gulzarfans,

This time we explore the lyrical beauty in "Kangana re". One reason I hate the album of Paheli, is that the company didn't provided the lyrics book with the album. The words I can make out only thru listening session and its possible that I might goof up in quoting the exact word sometime. Please correct me in that case..

As I said earlier that each song of Paheli is penned around a theme.. and gulzar saab has penned "Kangana re" on diiferent kind of jewellery, portraying a newly wed woman (who usually wears lots of zevars) and requesting her husband to bring her the best of jewellery.

The song starts with the sounds of kangan and choodis and even the lyrics of opening lines talks about the khan khan and chhan chaan sounds of kangans and how the newly wed wife using her zevars to wakeup her husband.

"jab choodiyan khan-ke, kangana chhan-ke, jag-ja ve sajna re
chhan chhanan"

(once the husband shahrukh gets up and joins raani on the dance
floor), Raani complains

"thaaro kauno rang na bhaave
mane tharo dhang na bhaave"
(I dont like your style, the kind of jewellery and the colors you bring for me)

"Kaanch ho to toote, laakh ho to chhoote
Dhanak tod laao to hum kangan pahanange
saat rang ki choodi pahanange"
(the glass choodi breaks and laakh chhodi doesn't last long
get me a piece of rainbow on sky, I will then wear the choodi of seven colors. )

the husband's reply is beautifully constructed by gulzar saab. He
makes the rainbow a jhoola (the way it is shaped)

"main ek siraa baandhu, tum doojaa siraa baandho
tab saat rang ka jhoola daal ke
rang rang rang rang gagan ko rangana re"

I will hold one end and you hold the another
We'll swing this rainbow together and color the sky..

gulzar saab beautifully captures this in words and also full marks to Sonu Nigam and MM Kreem as they have executed this stanza beautifully..

In the next stanza "dhola re dhola" a virahani (a seperated lover) joins in (seems she is is singing virah ka song somewhere nearby,

dhola re dhola
ghor amaavas jaaye na dhola
birahaa ko rang goodhaa
dhola re dhola
chanda ki choodi, dikhe to pahanu
haathidaant ka chooda
biraha ko rang goodha"

She is trying to convey the pain of seperation (biraha), She says "biraha" is dark as she compares it with "ghor amaavas" and she says the biraha is getting longer and seems not ending
"ghor amaavas jaaye na dhola"

I l believe biraha ko rang goodhaa means, the color of seperation is dark

Chanda ki choodi dikhe to pahanu
haathidaant ka chhoda

She says, The moment I see the moon (means amaavas gone, and biraha period ends) , she will wore a chooda of Haathidaant (Ivory), but for now the amaavas of seperation seems unending..

The next stanza features another beautiful construction by gulzar saab, as the wife wants natural jewellery the husband offers her two alternatives

"maaruthal me ghoome bhanvar bagoolon ke
le lo baahon me bhar lo na
bolo to silva doon sab zevar phoolon ke
khushboo gahne (me) bhar lo na"

"In the desert there are lots of bhanwars (tornado shapes) of dust storm, you can wear them.."

beautiful thought considering the fact that females in rural and tribal areas do wear such shaped jewellery which covers the hand completely. He has another alternative of having zevars of flowers and comes out with the idea of scented zevars. But wife replies

"dhool phool ke zevar tan pe kaante laage
ansuvan moti chun chun ke jo maalaa bane hum saaje"

she replies "the best jewellery for me is my emotional jewellery, the thread made by drop of tears, the most natural zevars. "

beautiful climax for a beautiful song.. MM Kreem and singrs too contribute to make it a pretty good listening.

enjoy...

next "dheere jalna"

just another gulzar fan
Pavan Jha