Not On Memories

Not solely on memories as you say
But on memories and each other to fill our days
Not to grow old slow and alone until over is our stay
But to together see the seasons turn back to whence they came
Not by cursing the empty luck that takes us our separate ways
But by basking in the destiny that crises-crosses our paths again and again
Not for losing hope of seeing one another and just walking away
But for trusting in the magic that always ensures we meet each other half way

So it seems

So it seems it really isn't possible for some things to come about,
it suddenly seems that anything is possible could just be a slogan you shout,

So I ask do we get old because despite bleeding every time we fail to chain our dreams the next time around,
Or do we age because we've used fetters so heavy they cost us life but save us pain and self doubt,

So they wished me well by insisting I don't count the chickens before they come out,
but isn't half hearted love like the hat from which the rabbit is pulled out,

So I was asked why I was given a heart so stout,
Now I know it is so because it must last a lifetime of rout,

So I have decided that from this eternal test I will not bow out,
if God could make a beautiful flower once then surely he could make it again is my prayer devout.

Dastangoi Perfomance - Dastan e Chouboli

My Recording of a Dastangoi Performance of Dastan e Chouboli

I had the good fortune of attending a very entertaining and engaging Dastangoi performance of  Shri Vijaydan Detha's Rajasthani folk tale: Dastan e Chouboli in Feb 2012. The performers were Danish Husain and Mahmood Farooqui and the performance was held at Epicentre, Gurgaon.

I had decided to shot this performance as my first-ever video. Apart from the learning I gained in shooting and editing I also gained hand on experience with concurrent sound recording (a tough job indeed).

Camera: Nikon D7000

Quality: Full HD 1080 29fps

Run Time: 68 minutes+

Mic: Shortgun mic mounted on camera body

This performance is based on a great Rajasthani folk tale by Shri Vijaydan Detha. You can learn more about Princess Chouboli and her vow of silence here at Katha's website which have published a fantastic cloth bound two volume translation of the Chouboli stories.

I love stories and Dastangoi is a great traditional Indian form of story telling. Other than the traditional Dastangoi tales, these days one can see Dastangoi performances based on modern themes as well.

You can read more about the great Dastangoi art tradition here at the Dastangoi blog and at the Facebook page to keep updated about Dastangoi events you may like to attend.

This reminds me I should start reading that copy of Bagh O Bahar I've had with me since the beginning of time...

Everything

Everything I want to write has already been written
Every scene I want to scribe has already been put on the easel
Every hint of an emotion I want to feel has already been experienced
Everything I want to hold back has already been left unsaid

sometimes

Sometimes…
I say cheese when I want to say salt,
Or ask you to run when I want you to halt,
I wave goodbye when I want you to talk,
Or push you away when I want you a lot

To forget I write

To forget I write,
The more I write the more images become sharp,
The more images become sharp the more they cut through my heart,
The more my heart bleeds the more alive I be,
The more alive I feel the more I want thee,
The more I want thee the more it pains to not have you near me,
The more it pains the more I want to forget,
To forget I write

and maybe one day

and maybe one day

you will  just talk
and i will just watch


you will tell me of life
and i will live what you describe



you will use your words to help me rest to massage me
and i will roll in them to remove my burden from me


you will speak with happiness gesturing from your eyes sitting on the bed
and i will sleep listening to you with your lap under my head


you will touch my cheek and run your fingers through my hair
and i will slip deeper into slumber knowing you are there


you will unflurl your memories and take me to your childhood
and i will lie in them and dream of enjoying all that you could


you will ask if i am to go to be somewhere else to do something
and i will reply that just lying with you when you speak  is the only thing
 

and maybe one day

you will  just talk
and i will just watch

Umrao Jaan - 1981 - Yeh Kya Jageh Hai Doston - Urdu + English LYRICS

Umrao Jaan - Yeh Kya Jageh Hai Doston Lyrics

Lyrics - Akhlaq Muhammad Khan "Shahryar"

Music - Muhammad Zahur Hashmi "Khayyam"
Singer - Asha Bhonsle

امراو جان ادا - یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کون سا دیار ہے ، یہ کون سا دیار ہے

حدّ نگاہ تک جہاں،

حدَّ نگاہ تک جہاں، غبار ہی غبار ہے

غبار ہی غبار ہے

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کس مقام پر حیاّت

یہ کس مقام پر حیاّت ،

مجھ کو لے کے آ گیٔ

مجھ کو لے کے آ گیٔ

نا بس خوشی پے ہے جہاں

نا بس خوشی پے ہے جہاں ،

نا غم پے اختیار ہے

نا غم پے اختیار ہے

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کون سا دیار ہے ، یہ کون سا دیار ہے

تمام عمر کا حساب

تمام عمر کا حساب،

مانگتی ہے زندگی

مانگتی ہے زندگی

یہ میرا دل کہے تو کیا

یہ میرا دل کہے تو کیا،

کہ خد سے شرمسار ہے

کہ خد سے شرمسار ہے

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کون سا دیار ہے ،

یہ کون سا دیار ہے

بلا رہا ہے کون

بلا رہا ہے کون مجھ کو چلمنو کے اس طرف

میرے لۓ بھی کیا کیٔ

میرے لۓ بھی کیا کی اداس بقرار ہے

اداس بےقرار ہے

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

یہ کون سا دیار ہے

حدَّ نگاہ تک جہاں، غبار ہی غبار ہے

غبار ہی غبار ہے

یہ کیا جگہ ہے دوستوں

Transliteration and Translation of Lyrics of Umrao Jaan - Yeh Kya Jageh Hai Doston in English

Yeh kya jageh hai doston - What place is this my friends?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai - Which realm is this?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai -

Hadd-e-nigaah tak jahan - For as far as the eyes can see

Hadd-e-nigaah tak jahan -

Ghubaar hi ghubaar hai - there are only dust storms for me

Ghubaar hi ghubaar hai -

Yeh kya jageh hai doston - What place is this my friends?

Yeh kis maqaam par hayaat - Which is this stage?

Yeh kis maqaam par hayaat -

Mujh ko le ke aagayee - where has life brought me?

Mujh ko le ke aagayee -

Naa bas khushee pe hai jahan - Where I have no control over my happiness

Naa bas khushee pe hai jahan -

Naa gham pe ikhtiyaar hai - and nor can I command my despair

Naa gham pe ikhtiyaar hai -

Yeh kya jageh hai doston - What place is this my friends?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai - Which realm is this?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai -

Tamaam umar ka hisaab - An account of each step

Tamaam umar ka hisaab -

Mangati hai zindagee - is demanded by life

Mangati hai zindagee -

Yeh mera dil kahe to kya - How can my poor heart explain my deeds?

Yeh mera dil kahe to kya -

Ke khud se sharmsaar hai - it is engulfed in its own shame

Ke khud se sharmsaar hai -

Yeh kya jageh hai doston - What place is this my friends?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai - Which realm is this?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai -

Bulaa rahaa hai kaun - Who is calling out to me?

Bulaa rahaa hai kaun mujh ko -

chilmano ke us taraf - from behind the curtains?

Mere liye bhi kya koi - Is there one assigned to me?

Mere liye bhi kya koi -

Udaas bey qaraar hai - to miss me, to impatiently await me?

Udaas bey qaraar hai -

Yeh kya jageh hai doston - What place is this my friends?

Yeh kaun sa dyaar hai - Which realm is this?

Hadd-e-nigaah tak jahan - For as far as the eyes can see

Ghubaar hi ghubaar hai - there are only dust storms for me

Ghubaar hi ghubaar hai -

Yeh kya jageh hai doston - What place is this my friends?

This song is just so perfect.

Just how I felt on a particular day

my my what a magnificent game you've played,

now you are the victor but earlier you were the bait



. And here is the rest of it.

Khawaja Mere Khawaja - Correct Lyrics - English and Urdu with meaning

Here are the CORRECT lyrics to Khawaja Mere Khawaja from Jodhaa Akbar.

To read an extensive review of Jodhaa Akbar and also about some of the historical aspects click here

Most of the lyrics available online for Khawaja Mere Khawaja are wrong. Atleast that's what I feel. Without talking more about them I present what I think are the correct lyrics in Urdu, transliterated English along with the basic meaning. I have also given the basic meaning of certain Sufi terms used in this song.

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Transliterated English (with meaning of Khawaja Mere Khawaja)

Khawaja Ji - exalted Khawaja

Khawaja Ji x 2

Ya Ghareeb Nawaz - O benefactor of the Poor (also the most popular epitaph of Hzrt Mo'een Ud Deen Chisti)

Ya Ghareeb Nawaz x 2

Ya Mo'een Ud Deen x 2

Ya Khawaja Ji x 4

Khawaja Mere Khawaja - Oh my khwaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja - reside in my heart

Shahon Ka Shah Tu - you are the king of kings

Ali ka Dulara - dearest of Ali

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja

Shahon Ka Shah Tu

Ali ka Dulara

Khawaja Mere Khawaja, Dil Mein Sama Ja x 2

Beqason Ki Taqdeer- the fate of the unfortunate

Tune Hai Sawaaree - has been restored by you

Beqason Ki Taqdeer, Tune Hai Sawaaree

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Tere Darbar Mein Khawaja- in your court O Khawaja

Noor To Hai Dekhaa - shines the eternal light

Tere Darbar Mein Khawaja - in your court O Khawaja

Sar Jhukatein Hain Auliya - even the nearest to God bow down

Tu Hain Himal* Wali Khawaja - you are the carrier of those nearest to God

Rutaba Hai Pyaraa - your rank is most craved

Chaahane Se Tujhe Ko Khawaja Ji - desiring you is the path

Mustafa Ko Paya - to attaining perfect humanity (Prophet Muhammad)

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja

Shahon Ka Shah Tu

Ali ka Dulara

Mere Pir Ka Sadaqa x 2 - my master's charity

Hai Mere Pir Ka Sadaqa- it is my master's charity

Tera Daaman Hai Thama - i clutch the hem of your robe

Khawaja Ji Talee Har Bala Humaree- our miseries have disappeared

Chhayaa Hai Kumaar Tera - your beneficence wraps all

Jitna Bhi Rashk Karen Be Shak To Kam Hai Mere Khawja - no matter how much jealously your blessings on me may create in others it does not matter

Tere Qadamon Ko Mere Rehnuma Nahin Chhodna Gavara – i cannot fathom abandoning your presence

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja

Shahon Ka Shah Tu

Ali ka Dulara

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja

Shahon Ka Shah Tu

Ali ka Dulara

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja

Khawaja Mere Khawaja Dil Mein Sama Ja

Beqason Ki Taqdeer, Tune Hai Sawaaree x 2

Khawaja Mere Khawaja

Dil Mein Sama Ja

Shahon Ka Shah Tu

Ali ka Dulara Khawaja Ji …

*Himal– this word maybe “Unal” or maybe “Himal” or maybe "Hinal" or maybe even something else. It is difficult to ascertain right now.

The following terms / concepts have special import in the Sufi lexicon (Tasawwuf). Please keep in mind that these are very basic, and in some sense simplistic, definitions.

1. Khawaja – A special exalted Sufi master who has attained a very high level in the Sufi heirarchy. Usually a term associated with the founder of a Sufi order and his nominated successors. Eg- Khawaja Mo’een Ud Deen Chisti Ghareeb Nawaz, Khawaja Nizam Ud Deen Auliya Mehboob Illahi, Khawaja Salim Chisti.

2. Sama – Although here “Sama” is the imperative form of the Hindi / Urdu verb “Sama Jana” which means to occupy or reside in something, there is another association which I can establish with the inclusion of this word in the lyrics. Sama is also the word for the mystic trance sessions which Sufis all through the world partake in as a means of coming closer to God. It comes from the Arabic word Sama’ which means sound and these Sama sessions always have music and songs such as Manqabats and Qawalis in them. The lyricist for Khawaja Mere Khawaja may or may not have worked on this line of thought but I do construe a secondary meaning to “Sama” in the song.

3. Ali – Cousin and Son in Law of Prophet Muhammad. Almost all the Sufi Khawajas trace their roots back to Ali and through him to Prophet Muhammad. Khawaja Hazrat Mo’een Ud Deen Chisti has a double relationship with Ali, through two of Ali’s sons: Hasan and Husain.

4. Noor – This is a very important Sufi term. It goes much beyond the concept of physical ‘light’. This is more akin to spiritual light passed on from God to Muhammad to Ali and thence to the various Khawajas who trace their lineage back to Ali.

5. Auliya – Auliya is short for Wali Allah ie Friend of God, a higher Sufi rank.

6. Mustafa – This is another name for Prophet Muhammad and can often be found in Sufi and Islamic devotional poetry.

7. Pir - An exalted Sufi, dervish, mystic, saint, babaji generally.

I could be wrong about many things and I would like to know if I am.

Just a little something I would like to add about this song. I think it's a type of Manqabat i Khawaja. Traditionally Sufi Sama' and Qawwali programs have had a sort of warrant of precedence which starts with a Hamad (praise to God), then Na't (praise for the Prophet Muhammad), then Manqabat (praise for Ali) and then Manqabat i Khwaja (praise for the founder of the concerned sufi order). In this case the founder of the Chistiya order in Hindustan being Hazrat Khawaja Mo'een Ud Deen Chisti, the Manqabat is for him and one can hear him being addressed as "Ghareeb Nawaz" (a very very popular epitaph of Hazrat Khawaja Mo'een Ud Deen Chisti). Another very popular epitaph is "Mehbob i Illahi" for Hazart Nizam Ud Deen Auliya one of the greatest Pirs of the Chistiya order.

Here are the lyrics of Khawaja Mere Khawaja in Urdu:

(if you would like the lyrics in a word document then please email me at harkabirblogs@gmail.com and I will email them to you)

To know more about Sufism and the Sufi Lexicon:

1. Wikipedia
2. Inayat Khan's views on Sufism
3. University of Gerogian - lots of explanations and definations

To know more about Jodhaa Akbar click here