Hello Folks,
A few days ago, I went to see the movie "The Inside Man" with some of my American friends. It's a thriller starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. The movie actually had an element of pleasant surprise to me. The title track for this movie is our very own "Chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan" from "Dil Se" (My apologies if I robbed someone of this surprise)
I was quite delirious with this and went about announcing to my friends that the song was from the soundtrack of an Indian film.
Later while having dinner, some of these friends mentioned that they liked the song very much. One of them even asked what it was supposed to mean. And I went,"It means ummmm ..... errr ....." (basically a longish pause, followed by a full retreat )
To be very honest, I must have heard this song umpteen times. But this is one of the songs by Gulzar saahab that has baffled me completely. Can some kind soul enlighten me about it's meaning/emotion. (a line-by-line exposition would be greatly appreciated, but even if you could give me the general sense, I'll grab it with both hands !!!)

-Dhananjay

Taken from http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.i...d0f23d889242057



here it is, with english translations:
----------------------------------
song: chhaiya chhaiya
film: Dil Se
musicdirector: a r rahman
songwriter: gulzar
singer: sukhvindara singh, sapna wasthi


jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaanv
(those who have all-encompassing shadow of love over their head ( in
this scorching heat of this world's harsh realities) )


paanv ke neeche jannat hogi
(heavens will be below their feet)
(=people who are blessed with someone's love, live their life as if they
have been living in the heaven)


jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaanv


chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
(walk underneath this shadow)


chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan


sar ishq ki chhaanv chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
(your head is covered by the shadow of love, walk underneath this
shadow)


sar ishq ki chhaanv chal chhaiyaan


paanv jannat chale chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
(you will feel as if your feet are walking on the land of heaven, walk
underneath this shadow)


paanv jannat chale chal chhaiyaan


vo yaar hai jo khushboo ki tarah
(that friend is like a fragrance)


jiski zubaa urdu ki tarah
(she speaks a language which is soft and meaningful like urdu)


meri sham raat meri kaynaat vo yaar mera saiyaa saiyaa
(my evening and night, my entire universe is that friend of mine, my
lover)


chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan


gulposh kabhi itraye kahin
(clad in the flowers, sometime, she is showing off airs of highness,
somewhere)


mehke to nazar aa jaaye kahin
(when those flowers of her dress spread fragrance, i will be able to see
her somewhere)


gulposh kabhi itraye kahin
mehke to nazar aa jaaye kahin


tabeez bana ke pahnoo use
(I will treat her like my talisman and wear)
(tabeez: a sacred black thread with supernaturally processed metal block
or stone having protective powers)


aayat ki tarah mil jaaye kahin
(if i find her somewhere like a divine sentence from holy Quraan-paak)


tabeez bana ke pahnoo use, aayat ki tarah mil jaaye kahin


gulposh kabhi itraye kahin, mehke to nazar aa jaaye kahin
tabeez bana ke pahnoo use, aayat ki tarah mil jaaye kahin


yaar hai vo eemaa ki tarah
(that friend of mine is the sum-total of my integrity)


mera nagma vahi mera qalma vahi
(she is my song, she is (as pious for me as) the sacred chant of qalma)
(qalma = first belief of mohammedans = la ilaha il lillah, mohammed-ur
rasool allah)
(= i take this promise in the name of allah that i do not know anyone
other than one Allah, and that hajrat mohammed is messanger of Allah)


mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
(my song, song, my qalma, qalma)


mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma


yaar misal-e-os chale
(that friend of mine walks like pure, clear, shining little dew drops)


panvo ke tale firdaus chale
(when she walks, it appears as if she is not moving but heavens are
moving below her feet)


kabhi daal daal kabhi paat paat
(sometime on the branches of trees, sometime on the leaf)


main hawa pe dhoondhoo uske nisha
(i am searching on the air for any clue of her presense)


sar ishq ki chhaanv chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, sar ishq ki chhaanv chal
chhaiyaan
paanv jannat chale chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, paanv jannat chale chal
chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan


main uske roop ka shaidaai
(i am attracted to her beauty)


vo dhoop chhaanv sa harjaai
(she is innocent and energetic hence she reaches everywhere to everyone
like the sunlight or the shadow)


vo shokh hai rang badalta hai
(she has a restlessness, hence she transforms her style)


main rang roop ka saudaai
(i am mad after her beauty and her fair color)


main rang roop ka saudaai


jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaanv, paanv ke neeche jannat hogi
jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaanv, paanv ke neeche jannat hogi
sham raat meri kaynaat vo yaar mera saiyaan saiyaa
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan


sar ishq ki chhaanv chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, sar ishq ki chhaanv chal
chhaiyaan
paanv jannat chale chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, paanv jannat chale chal
chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan


vo yaar hai jo khushboo ki tarah, jiski zubaa urdu ki tarah
meri sham raat meri kaynaat vo yaar mera saiyaan saiyaa
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan chhaiyaan, chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan
chhaiyaan chhaiyaan

R & D,
Thanks a lot for this beautiful exposition !!!! That shed a whole new light on this song !! I just couldn't have imagined all of this.. God bless the person who took the pains to come with this
Just some minor addition from my side : "shaidaai" means enchanted & "harjaai" means faithless.
Wonder if these meanings would change anything from your reply !!!

Thanks again !!!

-Dhananjay

End credits also feature a new remix of this song with Panjabi MC labeled A Bollywood Joint (a la Spike) on the soundtrack, so the song plays both during the opening and end credits (which most people skip).

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?show...14&#entry237114

Oh Oh... So it seems I wasn't the first one to stumble upon this !!! I somehow missed that earlier thread of yours
So you seem to be a great fan of "Pirates of the Caribbean"..... Me too . Can't wait for the sequel - Dead Man's Chest !!! IWould love to watch the exploits of Jack Sparrow. Heard it is hitting theatres on July 7th. (wonder why so late )