Saturday, December 25, 2010

छल्ला - Chhalla by Rabbi Shergill


पंजाबी गीतों से हम में से अधिकतर लोगों का परिचय धिन्चक किस्म के चलताऊ गीतों से ही हुआ है, जबकि पंजाबी गीतों और साहित्य का बहुत गहरा और शानदार खजाना है.
हाल में चल रहे फिल्म "क्रूक" के एक लोकप्रिय गाने "छल्ला" को इन्टरनेट पर ढूँढ़ते हुए मुझे रब्बी शेरगिल का गाया "छल्ला" नाम का ही एक बेहद खूबसूरत गीत मिला है जो मैं आपके लिए लगा रहा हूँ.
रब्बी की युवा और संजीदा आवाज में एक कशिश है, जो आपने उनके पुराने गानों जैसे "बुल्ला, की जाणा" और "तेरे बिन" जैसे गानों में भी याद होगी.
गीत का भाव कुछ यूँ है कि एक विरहणी अपने प्रियतम की याद में उसके भेंट किये गए छल्ले (angoothi) से ही दिल की बातें कर रही है. 
गीत का मजा लीजिये:



रब्बी शेरगिल की वेबसाइट से चुन कर इस गीत का अंग्रेजी रूपांतर भी लगा रहा हूँ:



English Translation:
 The ring it listens to no one 
The ring it listens only to my mom
It will leave only if she tell it to
Listen my love
Don’t know who’s done this voodoo

The ring it lies on the well
Let’s talk face to face
Listen my love
Don’t you wanna see me sometime 
It’s hard for me not to see you         

The ring a borewell’s water
Where has my love drifted to
I have no news
Listen my love
On your berry has grown a thorn

The ring unripe mangoes
Someone give me sage advices
Let’s commit to contemplation
What’s left of time yours and mine
Listen my love
Or our lives will go waste

The ring a long braid
I kissed it in my dream
The desire had gone blind
But I listened to my heart
Listen my love
Now punish me as you will

The ring a lone banyan
He holds on to the
Earth below and God above
Listen my love
How far run his roots
He knows not himself

Thursday, December 23, 2010

To Kill a Mocking Bird


I am not sure why but the title "To Kill a Mocking Bird" always seemed  to suggest to me a chilling murder mystery. 
Ignorance of the highest order, I say to myself now; To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee is one of the most heart-warming books I have ever read, even though it deals with a very sensitive subject of racial inequality in the old American society. 
Set in a small town of the racial America of 1930s, it is the story of how a principled and morally upright white lawyer Atticus Finch fights the case of a black man charged with rape of a white girl. And while in the process, he also fights the prejudices of almost the whole town with the strength of his convictions of equality, which are way ahead of his times. It is a sensitive subject matter, considering that the book was written in 1960, when the American society was still forming its opinion on racism.      
Apart from the subject matter which is instinctively close to any right thinking human being, what makes the book amusing and full of warmth is the delightful narrative written from the innocent outlook of Scout Finch, 6 year old daughter of Atticus. The perspective and moral stand one wishes to take is not forced upon the reader, the choice is for him to make.
One more important feature of the book is the character of Atticus Finch. He is obviously a morally upright lawyer, an ideal for many. More than that however, he is a great father and morally ideal human being, who has got his values intact and leads by example. A real hero for all the right reasons.
I strongly recommend an immediate reading of this classic. 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

आशा या उपेक्षा?



Mindful of the actual gifts firmly out of their reach, these canines are trying to borrow some warmth from just being in the vicinity.
Sounds familiar?  
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