Abhi to main jawaan hoon
Posted on: July 18, 2014
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Atul Song-A-Day 10K Song Milestone Celebrations – 34
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The number 10000 is an important milestone. In cricket, batsmen aggregating 10000 runs or more in test matches and One Day Internationals (ODIs) are considered iconic batsmen. In athletics, athletes participating in 10000m run are regarded as persons of great endurance. It is the ultimate aim of long distance runners to win the 10000m running competition to prove their prowess. I find that there are 9 batsmen in test matches and 10 batsmen in ODI cricket who have achieved the distinction of aggregating 10000 and more runs. There may be nearly hundred athletes who have won 10000m run in recognised athletic competitions.
Insofar as blogs are concerned, I have not been able to find any blog covering exclusively Hindi film and non-film songs which had attained the milestone of 10000 songs until our own blog ‘atulsongaday’ attained this magic figure. I recall when I had joined the bandwagon sometime in July 2011, the blog had just completed 4000 songs in about 3 years. At that time, I thought that it would be a long haul for the blog to achieve the 10000 mark. But in slightly less than the next 3 years, the blog geared to a faster pace to cover 6000 more songs to attain the landmark of 10000 songs thus belying my somewhat pessimistic view of that time. 10000 songs in six years translate into an average of 1666 songs per annum giving a daily average of nearly 4 songs – quite an impressive output as against the original intent of song a day.
It is easy to start a blog but it is most difficult to sustain interest in the blog both from the blogger as well as the blog visitors. A study conducted in 2006 of top 100 blogs revealed among other things that the average life of a blog was 23.8 months. In other words, a blog remain active for less than 2 years. Although the study is 8 years old, I do not think that the current study of blogs would show a better result particularly when some of the micro blog sites like Facebook and Twitter are giving a tough competition to blogs. That this blog is shortly going to complete 6 years of its existence with an almost uninterrupted posting of songs on a daily basis is a testimony of the sustained interest both by Atul and the followers of the blog. The figures speak for it – nearly 66 lakhs visitors and over 1300 followers. I am reminded of a famous she’r written by Majrooh Sultanpuri which is an apt description of Atul’s journey through the blog to reach the milestone of 10000 songs:
main akela hi chala thhaa jaanib-e-manzil magar
gair saath aate gaye aur kaarwaan bantaa gaya
[I was all alone when I started the journey towards my destination (goal).
But (as I progressed) others, unknown to me, came with me and a caravan emerged (to reach the goal together).]
What can I say about Atul? His devotion to the Blog can be compared with Sachin Tendulkar’s devotion to cricket. Atul breathes, travels, sleeps and dreams the Blog. Congratulations Atul and his ‘caravan’ for achieving a unique distinction of covering 10000 Hindi film and non-film songs in his Blog, the only blog of its kind to the best of my knowledge.
About 3 months back, Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh had requested me to write an article using a non filmy nazm ‘abhi to main jawwan hoon’ (1940) written by Hafeez Jalandhari and sung by Malika Pukhraj. However, due to a month long Himalayan trek, the follow-up work thereafter and bunching of some family functions, I could not devote time to writing articles for the Blog. But the delay has turned out to be a blessing. It has given me an opportunity to use this nazm on the special occasion of the completion of 10000 songs in the Blog.
Malika Pukhraj had rendered this nazm like a poetry recitation probably to maintain the flow of words in the nazm. The credit for this should also go to the composer whose name I could not get from any source on the websites. However, in one of the Google Group forums, Surjit Singh has quoted a reference according to which this nazm may have been composed by a musicologist Sajjad Sarwar Niazi who joined All India Radio in mid 30s as Programme Producer (Music). Going by 78 RPM record number N.14797 of the song, my guess is that the record in two parts may have been issued sometime during 1935-40. This nazm made both the poet and the singer famous while the composer remained unknown to the world of music.
The immense popularity of this nazm encouraged the producers of a few Hindi films to use its mukhda or the partial song or even use as a parody. Remix of this nazm has been attempted in films like ‘Shreeman Aashiqi’ (1993) and ‘The Killer (2006)’. But the one from Afsaanaa (1951) which was also the signature tune of Radio Ceylon’s programme ‘Hamesha Jawaan Geet’, became very popular.
Malika Pukhraj (1912- 04/02/2004), a contemporary of Begum Akhtar, was born in Mirpur near Jammu in 1912. Baba Roti Ram, a spiritualist, gave her the name ‘Malika’ while her aunt added ‘Pukhraj’ to her name. She spent her childhood mainly in Jammu though she spent some time in Delhi and Lahore. She did not seem to have a formal school education but had her basic education at home. She learnt Urdu from a teacher while she was staying in Delhi. At the age of 5, she had already started singing ‘nohas’ (lamentations) and ‘mersiyas’ (mournings). Her mother enrolled her for musical training under Ustad Ali Baksh Kesuri (father of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan). Later she was sent to Delhi to learn music and dance under famous musicians like Ustad Momin Khan, Ustad Mollah Baksh Talwandi and Ustad Ashiq Ali. She also learnt Thumri singing from Ustad Mamman Khan. While in Bombay (Mumbai), she also learnt kathak dance from Lachhu Maharaj.
One of the important events in her childhood which changed her destiny was the invitation she received to sing in the court of Maharaja Hari Singh on the occasion of his coronation. Impressed with her singing, Maharaja Hari Singh employed her as a court singer at the age of 9 in the rank of a gazetted officer at a monthly salary of Rs.500/-. She continued as a court singer for 9 years after which she resigned and left Jammu for Lahore.
In Lahore, she started singing on All India Radio which was then regarded as launching pad for singers. With her fame, she started singing ghazals, dadras and thumris in private concerts. In 30s, she had already established herself as one of the two famous semi-classical singers, other being Begum Akhtar. Having married Syed Shabbir Hussian Shah, a Government Officer and a man of literature, Malika Pukhraj matured as an artist thanks to her exposures to well known literary personalities like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Hafeez Jallandhari and regularly singing on All India Radio which made her popular among general public across Indian sub-continent.
Sometime in the late 30s, the glamour of films brought her to Bombay (Mumbai) to act in films. However, after doing a couple of day’s shooting for a film, she could not adjust to the atmosphere of film shooting. So she left the film half-way and fled to Lahore feigning illness. I found a Video Clipping of Daagh Dehlvi’s ghazal sung by and picturised on her in Wadia Movietone’s film ‘Kahan Hai Manzil Teri’ (1939). After watching this video, one can get an idea of her distinct style of ghazal singing. I am not sure whether this ghazal was retained in the film. It is also said that Malika Pukhraj produced a Hindi film “Kaajal” (1948). The film was shot in a Bombay studio but she had permanently shifted to Lahore after partition. In Lahore, she was allotted one of Dalsukh Pancholi’s studios for film production but she did not get the possession of the studio due to a long litigation. So she never made any film in Pakistan.
Like Begum Akhtar, in the later years, Malika Pukhraj mainly concentrated on singing ghazals based on semi-classical music. She also sang and recorded folk songs in Dogri, her native language. In recognition of her contribution to music, she received the Pakistan’s civilian award, Presidential Pride of Performance Award in 1980. On the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of All India Radio in 1977, she was invited to India and felicitated with the Legend of Voice Award.
Some of her renditions, all of the 40s, which I like are:
baat chalat mori chunari rang daari – Bhairavi Thumri
bezubaani zubaan na ho jaaye – Ghazal
hum bhi piyen tumhen bhi pilaayen tamaam raat – Ghazal
wo kehte hain ranjish ki baaten bhula den – Ghazal
Malika Pukhraj got fame, money and a comfortable family life. However, during the later part of her life, she had to do the unpleasant job of distributing her wealth among many heirs when she was still alive. She had six children – 2 daughters and 4 sons. She lived an active life until she was bedridden few months before her death. After reaching the zenith of her singing career, she kept herself busy in doing embroidery work on canvas and writing her memoirs. She left for heavenly abode at a ripe age of 92 on February 4, 2004. Her legacy is carried forward by one of her daughters, Tahira Syed who is an accomplished ghazal singer in Pakistan.
Note : The biography of Malika Pukhraj is mainly based on the information available at http://www.malikapukhraj.com and some pages of her memoir ‘Song Sung True – A Memoir (2003) translated in English by Saleem Kidwai and his article.
Abu Al Asar Hafeez Jallandhari, better known as Hafeez Jallandhari (14/01/1900 – 21/12/1982) was born in Jallandhar in a joint family. He did not get a formal school education. He, however, studied under the tutorship of Maulana Ghulam Qadir Bilgrami who was a scholar of Persian language. Hafeez’s childhood was spent through a lot of hardship as his father had to take care of a big joint family where all the male members expired one after another. A young Hafeez had no interest in any vocation except writing verses and attending the poetry mushiaras. In 40s, Hafeez actively participated in Pakistan Movement and used his writings to propagate the creation of Pakistan. Obviously, after partition, he migrated to Lahore. It is said that he was employed in Pakistani army as a Publicity Officer in 1947.
Hafeez wrote mainly in ghazal and nazm formats to cover varied subjects like romance, nature, patriotism and religion. He wrote National Anthems of Pakistan and also of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). His long poem ‘Shahnama-e-Islam’ is regarded as a landmark work in the history of Islamic literature. He was the recipients of Hilal-e-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance awards from Government of Pakistan.
Hafeez Jallandhari died on December 21, 1982 in Lahore.
When I had first heard ‘abhi to main jawaan hoon’ a few years back, I was not much impressed by it as a melody. In fact, I liked Lata’s version in Afsaanaa (1951) more than the original version. It was only when I listened on a audio clip to check the lyrics, I realised that it was a tough call for me to fully appreciate the nazm. I came across many words in the nazm for the first time whose meaning I did not know. Even some of these words were not found in Roman Urdi-English dictionaries on the websites. Probably, they were Persian/Arabic words. At last, I could get the meanings of such words in some discussion forums on Urdu. Now I am in a better position to appreciate the depth of this poem. There are some words like ‘lan taraaniyaan’ and ‘alast’ used by poet in this nazm which, in my view, are such that they cannot be replaced with other equivalent simple words in Urdu/ Hindi without diluting the intrinsic meaning in the context to which they have been used.
Having got the meanings of those ‘hard’ words used in this nazm, I have attempted its translation in English which is given below after the lyrics. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I, feel that there is a further scope for improvement in the translation because the nazm is so rich in its literary contents that some of its verses can be interpreted differently. For example, I get a feeling that ‘abhi to main jawaan hoon’ can be interpreted as ‘I am past my youth yet I am young’ due to the word ‘abhi’. I also get a feeling that this nazm has some elements of Sufism and has philosophical and spiritual undertones especially in its second part. For instance, when the poet says ‘pilaaye jaa, pilaaye jaa…..’ it may mean to get fully intoxicated ( in deep trance) in love for his beloved (God). This nazm appears to me to be metaphorical in nature. Any way, these are the points to ponder.
Finally, even though the Blog has achieved the milestone of 10000 songs, it is a long way to cover all the filmy and non-filmy songs. I am sure the Blog would achieve many more targets and sub-targets in days and years to come. The Blog is still young – ‘abhi to main jawaan hoon’.
Audio Clip :
Video Clip(Doordarshan Recording) :
Song-Abhi to main jawaan hoon (Malika Pukhraj NFS)(1940) Singer-Malika Pukhraj, Lyrics-Hafiz Jalandhari
Lyrics( on the basis of audio clip)
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
hawaa bhi khushgawaar hai
gulon pe bhi nikhaar hai
tarannumen hazaar hain
bahaare purbahaar hai
kahaan chalaa hai saaqiyaa
idhar to laut
idhar to aa
idhar to laut
idhar to aa
idhar to laut
idhar to aa
arey yeh dekhtaa hai kyaa
uthhaa saboo saboo uthaa
saboo uthaa ke pyaalaa bhar
pyaalaa bhar ke de idhar
chaman ki simt kar nazar
shamaa to dekh bekhabar
wo kaali kaali badliyaan
wo kaali kaali badliyaan
ufaq pe ho gayin ayaan
wo ik hajum-e-maikashaan
hai soo-e-maikadaa ravaan
yeh kyaa gumaan hai badgumaan
samajh na mujh ko naatavaan
khayaal-e-zohd abhi kahaan
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
ibaadaton kaa zikr hai
nijaat ki bhi fikr hai
janoon hai sawaab kaa
khayaal hai azaab kaa
magar suno to sheikh ji
ajeeb shay hain aap bhi
bhalaa shabaab-o-aashiqui
alag huye bhi hain kabhi
haseen jalwaa rez hon
adaayen fitnaa khez hon
hawaaen itr bez hon
to shauq kyun na tez hon
nigaar haaye fitanaa gar
nigaar haaye fitanaa gar
koi idhar
koi udhar
koi idhar
koi udhar
ubhaarte hain aish par
to kyaa karey koi bashar
chalo ji qissaa mukhtasar
tumhaaraa nuqtaa-e-nazar
darust hai to ho magar
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
ye gasht kokhsaar ki
ye sair ju-e-waar ki
yeh bulbulon ke chahchahey
ye gulrukhon ke kahkahey
kissi sey mel ho gayaa
to ranj-o-fikr kho gayaa
kabhi jo waqt so gayaa
ye hans gayaa
wo ro gayaa
ye hans gayaa
wo ro gayaa
ye ishq ki kahaaniyaan
ye ras bhari jawaaniyaan
udhar se meharbaaniyaan
idhar se lan taraaniyaan
ye aasmaan
ye zameen
ye aasmaan
ye zameen
nazaaraa haaye-dilanasheen
unhe hayaat aafareen
bhalaa main chhod doon yahin
hai maut iss qadar kareen
mujhe na aayegaa yakeen
nahin nahin
abhi nahin
nahin-nahin
abhi nahin
bhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
na gham kashood-o-bast ka
baland ka na past ka
na bood ka na hast ka
na waadaa-e-alast ka
na waadaa-e-alast ka
ummeed aur yaas gum
hawaas gum
qayaas gum
nazar se aas-paas gum
hamaa bajuz gilaas gum
na mai mein kuchh kami rahe
kadaah se hamdami rahe
nashist ye jami rahe
yahi hama hami rahe
wo raag chhed mutribaa
wo raag chhed mutribaa
tarab-fizaa, alam-rubaa
asar sadaa-e-saaz kaa
jigar mein aag de lagaa
jigar mein aag de lagaa
jigar mein aag de lagaa
har ik lab pe ho sadaa
na haath rok saaqiyaa
pilaaye jaa
pilaaye jaa
pilaaye jaa
pilaaye jaa
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawaan hoon
abhi to main jawwan hoon
——————————-
Free Translation in English
——————————-
I am still young
The air is fragrant
The blooming flowers are lustrous
A thousand chants fill the air
As spring is in full bloom
O beloved, where are you going?
Come back, come here
What are you looking for?
Lift the pitcher, pour in the glass
Give it to me
Look at the garden and
Enjoy the atmosphere without hesitation
Aa aa, swaying dark clouds clearing from the horizon
Like inebriated crowd walking towards tavern
Your surmise is the bad surmise
Don’t think I am naive
There is no thought of abstinence
I am still young.
There is talk about prayers
There is worry about salvation
There is passion about rewards for good work
There is concerned about tormentation
But listen O learned man
You are a strange creature
Can adolescence love and passion stand apart?
When maiden scatters her splendours
When there is more of sensuous glance
When breeze spreads a strong aroma
How can one not have a strong desire?
The provocative lovers, some here, some there
Arouse the pleasure,
what can a mortal creature do?
Ok, that was my short story
Your subtle hint be correct
But I am still young.
The trekking the mountain range
The walking along a gushing rivulet
The chirping nightingales
The laughter of beautiful maidens
Meeting one of them
My grief and worry vanished
When time stood still
One laughed and another wept
This is the tale of love
The exuberance of youth
Some kindness on the one side
Some ridiculousness on the other side
From sky (heaven) to earth
the grandeur of my beloved (God)
He wants a life of good deeds
Better I leave my life here
Death is so near I can’t believe
No, no, not yet
I am still young.
Worry not for open and close (chapters of my life?)
Care not for peak and trough (of life)
Worry not for (my) status and existence
Concerned not about the promise made at the day of creation
[the word in nazm is ‘waada-e-alast’ which refers in the context of the day of creation
when God asked ‘am I not your God? To which everyone said ‘Yes’.]
My hope and despair lost
My greed and rationality gone
Everything around me looks lost
Besides I miss my glass (of wine)
Let there not be lessening of intoxication in wine
Let me remain friendly with house (tavern)
Let the session (of drinking) continue
Let the more of the same continue
O soft singer, start an exhilarating melody
And take my sadness away
Create an effect by your voice and music
Light up fire in my heart
Let lips of every one say only one thing
Don’t stop me O my beloved
Pour on pour on more drinks
I am still young.
20 Responses to "Abhi to main jawaan hoon"
July 18, 2014 at 2:12 pm
I wish to record my deep and heartfelt appreciation for the excellent write-up and the beautiful translation prepared so painstakingly by Sri Sadanand Kamath. A befitting tribute to the great voice of an accomplished singer presenting excellent poetry to the public.
LikeLike
July 18, 2014 at 2:40 pm
What a ghazal; what a rendition. Top class.
Her other famous ghazals:
Ye Kaun Sakhi Hain, Chhan Chhan Chhan Chhan
Nigaah E Yaar Jise Aashnaa E Raaz Kare
Wo Baaten Teri Wo Fasaane Tere
Lehra Ke Jhum Jhum Ke La Muskura Ke La
Ahd E Rangeen Ki Yaadgaar Hun Main
Tasqeen Ko Ham Na Royen Jo Zauq E Nazar Mile
Zaahid Na Keh Buri Ke Ye Mastane Admi Hain
Bhula Bhi De Usse Jo Baat Ho Gai Pyare
Kiya Mujh Ishq Ne Zalim Ko Ab Aahista Aahista
Zulmat Kade Men Mere Shab E Gham Ka Josh Hai
LikeLike
July 18, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Kamath Sir,
My complments for the well researched article about Mallika Pukhraj. I got to learn a lot of new things here.
About the nazm itself, it is obviously a classic. I have heard it before but was not aware of the significance. Not even knew that it is a non-film song, but heard it on radio.
I have a vague memory of Mehmood singing this in one of the films, but with comic touch. Even the Lata song from Afsana (1951) is in comic spirit.
I can appreciate the difficulties of understanding all those terms of urdu and persian. It must have required painstaking research and preservance to arrive at such an accurate interpretation.
Familiarity with urdu literature and terminology usage gives a bit more insight into them , to me. I have tried my bit as follows:
wo kaali kaali badliyaan
ufaq pe ho gayin ayaan
‘ayaan’ – revealed / visible
janoon hai sawaab kaa
khayaal hai azaab kaa
sawaab – is as good a ‘punya’ in hindi, so reward of good deed is apt.
azaab – tormentation is correct, but ‘azaab’ has many manifiestation, like the ‘azaab’ in this world, after death(in the grave) and then the azaab in hell. Lightest sense in ‘azaab’ is in the world – If someone is facing extreme difficulties, he is in ‘ azaab’ .
nigaar haaye fitanaa gar
‘nigaar’ – the beauty of eyes, as a facial feature.
chalo ji qissaa mukhtasar
Literarily translates to : To cut a long story short
tumhaaraa nuqtaa-e-nazar
darust hai to ho magar
Your point of view is correct, so be it.
ye gasht kokhsaar ki
gasht – pointless wandering
kabhi jo waqt so gayaa
Time is one thing which is always ticking. This means something unimaginable, if time sleeps and is not alert.
unhe hayaat aafareen
bhalaa main chhod doon yahin
To you, the life is gifted (full of praise)
How can I leave it here (unattended)
hai maut iss qadar kareen
mujhe na aayegaa yakeen
Death is such a certainty,
i shall never believe it (in it)
Note : The above two verses are about attachment to life and the denial of one’s mortality.
hawaas gum
qayaas gum
‘hawaas’ – in possession of all faculties – related to ‘hosh’
( e.g. https://atulsongaday.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/ba-hosho-hawaas-mein-deewaanaa/)
nazar se aas-paas gum
The sight (awareness) of the surroundings is lost
nashist ye jami rahe
yahi hama hami rahe
Both versions the singer is singing it as ‘nishast’ , so that must be the correct word. It means ‘ seating arrangement for entertaining the guests. As in modern day ‘lounge’.
The comment has become too long. But it should suffice for now.
Thanks for the informative and providing the ‘food for thought’ to me.
Regards.
LikeLike
Small correction in the lyrics :
Row 20 from up :
‘ samaa ‘ to dekh bekhabar
LikeLike
July 18, 2014 at 7:31 pm
Thanks a lot for going through the lyrics and the translation. The translations of the verses indicated in your comments make better interpretations than mine.
Yes, it is ‘Samaa’, my usual mistake of ‘shamaa’ vs. ‘ samaa’.
I also agree that ‘Nishast’ (Seat) in the context of tavern and also the words ‘jami rahe’ is more appropriate than ‘nashist'(place).
Thank you once more for appreciating the article.
LikeLike
July 18, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Too many corrections required to be listed in a comment section. I would be happy to send them to you (as being in my opinion) by email, if you kindly let me know the email address to which I should write. Just some examples: Not nigar haaye fitnagar, but nigaraha-e-fitnagar, nigaraha being the plural of nigar. Same with najaraha. Ajab here means torments of hell administered as punishment for wrong behaviour (opposite of sawaab which is reward for good behaviour). Shabab should be translated as youth, not adolescence. Etc. etc. Thanks for posting this; those interested might see the many versions available on yt, many with translations (and corrections, huma bajooj gilas gum: should mean everything except my glass is gone. Nishast is seat, so poet is saying let this spot on the ground be my seat always, yehi hamahami rahen: keep partying, dudes!
LikeLike
July 18, 2014 at 7:46 pm
Thanks for going through the lyrics and translation. As I said in the article, this nazm is so rich in its literary contents that the verses can be interpreted differently. I also said that there was a scope for improving the English translation.
I would request you to give your detailed comments with corrections in the comments section here itself for the benefit of all the readers of the blog.
LikeLike
July 19, 2014 at 12:18 am
Sadanand ji.
Namaskar. The article, the approach to the 10K, information on Malika Pukhraj and Hafeez Jallandhari, was absorbing. Thanks for the erudite, informative and engrossing write-up. Thanks too for posting the beautiful Nazm. My understanding of Urdu being limited, your translation, helped me to enjoy the Nazm all the more. If I remember right, I first came across Malika Pukhraj’s version of this song at Songs of Yore. I referred to a translation from YT for better understanding.
Thanks also to Nahm ji and Dilip ji .
Thank you once again.
LikeLike
July 28, 2014 at 3:42 pm
OK here goes: why is saaqi ‘beloved’? seems to me it’s only the person serving wine in the tavern. Badguma: disbelief………..natwa: feeble, or perhaps too delicate, here. Juhad: restraint. The young have no need for restraint (so want to booze on!).
The pretty women are ‘dolled up’, their style (adaa) is stirring/exciting (fitnakhez, fitnagar mean the samething), the air is fragrant. Tumhara nukta-e-nazar, durust hai to ho magar: your critical view may be correct, i.e. what you say is probably right, BUT I am young yet!
Na bood ka na hast ka: nor of future nor the past. Na waada-e-alast ka: promise at creation is the literal translation; I’d interpret it as ‘promise, potential perhaps forgone, not lived up to’. Huma bajooj gilas gum: all except my glass is gone! BTW a mutriba is a female singer in the tavern; a male singer would be mutrib. Again, saaqi serves wine in the tavern, & that’s the meaning here.
This is a great ode to youthful indiscretions and drinking; if Hafeez Jalandhari saab had written nothing but this he would be classified as a great poet, at least in my eyes. (Another great ode to drinking, a more blatant one: Jhoom barabar jhoom sharabi)
Thanks……………
LikeLike
July 28, 2014 at 7:17 pm
Thanks a lot for explaining the wider interpretation of some of the verses and words in the nazm.
Well said about Hafeez Jalandhari in the last paragraph of your comments.
LikeLike
August 23, 2014 at 10:56 am
I thought of adding another explanation for those not familiar with it: the poet is telling the mutriba to sing a raag which is ‘tarabfiza’, tarab meaning joy, so creating joyful atmosphere, and alamruba: here alam is not to be confused with aalam! Alam means agony, grief, anguish (another meaning is flag, which is not relevant here). The suffix ‘ruba’ means something that takes it away, hence a raag which is alamruba takes away agony, grief etc. Just as your dilruba is the one who takes your heart away!
LikeLike
August 23, 2014 at 4:45 pm
I have been thinking about this nazm too. Basically, a ‘nazm’ or poem is about a particular topic. All lines from start to end will lead to a meaning or conclusion.
Or alternately, as is the case in this nazm, a conclusion like a thought or ‘khushfahmi’ like ‘abhi to main jawaan hoon’ describing an attitude towards life and pleasures of life and the world, which is explained in detail later in the nazm.
Basically the poem is about the human attitude of thinking ;
I am still young.
I am not growing old and not going to die.
I have no responsibility.
I prefer to live in a state of intoxication, steeped in pleasures of life.
The pressures of hereinafter and answering for my deeds do not matter to me.
I am immortal and will enjoy a good life forever.
This is the overview. It is again up to the reader/listener to take it in the optimist way or to think of a satire , in the state of the affairs in general.
LikeLike
August 23, 2014 at 8:20 pm
It is certainly an ode to youthful indiscretions – and the latter also by those who aver they are young, whether they are or not! I just love the attitude……….
LikeLike
August 23, 2014 at 11:12 pm
This interpretation is the apparent one, but to my mind one should consider it from the poem’s hero’s point of view. All that he is saying is that though my physical powers are fading, do not write me off completely ! He is not asking for intoxication, he just wants to be allowed the pleasures that he can enjoy. Life is a divine gift. He knows that he is not immortal, he can see the ‘kali kali badliyaan’; he just does not want to die before he actually dies.
Ghalib has put it beautifully,
Go haath ko jumbish nahin, aankhon mein to dum hai,
rehne do abhi saagar-o-meena mere aage”
This is my reading of the nazm, which I thought I will put across as another point of view.
LikeLike
April 28, 2019 at 1:29 am
Hafeez Jullundhri Sahib, used to recite his Shana a in the same tune as that of Abhi to mein jawano…. So M Pukhraj asked him to write a nazm, in the same flow
LikeLike
April 28, 2019 at 1:31 am
So, in a way it is his composition, M Pukhraj just refined it
LikeLike
November 27, 2020 at 8:15 pm
Dear Atul. You have done a great service to this nazm.
May I request you to put the translation under each stanza so that we may be able to relate to words and translation simultaneously
Fateh
LikeLike
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
July 18, 2014 at 1:43 pm
What a perfect song for the 10K celebrations!
Thank you for this song, Mr. Kamath!
LikeLike