This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
The Many Colors of Love #27 – The Sorrows of Love
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And so wrote the scribe
keh do koi na kare yahaan pyaar
is mein khushiyaan hain kam
beshumaar hain gham
ek hansi aur aansoo hazaar
After having spent a lot of time, and sharing many songs about the various joyful colors of love, I am now traversing the lonesome and cheerless side of this all consuming emotion. In the previous episode – “Mohabbat Ne Kaise Diye Hamko Dhokhe”, the deceptions and dualities of a lover’s intention were presented. Finding steadfastness in the heart of another person is a blessing that does not visit many. What follows is a turning of paths, where a tiny divergence slowly becomes an intractable gap over time.
And once the trails of destiny start moving in that direction, there is an endless sea of sorrow and misery that awaits, to engulf in its arms, a heart that has been injured in the game of love. The consequences of such injuries are vivid and colossal, and at times, even tragic. World over, and across the ages of histories, the tragic tales of love have been more everlasting, than the happy stories of love. When queried, the mind will easily list out a number of stories we remember which have tragedy built into them, but we shall be at a loss to list tales of love that are continuing happiness.
As I pondered over this query, I realized – well, there are such stories. The tale of Cindrella, the story of the Sleeping Beauty, the tale of Rapunzel – goodness these are not tales of love, but are fairy tales, stories written for children. No doubt that these stories too have stood the test of time and are undying. But look, what we have labeled them as – fairy tales. Stories to be narrated to children, so that their tender sensibilities are not tested by the realities of life. But when we grow up and we start to create stories for the mature minds, we have a reality baggage that has accumulated with age. And somehow the sorrows and the sense of loss takes precedence in our narratives.
A lot of philosophy and a lot of psychology has been dissected over the centuries – maybe the human heart is more in love with the sorrow, rather than happiness. They say that even sustained happiness for the heart is an annoying circumstance, whereas wallowing in sadness is probably a more comfortable state of affairs. “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought” as Shelley said. And as one of our favorite song tells us “Hain Sabse Madhur Wo Geet Jinhen, Hum Dard Ke Sur Mein Gaate Hain” (‘Patita’, 1953). Some poets have even gone to the extent of commenting that if one thinks that one is happily in love, then in all likelihood, it is not love. Quiet a thought to chew and ponder upon.
The young and prancing hearts may not be mindful of the heavy price that may have to be paid, as they “Bade Armaan Se Pyaar Ki Duniya Mein Rakhte Hain Pehla Qadam”. The experience, the advices, that others may provide are brushed away as frivolous negligence, as the confidence in their own heart tells them that they know best the meaning of this new found emotion. But when the test of resolve starts to waver, then the realization begins to sink in
is mein hansne ke din hain chaar re
lekin roney ke din hain hazaar
pyaar ko mat kaho koi pyaar
ye to hai talwaar ki dhaar
The days of joy and laughter are but numbered just four
But the days of tears are a thousand
Oh don’t call it love
It is as perilous as walking the edge of a sword
Aah, the enticements that urge all caution to be waylaid, and the vagaries of cheerless days that will outnumber the days of happiness. And the poet’s quill will form the words from this emotion as
gaaon bhar chhootha re
sapna har toota re
phir bhi tu rootha re piyaa
wah re pyaar waah re waah
All my people are lost to me
All my dreams lie broken
Even you, my beloved, are displeased
Glory be to this love
Yes, “Waah Re Pyaar, Waah Re Waah”
This pensive but oh so lovely song is from the 1952 film ‘Chamkee’. The film is produced by Maganlal Desai under the banner of National Film Circuit, Bombay and is directed by JK Nanda. The nine songs of this film are all written by Kavi Pradeep and the music is from the mind of Manna Dey. The star cast includes Ragini, Shekhar, Roopmala, Ulhas, Murad, Cuckoo, Jeevan, Nana Palsikar, Meera Misra, Mumtaz, Uma Dutt, Iqbal, Pannu etc. amongst others.
The song is rendered in such a slow pace that it is a wonder. A glimpse of the written lyrics will surprise you – so few words and lines, minimum music, almost all singing time – the emphasis on the specific emotion cannot be more telling.
Listen and contemplate.
Song – Pyaar Ko Mat Kaho Koi Pyaar (Chamkee) (1952) Singer – Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics – Kavi Pradeep, MD – Manna Dey
Lyrics
pyaar ko mat kaho koi pyaar
ye to hai talwaar ki dhaar
is mein hansne ke din hain chaar re
lekin roney ke din hain hazaar
pyaar ko mat kaho koi pyaar
aisi bedard duniya mein haaye
kya koi dil kisi se lagaaye
kitni majbooriyon
kitni lachaariyon
mein rahe zindagi hum guzaar
pyaar ko mat kaho koi pyaar
laakhon khaamosh aankhon ke aansoo
mujhse kehte muhabbat na kar tu
is mein gham hain har dam
sukh ki ghadiyaan hain kam
aur sitam bhi to hain beshumaar
pyaar ko mat kaho koi pyaar
ye to hai talwaar ki dhaar
is mein hansne ke din hain chaar re
lekin roney ke din hain hazaar
pyaar ko mat kaho koi pyaar
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Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
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प्यार को मत कहो कोई प्यार
ये तो है तलवार की धार
इस में हंसने के दिन हैं चार रे
लेकिन रोने के दिन हैं हज़ार
प्यार को मत कहो कोई प्यार
ऐसी बेदर्द दुनिया में हाये
क्या कोई दिल किसीसे लगाए
कितनी मजबूरीयों
कितनी लाचारियों
में रहे ज़िंदगी हम गुज़ार
प्यार को मत कहो कोई प्यार
लाखों खामोश आँखों के आँसू
मुझसे कहते मुहब्बत ना कर तू
इस में ग़म हैं हरदम
सुख की घड़िया हैं कम
और सितम भी तो हैं बेशुमार
प्यार को मत कहो कोई प्यार
ये तो है तलवार की धार
इस में हंसने के दिन हैं चार रे
लेकिन रोने के दिन हैं हज़ार
प्यार को मत कहो कोई प्यार
