What is your favorite Hindi song?

If I asked you about your favorite Hindi song, what would you reply? That could be a very tough question because there are so many songs--thousands of them and you might like so many at the same time. I liked 'O Saathi re' when I was a child and I also liked 'Mere sapno ki raani kab aayegi tu' but I think the song that takes the cake is 'Yeh Jeevan Hai, Is Jeevan Ka Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Roop' [This is Life, This Is How It Is, How It Is, Our Life]. This song was sung by the great Kishore Kumar and is from the Hindi movie, Piya ka Ghar (1972)--a pretty old movie but the lyrics are forever young. You can easily get the lyrics by doing an online search for the song.

Yeh Jeevan Hai, Is Jeevan Ka
Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai Rungroop
Thode Ghum Hain, Thodi Khushiyan
[There are some pains, some joys]
Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai - Yahi Hai Chaon Dhoop
[This is it, this is it--the peace and hassle]

Simply wonderful. For those of you, who know Hindi, you must read it and listen to it and those
who don't know Hindi, you can always find a translation. Or you can always find a translator
like me to help you out. :) Translation is really a fun activity.

Hindi Song- Urvashi Urvashi-English Translation

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Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi

Film: Humse Hai Muqabla

Music: A R Rahman

Lyrics: P K Mishra

Singer (s): A R Rahman, Noel James, Shankar Mahadevan

Starring: Prabhu Deva

English Translation by Roomy Naqvy © translator

(Rahman:)

Merhaba¹
Merhaba Merhaba, Merhaba Merhaba,
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
Slim like reed, she don’t need pharmacy
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
Slim like reed, she don’t need pharmacy

Secret of winning, take it easy policy
Few days’ sheer bliss. This youth’s a fantasy
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi

(Mahadevan:)
In Hindi, don’t you know

In love, how many letters?

For me, my sake, for my sake,

Of love, utter, utter those two letters

(Mahadevan/James:)
Secret of winning, take it easy policy
Few days’ sheer bliss. This youth’s a fantasy

(Rahman:)
Power went off during Chitrahar²
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
Studied hard but still failed
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
Dad said, Mom’s enemy!
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
Commit sins, cleanse them away
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi

(Mahadevan:)
Do you know thousands of arteries in the body
Tell me, where’s that artery of love

(Mahadevan/James:)
Secret of winning, take it easy policy
Few days’ sheer bliss. This youth’s a fantasy

If eyes meet, sculptures don’t crack
Cats aren’t veggies, everyone’s not a saint
Women won’t have good deal without revolt
Hey, the times’ve changed, old things won’t do

(Rahman:)
She didn’t come for the movie
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
If there’s an old hag on the next seat
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
If there’s no respite even on Sundays

take it easy policy
(Mahadevan/James:)
She would make love, and ask for cash
take it easy policy

(Rahman:)
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
Slim like reed, she don’t need pharmacy

Secret of winning, take it easy policy
Few days’ sheer bliss. This youth’s a fantasy

(Mahadevan/James:)
If I winked at a girl in the dark, what would happen?
If there’s no freedom, why have heavens?
What’s the fun of studying if there’s no figure in the class?
If you act at sixty, what you should at twenty, what would happen?

1 Merhaba means hi, hello, welcome

2 Chirahar used to be a popular song based program on national television.

Diploma in Translation Students: Text for Project: Hindi Song--Urvashi Urvashi

When I started teaching the new batch of students for the Diploma in Translation Proficiency in 2007-08, I gave them a series of texts to be translated by the first week of December to be submitted as project work. These texts were given in the first lecture. I took a lot of time in selecting the texts. One of the texts that I gave to the students was a song from a Hindi movie. The song is reproduced below and in the next post, I'll put in my translation for all of you to compare. Also, those who do not know Hindi would be able to benefit from the English. When I showed this song to someone I knew, this friend of mine scolded me and said, 'You should have put in something more serious'. The song is from the movie, Humse Hai Muqabla [Let's Have a Contest]. The movie was originally made in Tamil and later remade in Hindi. The movie was called Kadhalan in Tamil. The lyrics are by P. K. Mishra and I have seen people criticize some of his lyrics. As a person steeped in literary matters, I wouldn't ever castigate a creative work.

I like the song and it is funky in nature. There's something else that I like in the song--its message. Even though the song looks like a funky song, it has a clear message-- 'take it easy policy'. The main idea is not to feel tense in any given situation. Isn't that a wonderful thing in a song that seems non-serious?

The music is by A. R. Rahman, who is known for fusion music and this song is a good example of it. The song is actually interspersed with English words. Sadly, I won't be able to upload the song here as that would be an infringement of copyright but I am sure it would be a treat for anyone to listen to it. If you want to hear the song digitally, you can always take out a trial membership to E-Music. The names of the singers are present in the brackets.

The music composer A. R. Rahman is himself a great phenomenon. His full name is Allah Rakha Rahman and he was born as A. S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1967. I'll try to put in more detailed information on him in a later blog.

Right now, do enjoy the music.

Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
Film: Humse Hai Muqabla
Music: A R Rahman
Lyrics: P K Mishra
Singer (s): A R Rahman, Noel James, Shankar Mahadevan
Starring: Prabhu Deva

(Rahman:)
मरहबा
मरहबा मरहबा, मरहबा मरहबा
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
उँगली जैसी दुबली को, नहीं चाहिए फ़ार्मसी
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
उँगली जैसी दुबली को, नहीं चाहिए फ़ार्मसी

जीत का मन्त्र है, take it easy policy
चार दिनकी, चाँदनी। यह जवानी fantasy
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi

(Mahadevan:)
जानती हो हिन्दी में प्यार के कितने अक्षर?
बोल दो मेरी खातिर, प्यार के दो ही अक्षर

(Mahadevan/James:)
जीत का मन्त्र है, take it easy policy
चार दिनकी, चाँदनी। यह जवानी fantasy

(Rahman:)
चित्रहार में बिजली उड़ गई
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
पढ़ने पर भी फ़ेल हो गये
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
बाप ने बोला, अम्मा का दुश्मन
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
पाप करे, और गंगा नहाए
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi

(Mahadevan:)
जानती हो इतना तो, बदन में लाखों नाड़ी
बता दो मुझको इतना, कहाँ है प्यार की नाड़ी

(Mahadevan/James:)
जीत का मन्त्र है, take it easy policy
चार दिनकी, चाँदनी। यह जवानी fantasy

नज़र के मिल जाने से ही, शील तो भंग नहीं होता
बिल्लियाँ न शाकाहारी, हर कोई राम नहीं होता
भलाई कभी औरतों की, क्राँती के बिना नहीं होगी
ज़माना बदल गया प्यारे, पुरानी बात नहीं होगी

(Rahman:)
फ़िल्म देखने वो नहीं आई
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
बगल सीट पर बुढ्ढी हो तो
(Mahadevan/James:)
take it easy policy
(Rahman:)
संडे को भी छुट्टी न हो
take it easy policy
(Mahadevan/James:)
प्यार करे और नोट भी माँगे
take it easy policy

(Rahman:)
Urvashi, Urvashi, take it easy, Urvashi
उँगली जैसी दुबली को, नहीं चाहिये फ़ार्मसी

जीत का मन्त्र है, take it easy policy
चार दिनकी, चाँदनी। यह जवानी fantasy

(Mahadevan/James:)
अगर लड़की को अंधेरे में, आँख मारी तो होगा क्या?
अगर आज़ादी न हो तो, स्वर्ग मिलने से होगा क्या?
क्लास में फ़िगर नहीं हो तो, वहाँ पढ़ने से होगा क्या?
बीस की उम्र का जो है खेल, साठ में खेल के होगा क्या?‌‌