The White of the Swan

 

I'm sharing a particularly moving and poetic sequence from the critically acclaimed Hindi film Gangubai  (link of the scene:  Instagram). The heroine's beauty and the description of the various white hues captivate the hero, who is a tailor who brings various white outfits for the heroine to select from. When the heroine requests that he display all of the white sarees and provide a recommendation, he responds that since they are all white, she can choose from any of them. But then the heroine responds in a very artistic and lyrical manner:

“ kon sa wala safed?

Chaand wala ya baadal wala safed?

Kaagaz wala safed ya

Gulaab wala safed?

Barf wala safed

Namak wala safed

Doodh wala safed ya

Shankh wala safed?”

 

After a moment of pause, the smitten hero replies,” hans wala safed.”

(Image of Heroine after she hears reply of the actor)

I also did the English translation that is:

Heroine:

“which hue of white?

The white of the moon or the cloud?

Or is it white of the paper, or

 the rose?

The white of the ice

The white of the salt

The white of the milk or

The white of the conch?

 

Hero replies, “The white of the swan.”

 

Interestingly, the heroine describes all different hues of white (which are not necessarily pure white) while the hero replies to a completely different answer which captures the true purity of white- the white of the swan. The fact that he had a mind and heart of his own which only saw the purity of the heroine and thus likens the white to the white of the swan symbolizing her purity, although in that movie the heroine played the role of a prostitute.

What I find so captivating about this scene is not only its poetry and depth and the purity of love the actors shared in their roles on screen, but the fact that in life, sometimes, we are limited to the colors or shades of something based on our limited perception of it, and what appears may not be a true reflection of the real, but a hue or a shade. Sometimes, it may take the eyes of another artist to see the truth of the color and the true purity of it...and in this case, those eyes are the eyes of love, and not lust...

    Indeed, the purity of love is symbolized by the white of the swan and the swan itself, check this beautifully poignant video reunion #love #birds #birdslover#swans #nature, I found on the web, where one of the swans is reunited with the other swan after a period of separation, and the moment of reunion is truly magical. Indeed, the two swans are a symbol of purity of love worldwide..

                                                               

Classical Crossover Song-One- Sami

 

Sharing a deeply beautiful song called "One" by Sami Yusuf (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcSnZ-RuwyI). 

This song is a classical piece and a crossover that is especially captivating since it begins with chanting that is similar to Gregorian or Christian chants before the whole music unfolds. This is characteristic of the famous singer Sami Yusuf, whose all songs I adore and who I find is a beautiful soul blessed by God. The phrase "The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love" by Meister Eckhart (a Catholic priest, philosopher, and mystic), appears in this powerful Sufi song, which also contains profound poetry about the destruction of the ego. 

In the music video, two points in the music journey are too beautiful:

1. The change of rhythm at 4:06 with the use of the instrument oud followed by flute, santoor, darbuka, and daf.

2. The change of rhythm at 9:43 with the powerful sounds of daf played by the skilled musician.

Jaane kya dhoondta hai...

 

Sharing a song from the musical movie Sur: The Melody of Life (2002), sung by the famous singer Lucky Ali..The lyrics of this song were penned by the famous Indian Urdu poet Nida Fazli and no wonder they are so deeply poetic...

The melodious song can be heard here:

Jaane Kya Dhoonta Hai 4K Video Song | Sur: The Melody Of Life | Lucky Ali, Gauri Karnik | Musical

What I find so touching about this song in particular is that the protagonist in it is incessantly searching for his lover or the Beloved and that pining can be felt in the words of the poetry in the song..I especially like the particular stanza (that starts in the video at 5:01), where the actor sings:

"Bechehra sa koi sapna hai vo 

Kahin nahin hai phir bhi apna hai vo

Aise mere andar shaamil he wo

Main hoon behta dariya sahil hai vo

Hai kahaan vo vo kidar hai raaste kuch to bataa

Koun sa uska nagar hai rehguzar kuch to bataa

Dhundti hain jiskoo nazaren jaane hai vo kidar

Jaane kya dhoondta hai ye mera dil

Tujko kya chahiye zindagi

Jaane kya dhoondta hai ye mera dil

Tujko kya chahie zindagi

 

Soona sa hai mandir murat nahin

Khaali hai aainaa surat nahin

Jeene kaa jeevan mein kaaran to ho

Mehke kaise kaliyaan gulshan to ho

Shamma he jo mujhamen raushan, wo viraasat kisko duun

Dur tak koi nahin he, apni chahat kisko duun

Dhundti hain jiskoo nazaren jaane hai vo kidar

Jaane kya dhoondta hai ye mera dil

Tujko kya chahie zindagi.."

 

I did the English translation of the above lines, here they are:

 

A faceless like a dream

Nowhere to be seen but feels mine

It is within me, such that

I am a flowing sea; he is the shore.

Where is he? Which place is he in?

The roads say something.

Which country is his, and which are his roads?

The one whom the eyes search for— how do I know where he is?

What is my heart searching for?

What do you want, O life?

 

The temple is empty; there is no idol.

The mirror is empty; there is no face.

There must be a reason to live this life.

How can the buds smell unless there is a garden?

the light that burns within me,

that inheritance, who shall I give it?

There is nobody as far as I see.

To whom should I give my love?

The one whom the eyes search for— how do I know where he is?

    What I found very intriguing was that a similar thought is reminiscent in one of the poetries of the renowned Urdu poet Dr. Allama Iqbal. The lines composed by him (see below), especially reverberate the same pathos where the last stanza especially bears striking similarity to the thought of the lyrics of the song above.

The lines by the poet Dr. Iqbal are:

"Main Tere Chand Ki Khaiti Mein Guhar Bota Hun
Chup Ke Insanon Se Manind-e-Sehar Rota Hun

Din Ki Sourish Mein Niklte Huwe Ghabrate Hain
Uzlat-e-Shab Mein Mere Ashk Tapak Jate Hain

Mujh Mein Faryad Jo Pinhan Hai, Sunaon Kis Ko?
Tapish-e-Shauq Ka Nazzara Dikhaon Kis Ko?
(The longing which is hidden inside me, whom should I tell of it,
To whom do I show the scene of my burning desire?)"

(The recitation can be heard here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHdwIQHNpHe/?igsh=NDA1Mnp0cGJqYnRv

    Interestingly, in this song (at 5:32 in the YouTube video), Lucky Ali as he sings "dhoondti hai jisko nazrein jaane hai vo kidhar", he is walking in a cemetery, but as he walks and searches, he is almost so close to the statue of Jesus Christ. I found this particular scene very spiritual, and appears to be conceived in that way perhaps by the one who shot it...As he is searching for his Beloved, little does he realize that God is so near to him and is in fact that Beloved he had been searching all through...This is my interpretation as I could not stop noticing the beautiful synchronicity...

The scene of the singer's lament for the Beloved and the Beloved..

Song of Nostalgia...Kehte hain dil se.....

 

Sharing a song from a movie of the 90s..this song is so nostalgic as I remember listening to it recorded on a cassette back in those days when I was may be 12 or 14 years old, I used to have cassettes back then where I would get my favorite songs recorded and listen to them on the radio..this particular song was also one of them...

The lovely song can be heard here: Khate Hain Kasam Sadhana Sargam, Udit Narayan Prem Aggan 1998 Songs Fardeen Khan, Meghna You

(with the lovely view of the oceanside in the song)

I particularly adore the lyrics, especially where the heroine in the song explains how she would search for her beloved (here the charming hero Fardeen :)) and then in the next stanza, the hero explains how he would search for her...What I found deeply poetic but also it somehow reflects the deep levels of love each has for the other...Perhaps, the love of the hero transcends all and turns divine and spiritual..as he compares the search of love to that of the search for the Beloved/Khuda and the thirst for that spiritual union with the One God....

The lyrics of the dialogue between the hero and the heroine are here:

Heroine:

"Chaahat ki raah mein hum,

Dhoondenge tumko aise

Phulwa ko jaise bhanwara

Aashiq wafa ko jaise..

Hero:

"Hum bhi tumhe bata de…

Dhoondenge tumko kaise

Dariya ko jaise pyaasa

Banda khuda ko jaise.."

And I did the English translation that is as follows:

Heroine:

In the path of love, I

will search for you,

like the bee searches for the blossom,

like the lover searches for love

Hero:

Let me also tell you

how will I search for you...

like the thirsty search for the sea...

like the worshipper for God....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interestingly, another song from the same movie is also very melodious and talks about the longing of love and worth listening to...

Here is the link: Tere Pyar Ki Aag Mein | PREM AGGAN | Fardeen Khan | Meghna Kothari | Feroz Khan | Remastered DTS HD

                                                                       Scene from the song

Its lyrics are very beautiful too, especially the following lines:

"jab ye duniya bani jane kis roop me

pyar hoke raha tha tera mera

jab ye duniya bani jane kis roop me

pyar hoke raha tha tera mera

jane jab or thi jism jab or tha

dil to tab bhi mila tha tera mera....

insan mohabbat ki khatir yaha

kayi roop badlta rahta hai

tere pyar ki aag me mera dil

din rat sulgta rahta hai

malum hua kyu seene se

dhua sa niklta rahta hai...."

A very special and divine song...Elements....

 

Sharing a song that is one of the lesser-known songs of the well-known Indian pop band, "A Band of Boys" of the 90s era...This particular song is not just a regular song, but a sublime deep poetry that revokes the fragrance of the ocean, its breeze, and the scent of longing and finally the meeting of the Beloved....

The song can be heard at this link: Elements (Aayi Ho Jabse)

Shell on the sand covered by the ocean waves | Freestock photos

The lyrics are as follows:

(Note the paragraph of lyrics in red are especially too close to my heart...such a depth of words...)

"Guzre the kitne saawan baadalon ki taak main,

Sookhi padi thi shaakhein berehem dhoop main,

Teri ankhon se jo chalka boondon ka Silsila

 

Chhota sa gul hai khila

Aayi ho jabse tum,

Dil ko mere kya hua

Banjar zameen par jaise

Chhota sa gul khila

 

Reton main dabi hui

Nadiyon ki cheekh ko

Sangam se bichdi trishna

Tarsi jo preet ko,

Saagar ki shokhiyon se

Shankhon ka sur mila

Chhota sa gul khila

 

Jeene ki justajoo

Saawan ki bheeni Khushboo

Sardi ki dhoop ho

Banjar zameen par mere

Chhota sa gul khila..."

Beautiful Shayaris-2

 

Sharing some shayaris selected from the internet by various poets which I find particularly moving and quite deep...

Here are few of them:

1.  The first one literally goes deep in the tarjuma of what shayari is- almost an attempt from an amazing poet...Ahmed Salman...The shayari lines are below:

"jo dikh raha usi ke andar jo andikha hai vo shayari hai

jo keh saka tha vo keh chuka hoon, jo rah gaya hai vo shayari hai

ye shahr saara to roshni men khila pada hai, so kya likhun main

vo door jangal ki jhonpdi men jo ik diya hai, vo shayari hai

tamam dariya jo ek samundar mein gir rahe hain to kya ajab hai

vo ek dariya jo raste men hi rah gaya hai, vo shayari hai...."

And the link of the poet reciting it is:

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHBWZ0rBcUc/?igsh=NXR6Yzdnc2xjenNl

2. Another one whose recitation by the poet is available here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DILF8V9i-GM/?igsh=MWZxeXppN2s5dDYzZg%3D%3D

The actual lines are as follows:

"dekhe huye kisi ko bahut din guzar gaye

is dil ki bebasi ko bahut din guzar gaye

har shab chhaton pe chaand utarta to hai magar,

is ghar mein channdni ko bahut din guzar gaye....

3. This one is short yet is quite true...

"aahista aahista khatam.. hona hi hai

gam ko ya fir..hum ko...."

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VCwY0w6g17M

4. This one by poet Shakeb Jalali is particularly close to me...

"socho to silvaton se bhari hai tamaam rooh

dekho to ik shikan bhi nahin hai libaas mein"

 सोचो तो सिलवटों से भरी है तमाम रूह

देखो तो इक शिकन भी नहीं है लिबास में

-Shakeb Jalali

Beautiful Shayari-1

 

Sharing a couple of  beautiful and heart-touching Shayaris from internet: 

1. Here is the link of its recitation:

टूटना 💔Podcast Shayari #shayari #2linespoetry #urdupoetry #podcastshayari

the lines of the Shayari are as follows from the recitation:

"tootne par koi aaye to fir aise toote,

ke jise dekh ke har dekhne wala toote,

apne bikhre huye tukdon ko samete kab tak,

apne bikhre huye tukdon ko samete kab tak,

ek insaan ki khatir koi kitna toote?....."

2.  Another one, sharing some stanzas which I find especially too deep and beautiful:

"हक़ीक़त दीदा-ए- तर के अलावा भी बहुत कुछ है
समुंदर में समुंदर के अलावा भी बहुत कुछ है...

अब अगली बार आना तो बदन को छोड़ कर आना
मेरे कमरे में बिस्तर के अलावा भी बहुत कुछ है...

ये क्या इक मक़बरे को आख़री हद मान बैठे हो
मुहब्बत संग-ए-मरमर के अलावा भी बहुत कुछ है"

- ज़ुबैर अली ताबिश 

3. Another one- can be heard here at this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGYKMr3pU4u/?igsh=MWhwY2ZieDlsOTFieQ%3D%3D

"kisi ko mohabbat ho na kisi ke saath 

hota mushqil hai 

bada mushqil hai..

mohabbat ki kahani likhna

jaise pani par.. pani se.. pani likhna...

mohabbat dard deti hai,

mohabbat jaan leti hai,

mohabbat naam e zindagi hai,

magar imtehaan leti hai

mohabbat to hoti

apni tabiyat aur fitrat hai,

mohabbat zid nahi karti,

mohabbat maan leti hai."