phir se udd chala !!!!

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases;

it will never pass into nothingness: -

John Keats

I get reminded of this timeless poem every time I experience something beautiful.
And here I am referring to the movie Rockstar and more specifically its music.I loved the movie and its music even more.For me and millions others....music of this movie is one such beautiful gift....and probably what the great poet is referring too. The more I listen to it, its loveliness certainly increases for me.
Everything about this album is brilliant. It's a quintessential example of a masterpiece created by a collaboration of five creative people performing with their heart and soul and creating the best with their art in the process.
Great direction by Imtiaz Ali, outstanding melodies by AR Rehman, very soulful lyrics by Irshaad kamil, beautiful voice of Mohit Chauhan and phenomenal portrayal of the character by Ranbir Kapoor.
Every time I hear the songs from this movie, I am totally captivated,mesmerized and struck by the soulful music with lyrics that are simple and yet so deeply philosophical and spiritual. One of my favorite songs from the album is 'phir se udd chala'. The timing of this song in the movie and its picturization could not have been better. And I absolutely love the music and lyrics of this song. There has been a strong urge in me to share how I feel about the entire album.But today, as I was listening and watching this song, I was pleasantly surprised by how equally beautiful the translation of this song is ( and for that matter every song of the album). Often times the meaning is lost in the translation but in this case I believe it's as beautiful and as truthful as its in original conception language Hindi/Urdu .
I feel the translation in this case has been able to stand tall against a quote by the legendary lyricist/ poet Gulzar :
"A translation is like a mistress; if its beautiful, its not faithful; if its faithful, its not beautiful."

Here is the translation of the song- phir se udd chala. Decide for yourself ......

I have taken flight again
I have let go off the world below
And I submit myself to you, o wind!
Now people are far away
Miles away are these valleys
Slowly each cloud comes to touch my body
But no cloud is able to drench me
Never stopped at any place
Never even met myself
I may complain but upset I am not
Cities and villages appear the same
People and their names all seem the same

I have taken flight again
Dreams like dust reappear in my eyes
No matter how much I brush them away
So many dreams I have broken and left behind
Yet why do they return and take me away on their wings
Over branches and leaves
By my side they travel door to door
Sometimes desert, sometimes rain
Like a demon, I die a thousand times

Over branches and leaves
Sometimes day is night, sometimes day is day
What is reality, what is illusion
O Almighty- O Almighty
Here and there and scattered who knows
May be breeze will take me in your direction
Your thoughts pull me towards you
I keep flying in these colorful illusions
Keep flying
I keep flying in these colorful illusion
Keep flying.......

That's beauty of words and I LOVE it :-)

Post by Guest Author- Shaista Shireen

And the Mountains Echoed-Book Review by Shaista Shireen

“They tell me I must wade into waters, where I will soon drown. Before I march in, I leave this on the shore for you. I pray you find it, sister, so you will know what was in my heart as I went under.”

Every so often a book comes around that rocks you to your core. It makes you cry, laugh, think, feel , hope and dream so intensely that when it is over you feel adrift.'And the Mountains Echoed' is one of those books and the powerful messages of hope and connection the concluding scenes evoke, had me reduced to uncontrollable stream of tears. How can I find another like this, a book as good, a book as well written, a book that has expressed a gamut of human emotions so effortlessly. Sometimes its months or years before I find one.Like always Khaled Hossein had me emotionally drenched with his moving story.He is such an incredibly talented writer one who creates memorable and real characters and the story is impeccably woven together with extreme ingenuity. I wonder how he is able to do it so brillianlty every time .....where the story is always set in pre war Afganistan and yet he takes you for a journey and charmingly sweeps you off your feet with his poignant characters and their life stories moulded by war or destiney. His last book ' A thousand splendid suns', is phenomenal and powerful and I loved it and I remember myself in the same delirious state as I am now. But I sense for most people And the mountains...could not achieve the standard that Hosseini has set for himself. But for me personally, its like choosing b/w two close friends as to who I like better,which is so not fair.I guess on some level, I have come to love and appreciate the broader range of characters with different backgrounds that he has chosen and also what they bring to the story.IMHO, he is able to portray quite eloquently all shades of human character....brimming with unique traits,hopes,dreams,weaknesses,pain, anguish,trials and tribulations. Can't wait for his next book!



 

Blog Post by Guest Author

And Justice Prevails……

It was something different about Friday, the 13th this month. The country was expecting not one but two very important decisions which would change the future of the country over the coming few years. As the day began, I was tuned to the news channels giving redundant information to kill the time till the decision was made either in room 304 of the Saket court or at 11, Ashok Road, New Delhi. While both the announcements, death penalty to 16 December gang rape accused and declaring Narendra Modi as PM candidate for 2014 elections seem to exuberate a message of a promising future; I believe the decision made in court had a deeper meaning for me as a woman.

            I am sure every woman of this country was waiting eagerly to know the court’s decision on this “rarest of the rare” case. It seems like the wish I made in my last blog post has come true. The judicial system of my country has proved that perverts who dare to touch me or my loved ones will not be spared. Whether this decision will be a deterrent for crimes in future is not something which can be guaranteed but believe me, any pervert thinking about any heinous deed will think about this decision at least once. To totally discourage them is a monumental task and it begins will reporting of such incidents. Other than the news of rapes and assaults, what hurts me most is the reaction of police and sometimes even families towards the victim. Some incidents of police harassing the victims gone to report a case is so disturbing. And a change in the mindset of our families is the need of the hour.   Just imagine if Nirbhaya’s parents’ had avoided making a complaint and sat at home grieving, the six monsters would be roaming free in the society and another clueless girl would have become a victim of a more heinous crime than this one.

            This decision will not make the society safer all of a sudden but I optimistically consider it a good beginning. Mumbai police has done a commendable job of grabbing all those accused in 48 hours in the gang rape of the photojournalist. Now it will be another case where the judiciary has to act fast and ensure that justice prevails……

Lady, You're Not a Man! : The Adventures of a Woman at Work

Book Title: Lady, You're Not a Man! : The Adventures of a Woman at Work

Authored By: Apurva Purohit

Publisher: Rupa Publications India (2013) 

Usually, the preaching or the “how to” genre is not something I pick up to read. I don’t like people giving readymade solutions for challenges and problemsat work, home, love, parenting or anything else. But I somehow thought it would be interesting to hear what a seasoned professional like Apurva Purohit has to say about women at work. And I am glad it was not a mistake. Every working woman will relate herself to this book at some point in her life. And every man around the working women will be glad to know that the author has given them credit wherever due. In spite of the subtly preaching tone, the author keeps the reader interested by narrating relevant real life and fictitious situations/characters. The book has a nice flow where the author gives a matter of fact account of what can’t be changed and hence proves her point that adapting rather than sulking would be a smarter choice. I also liked the author’s attempt to emphasize that raising a child is a joint responsibility of the family, especially the husband. It is also commendable that author has the author has considered social issues like unavailability of toilets for women at work places and more personal challenges like conventional expectations of parents and in laws from young working women.


                                                                   

            However, as you move towards the end of the book, you get a feeling that the author has been exceptionally lucky in terms of having a supporting husband/family, an extremely fair treatment at work, a supportive bosses and colleagues to work with and no major hiccups towards her 20 year long career. I personally believe that when it comes to a career/home balance, things are much more complicated for women not only in India but everywhere. But nevertheless, ‘Lady, You’re not a man!’ makes a good read and you will find yourself actually laughing out loud at certain instances.

Laughter of a Murderer

There is an eerie sound echoing in my ears since yesterday. I just realized what it is. It is an arrogant, brazen laughter of a murderer, a rapist who has been sentenced to ONLY 3 years in a correction home for raping and brutally murdering a 23- year old.