Keats/Kamil

We have all come across poetry in our lives, be it through rhymes or textbooks, Shakespeare’s pen or Kishore Kumar’s vocals. Poetry has constantly been a part of our lives. Life itself is poetry of sorts. Yet there exists some biases and preferences. A poem penned by an eminent Western poet is considered far more poetic and superior than a beautifully versed Hindi song that often graces our radios. Through our blog, we hope to convince you that this notion is fallacious. Thus, we have selected four English Poems penned by poets whose name you’ll have come across somewhere. Paired with these are four carefully selected Hindi songs which have been translated for your convenience. Keep in mind that we wrote this blog intending to make you doubt your three views. As Roman Jakobson might have said, we have committed organised violence on the language of the lyrics. The pairing has been done in such a manner that both the poem and the song share similar themes. For you to not report us for pushing you into a pit, we have kindly provided background images closely related to the theme of the song.

Your job is to Guess the Bollywood Song.

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I.

Yep, “Sorrows that thy cast on me” is the song. It is the translation of none other than Lord Emraan’s masterpiece “Toh Phir Aao”. Going by the context, this song blesses your ears and caresses your heart right after Shivam lost his love to destiny. It speaks of a despondent encounter in every hopeless romantic’s love life, to hope in unending despair. Even, Browning’s heart-wrenching poem about forever pursuing his beloved conveys the same disheartening manner. The song reaches its zenith not when it is showing its poetic quality but when the “Aa Bhi Jao” is repeated. Almost as if the protagonist has finally accepted his loss, crushing all his hopes of obtaining his beloved’s heart. Our hearts hurt for the protagonist upon its repetition and we will wish to shield him from the discouraging reality.

Were you able to guess it?

Toh Phir Aao (Awarapan) (2007)

Singer- Mustafa Zahid

Music director- Pritam Chakravarty

Lyricist- Sayeed Quadri )

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II.

The correct answer was “For today I stood”, the Bollywood translation of “Aaj Ibadat”. The beauty of this song lies in its remarkably sublime Vedic-Islamic interaction. A Vedic chant is carefully embraced by a word from the Quran. It can be called a lyrical, musical and political masterpiece. Opening with Raga Yaman, a morning classic, it transitions into devotional love soaked in the lake of gratefulness. It is that one song that plays in your head on a quiet evening when you gaze at your only person while pondering how generous God is for blessing you with them. Both these excerpts share the theme of spirituality and love. On one hand, the English poet wants their lover to treat them with honesty as faith in God was being questioned then. On the other hand, the lyricist is thankful to God for a lover who treats them with honesty and their faith in God is strengthened.

Did we manage to trick you? Yes?

Aaj Ibadat (Bajirao Mastani) (2015)

Singers- Shreyas Puranik, Javed Bashir, Shadab Faridi, Shashi Suman, Altamash Faridi

Music director- Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Lyricist- AM turaz

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III.

Abhi Na Jao Chodh Kar: A plea for staying forever. If not forever, then just a little longer. This song hosts a duet and the other person knows it is a Danse Macabre between their heart and the circumstances. While one pleads to stay, the other pleads to let go for they doubt their resolution to let go. It is a song that hits you hard with the realities of life. No matter how much you long for a person, life and fate are the greatest uncertainties you’ll face. The theme of longing and parting is apparent in both these excerpts. In the poem, the poet wishes for their lover to get used to the distance for he believes they will eventually drift apart over time. Contrarily, in the song, the lyricist wishes their lover to accompany them till death.

"And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." : - Kahlil Gibran.

Did we get you again? Or were we too ambitious?

Abhi na Jao Chhodkar (Hum Dono)(1961)

Artists- Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle

Lyricists- Sahir Ludhianvi, Music director - Jaidev

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IV.

“The tale which I started with my pen”, the Bollywood translation of “Zinda (Lootera)”.

Here, the essence of the poem lies in the protagonist’s unrelenting desire to live a fulfilling life. He considers himself to be the sole master of his fate and is committed to ending his own story. The song beautifully conveys his burning desire to live a life so fulfilling that even death stands proud upon his grave. He wishes for nothing more than what he already possesses and is grateful for the gift of his life. Bryant’s poem strikes our heart with the same chord, instilling in us a want to live a life we can be proud of, a life that will leave behind footprints on the sands of time…

Did we manage to pit you again? Hehe

Zinda (Lootera) (2013)

Singer- Amit Trivedi

Composed by- Amit Trivedi, Lyricist- Amitabh Bhattacharjee

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Were we successful in pitting you? Let us know in the comments below.

If you were pitted, do not feel down for we would (shamefully) like to add, if not for glancing at the answer key again and again while writing the blog (which you had no prior access to, might we add), we would fall into our own pits too. But thankfully, we penned this blog so we pose an unfair advantage over the rest of you. Hope you enjoyed reading our first blog. Have a great day ahead!

Content writers: Bilal Khan; Needhi Singh; Shamatmika Rathore.

Editor: Adithi M. Kashyap

Graphic design and Video Editing: Alwin Joe Varghese; Khushi Shrama