshe ‘ch tarerr pai gai
Translation:
My eyes are hazel of all things
I didn’t sleep for two nights in a row
The mirror broke
I saw it while combing my hair (х2)
My eyes are hazel of all things
First of all my mother-in-law is severe,
Her complexion is darker than a desert tree
Each word from her mouth is against my brother
And she continuously runs down my parents
I don’t know why she is doing that
I didn’t ruin her cardamom garden anyway
My eyes are hazel of all things
I didn’t sleep for two nights in a row
My eyes are hazel of all things
Secondly my younger brother-in-law
Is fond of fair women
He tries to sit close to me,
On the closest chair or whatever
His flirting is hard on me
I have not dropped my veil till this day
My eyes are hazel of all things
I didn’t sleep for two nights in a row
The mirror broke
I saw it while combing my hair
My eyes are hazel of all things
Thirdly my beloved husband
Is like a bowl of milk on the night of full moon
His eyes have little lines of vermilion colour
There is only one bad thing about him
He believes without proof
And is spoiled by his mother
My eyes are hazel of all things
I didn’t sleep for two nights in a row
The mirror broke
I saw it while combing my hair (X2)
Please enjoy: Ik meri akh kashni duja raat de uneendre ne mareya…..
Yes, the composition and music by K Pannalal suddenly transport you to rustic Punjab. However, I think the song belongs in equal measure to the singer Surinder Kaur and the poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi for bringing out the flavour of Punjab so well.
Akbar da shehzada kehlaanda si Jehangir,
Sikhan naal karda si nafrat, maadha si usda zameer.
Main nahin manada Ik OmKar nu” usne keha,
“Phad ke lai aao Arjun Dev nu, pairan ch paao zanjeer.”
“Mere shehzade Khusro nu wi isne keeta hai khraab,
Waheguru di oh kadr karda hai, nahin peenda hai shraab.
Usdiyan wi main akhan noch lawanga jehdiyan Guru nu wekhan,
Mera hi khoon meri gaddi de baithan de dekhda hai khwaab.”
Ik aakhri mauka dinde haan, Jehangir ne keeta ailaan,
Guru nu kaho Waheguru nu bhul ke Allah da rakhe maan.
Guru ji ne keha, duniya fateh karan da tera shauk hai,
Par kade na bhulin Jehangir tu wi Waheguru di hai santaan.
Eh sun ke Jehangir nu rajj ke gussa aayiya,
Tatte tawe te usne Guru Arjun Dev ji nu bithayiya,
Je eh zulm kuchh ghat si, pher us zaalim ne,
Jaladi ret nu Guru Sahib de shareer te paayiya.
Panj din panjavin paatshahi te barasti rehi dehshat,
Ik minute wi julman tonh Jehangir ne na layi fursat,
Rabb de oh bande si, Rabb da hi noor san,
Nadi ch jadd nalhaan gaye Guru sahib ho gaye rukhsat.
Guru ji Rabb da noor si, aje wi ohi noor hai,
Jehangir da usdo baad kithe koi garoor hai,
Us hi Lahore ch jithe Guru Sahib hoye si shaheed,
Gurudwara Dehra Sahib aje wi mashhoor hai.
Kade nahin bhul sakde Guru ji de tyaag te kurbaniyan,
Sunehre itihaas ch rehan giyan Guru Arjan Dev diyan kahaniya,
Sikh oh hai jehda Guru ji de dikhaye raste te chale,
Baaki chahe Sikh hon diyan hore wi hon nishaniyan.
Akbar’s prince was known as Jehangir,
He had hatred for Sikhs, his heart and mind were corrupted,
“I don’t agree with Ek Omkar”, he said,
Capture Arjan Dev and bring him to me with chained feet.”
“My prince Khusro too is spoiled under his influence,
(He too) respects Waheguru, he doesn’t drink,
I will gouge his eyes too that look for this Guru,
My own blood dreams of overthrowing me to become the king.”
“I’ll give him (Guru) one last chance, Jehangir proclaimed,
“Tell the Guru to forget Waheguru and respect only Allah.”
Guru ji told him, “To conquer the world appears to be your desire,
But, never forget Jehangir that you too are a child of Waheguru.”
Upon hearing this Jehangir became very angry,
He ordered Guru Arjan Dev ji to be seated on hot plate;
If this torture wasn’t enough, then this tyrant,
Poured burning sand on Guru Sahib’s (bare) body.
This type of terror was unleashed on our Fifth Guru for five consecutive days,
Not even for a minute Jehangir took a break from this torture. na layi fursat,
(Guru ji) was a man of God, indeed he was the Likeness of God,
(At the end of the torture) when he was taken to Ravi river for bath, he departed (to be with God).
Guru ji was the Light of God, even now that Light prevails,
However, where is Jehangir’s arrogance after he has gone?
In the same Lahore, where Guru Sahib was martyred,
Gurudwara Dehra Sahib is situated even now.
Never can we forget Guru ji’s sacrifices,
In golden letters of History would remain the saga of Guru Arjan Dev,
Sikh is the one who treads the way of the Guru,
Even though there are many other symbols of becoming a Sikh.
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
During my childhood and boyhood, I have listened to Punjabi songs on the radio, in movies that I went to with my parents, and during weddings and other parties. Ladies used to sing some of these songs (that I would give you) sitting around a dholaki with a lady playing the dholaki and another (sitting in front) rhythmically beating a metal spoon on the wooden body of the dholaki. Others would be dancing keekli or gidda.
