O majhi re

O majhi re, o majhi re,
Apna kinaara, nadiya ki dhaara hain
O majhi re,
Apna kinaara, nadiya ki dhaara hain
O majhi re

Saahilon pe behnewaale kabhi suna toh hoga kahin
Ho, kaagazon ki kashtiyon ka kahin kinaara hota nahin
O majhi re, majhi re
Koi kinaara jo kinaare se mile woh apna kinaara hain
O majhi re,
Apna kinaara, nadiya ki dhaara hain
O majhi re

Paaniyon mein beh rahein hain kai kinaare tutey hue
Ho, raaston mein mil gaye hain sabhi sahaare chhute hue
O majhi re, majhi re
Koi sahaara majhdhaare mein mile jo apna sahaara hain
O majhi re,
Apna kinaara, nadiya ki dhaara hain,
nadiya ki dhaara hain, nadiya ki dhaara hain

Movie: Khushboo (1975)
Director: Gulzar
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Lyricist: Gulzar
Music Composer: R D Burman

Gulzar will celebrate his 86th birthday in two days. What can I say about Gulzar that I haven’t gushed about before? This is the poet who fell in love with Tagore’s work as a young boy. This is also the young man who worked many jobs, including that of a garage mechanic, to make ends meet. Eventually, of course, he gained a foothold in Bollywood and is now one of the most prolific lyricists of the Hindi film industry. He has also directed and scripted many memorable films. 

I thought picking a Gulzar song would be a bit of a task because both S and I are fans and we have featured plenty of his songs here already. But such is this poet’s body of work that there are still many lovely blossoms waiting to be gathered into this blog’s bouquet. Today’s pick is from a film directed by Gulzar and features that magical music-making combination of Gulzar, RD and Kishore. There is something about this song that I identify with, a sense of being adrift, of rootlessness, that feels very similar to my lived experience. I am glad we can feature it to commemorate the birthday of one of my favourite lyricists. ~ R