Private Opinion

Jagjit Singh: Kahkashan Part One

A lot of music connoisseurs consider Kahkashan to be Jagjit Singh’s finest album. Kahkashan was a TV serial telecasted on Doordarshan in the early 90s and was based on the lives of famous Urdu poets including Hasrat Mohani, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Jigar Moradabadi among others. It was produced by none other than Ali Sardar Jafri and was directed by Jalal Agha. Apart from Jagjit Singh there are numbers sung by Vinod Sehgal, Chitra Singh, Ram Kumar, Asha Bhosale and Kumar Sanu. To the frustration of Urdu lovers this album is not available on the net in its complete form. Starting with this post I will try to post the entire album along with the lyrics. Here goes the first six compositions.

Each one of these songs is amazing and worth listening to. I don’t know the author of the beautiful couplet in the title music and any information regarding that will be highly appreciated. The Ghazal ab to uTh saktaa nahiiN is a window into the beautiful world of Hasrat’s poetry. The zamiin of the Ghazal is really difficult baar-e-intizaar, bahaar-e-intizaar et al but he has plucked beautiful roses from a rocky garden. I especially like this couplet and the usage of kaarobaar-e-intizaar.

unke Khat kii aarzuu hai, unkii aamad kaa Khayaal
kis qadar pailaa hu’aa hai kaarobaar-e-intizaar

Josh’s nazm ae Malihabad ke rangiiN gulsitaaN alvidaa is a hauntingly poignant nazm and has been done justice by Jagjit’s sombre rendition. Josh Malihabadi, as we all know didn’t really want to migrate to Pakistan but circumstances eventually forced him to do. He died a broken man in Pakistan. This nazm has really touched a raw nerve in me as I sit here thousands of miles away from Lucknow writing this post. Josh talks about things in Malihabad that he will miss out and most of them are unique to his homeland like the mango groves, the ground of Amani Ganj and the shade of babuul. In the end hopes to be buried in his homeland but it was not to be.

Josh’s other nazm ae vatan mere vatan is another beautiful piece of poetry representing the pain of migration which millions of people experienced after the partition. Then there are two Ghazals by Jigar Moradabadi. Personally I find Jigar’s poetry a celebration of beauty which is pristine and pure. Vinod Sehgal has sung both the Ghazals adequately.

Enough rambling. Please feel free to point out mistakes in the lyrics and in the meanings.

1.) Title Music

hamdam yahii hai rahguzar-e-yaar-e-khushkhiraam
guzre haiN laakh baar isii kahkashaaN se ham

(hamdam : companion; rahguzar-e-yaar-e-khushkhiraam : pathway of the joyous and graceful gait of the beloved; kahkashaaN : galaxy)

Lyrics: Majaz Lucknawi (Thanks Alok)
Singer: Chorus

2.) Ab To Uth Sakta Nahin

ab to uTh saktaa nahiiN aankhoN se baar-e-intizaar
kis tarah kaaTe ko’ii lail-o-nahaar-e-intizaar

(baar-e-intizaar : burden of waiting; lail-o-nahaar-e-intizaar : the night and days of waiting)

unkii ulfat kaa yaqiiN ho unke aane kii ummiid
hoN ye dono suuraten tab hai bahaar-e-intizaar

(ulfat : love; suuraten : conditions; bahaar-e-intizaar : the spring of waiting)

merii aaheN naa-rasaa, merii duaaeN naa-qubuul
yaa ilaahii kyaa karuuN maiN sharmsaar-e-intizaar

(aaheN : sighs; naa-rasaa : without sight; naa-qubuul : unacceptable; sharmsaar-e-intizaar : ashamed of waiting)

unke Khat kii aarzuu hai, unkii aamad kaa Khayaal
kis qadar pailaa hu’aa hai kaarobaar-e-intizaar

(aarzuu : desire; aamad : arrival; kaarobaar-e-intizaar : business of waiting)

Lyrics: Hasrat Mohani
Singer: Chitra Singh

3.) Ae Malihabad Ke Rangeen Gulistan

ae Malihabad ke rangiiN gulsitaaN alvidaa
alvidaa ae sarzamiin-e-subh-e-KhandaaN alvidaa
alvidaa ae kishvar-e-sher-o-shabistaaN alvidaa
alvidaa ae jalvaa-gaah-e-husn-e-jaanaaN alvidaa
tere ghar se aik zindaa laash uTh jaane ko hai
aa gale mil le ke aavaaz-e-jaras aane ko hai

(gulsitaaN : garden; alvidaa : adieu; sarzamiin-e-subh-e-KhandaaN : land of morning laughter; kishvar-e-sher-o-shabistaaN : land of poetry and ?; jalvaa-gaah-e-husn-e-jaanaaN : house of splendour and beauty of the beloved)

haaye kyaa kyaa nemateN mujhko milii thii be-bahaa
ye khamoshii ye khule maidaan ye ThanDii havaa
vaaye ye jaaNbaKsh bustaaN haaye ye rangiin fazaa
mar ke bhii inko na bhuulegaa dil-e-dard-aashnaa
mast koyal jab dakkan ki vaadiyoN meN gaayegii
ye subuk chaaNv babuloN kii bahut yaad aayegii

(nemateN : blessings; be-bahaa : ?; jaaNbaKsh bustaaN : ?; dil-e-dard-aashnaa : heart acquainted with pain; dakkan : alluding to Karachi; subuk : delicate)

kal se kaun is baaGh ko rangiiN banaane aayegaa
kaun phuulon ki haNsii par muskuraane aayegaa
kaun is sabze ko sote se jagaane aayegaa
kaun in paudhoN ko siine se lagaane aayegaa
kaun jaagega qamar ke naaz uThaane ke liye
chaandni raatoN ko zaanoN par sulaane ke liye

(sabzaa : plant; qamar : moon; zaanoN : on thighs)

aam ke baagoN meN jab barsaat hogi purKharosh
meri furqat meN lahuu royegii chasm-e-mai-farosh
ras kii buuNde jab uRaa deNgii gulsitaanoN ke hosh
unj-e-rangiineN pukaareNgii havaae Josh Josh
sun ke meraa naam mausam Gham-zadaa ho jaayegaa
ek mahshar saa gulsitaaN meiN bapaa ho jaayegaa

(purKharosh : passionate; furqat : separation; chasm-e-mai-farosh : sight looking for wine; unj-e-rangiineN : ?; mahshar : day of judgement)

aa gale mil le Khudaa haafiz gulsitaan-e-vatan
ae Amani Ganj ke maidaan ae jaan-e-vatan
alvidaa ai laalazaar-o-sumbulistaan-e-vatan
as salaam ae sohbat-e-rangiin-e-yaaraaN-e-vatan
hashr tak rahne na denaa tum dakkan ki Khaak meN
dafn karnaa apne shaayar ko vatan kii Khaak meN

(gulsitaan-e-vatan : garden of the native country; laalazaar-o-sumbulistaan-e-vatan : tulips and musks of the native country; sohbat-e-rangiin-e-yaaraaN-e-vatan : colorful company of the friends in the native country; hashr : day of judgement; dafn : bury)

Lyrics: Josh Malihabadi
Singer: Jagjit Singh

4.) Ae Watan Mere Watan

ae vatan mere vatan ruuh-e-ravaan-e-ahraar
ae ke zarroN meN tere buu-e-chaman rang-e-bahaar
rez-e-almaas ke tere khaso-Khaashaaq meN hai
haDDiyaaN apne buzurgoN kii terii Khaak meN hai
tujhse muuNh moR ke muuNh apnaa dikhaayeNge kahaaN
ghar jo choReNge to phir chaavnii chaayeNge kahaaN
bazm-e-aGhyaar meN aaraam ye paayeNge kahaaN
tujhse ham ruTh ke jaayeNge to jaayeNge kahaaN

(ruuh-e-ravaan-e-ahraar : ?; zarroN : dust particles; buu-e-chaman : smell of the garden; rang-e-bahaar : colors of the spring; rez-e-almaas : piece of diamond; khaso-Khaashaaq : ?; chaavnii : camp; bazm-e-aGhyaar : gathering of the strangers)

Lyrics: Josh Malihabadi
Singer: Jagjit Singh

5.) Agar Na Zohrajabeeno Ke

agar na zohraa-jabiinoN ke darmiyaaN guzre
to phir ye kaise kaTe zindagii kahaaN guzre

(zohraa-jabiinoN : ones with beautiful foreheads)

mujhe ye vahm rahaa muddatoN ke jurrat-e-shauq
kahiiN na khaatir-e-maasuum par giraaN guzre

(vahm : doubt; jurrat-e-shauq : audacity of desire; khaatir-e-maasuum : sake of the innocence; giraaN : unpleasent)

Khataa muaaf zamaane se badgumaaN hokar
terii vafaa pe bhii kyaa kyaa hameN gumaaN guzre

(badgumaaN : distrust; vafaa : fidelity; gumaaN : doubts)

mujhe tha shikvaa-e-hijraaN ke ye hu’aa mehsuus
mere qariib se hokar vo naagahaaN guzre

(shikvaa-e-hijraaN : complaint of separation; naagahaaN : accidentally)

Lyrics: Jigar Moradabadi
Singer: Vinod Sehgal

6.) Bangal Ki Main Sham-O-Saher

bangaal kii maiN shaam-o-saher dekh rahaa huuN
har chand ke huuN duur magar dekh rahaa huun

(bangaal : Bengal; shaam-o-saher : dawn and the dusk)

iflaas kii maarii hu’ii maKhluuk sar-e-raah
be-gor-o-kafan Khaak basar dekh rahaa huun

(iflaas : poverty; maKhluuk : mankind; be-gor-o-kafan : without grave and shroud)

insaan ke hote hu’e insaan kaa ye hashr
dekhaa nahiiN jaataa hai magar dekh rahaa huuN

rahmat kaa chamakne ko hai phir nayyar-e-taabaaN
hone ko hai is shab kii saher dekh rahaa huuN

(nayyar-e-taabaaN : a bright Sun)

Lyrics: Jigar Moradabadi
Singer: Vinod Sehgal

Here are the other parts: Two, Three, Four.