O’ the wandering mind ~Kabir

Kabir has hardly spared any animate and inanimate examples to ridicule the bigots who have great illusions about their self image and through their beliefs repeatedly,  make a fool of themselves. In the same spirit, I came across yet another simple yet interest verses. Poem 1:  Apanpo aap hi bisaro. Says Kabir, they  fall prey [...]

Basant, a festival beyond beliefs

On 27th January, 2012 India celebrates Basant panchami. In Pakistan, it is celebrated towards the end of February.   Towards the end of January till early March, the golden harvest of wheat stand tall ready to be harvested sometime in early April.  And wheat is our staple crop. At the same time in Januray February [...]

Beshno az ney (O’Listen to nay)~Rumi

So far this is one  the best music post on my blog:  A Masnawi by Rumi  Jelaluddin Rumi was a Sufi mystic poet originally from Balkh Afghanistan, but his family travelled west. First performing Hajj they moved further west to finally settle down in Konya, Anatolia( now Turkey). He spent rest of his life there, [...]

Alf Leila O’Leila ~Um Kulthoom

The opening lines of this 45 minute song are: Ya Habeebi, My sweetheart. Illeil wi samah, wi ingomo iw amaro, amaro wi saharo. The night and its sky, its stars, its moon, moon and keeping awake all night. Winta wana, ya habeebi ana, ya hayati ana. You and me my sweetheart, my life. -And the [...]

Jhini jhini bini chadariya…~Kabir

  Jhini jhini bini chadariya. kah ke tana, kah ke bharni, kaun taar se bini chadariya ingla pingla taana bharni, sushumna tar se bini chadariya. ashta kamal dal charkha doley, panch tatva, gun tini chadariya saiin ko siyat mas dus lagey, thonk-thonk ke bini chadariya. so chaadar sur nar muni odhi, odhi ke maili kini [...]

Wah ghar sab se nyara~Kumar Gandharv ~Kabir

Sakhiya Wah Ghar Sabse Nyara, Jaha Puran Purush Humara Jaha Nahi Sukh Dukh Sanch Jhuth Nahi Pap Na Pun Pasara Nahin Din Reyn Chand Nahi Suraj, Bina Jyoti Ujyara Nahin Tahan Gyan Dhyan Nahin Jap Tap Ved Kiteb Na Bani Karni Dharni Rehni Gehni, Yeh Sub Jahan Hirani Ghar Nahin Aghar Na Bahar Bhitar, Pind [...]

I am a Woman~by Helen Reddy~Music without borders

I Am Woman -Artist: Helen Reddy from “Helen Reddy’s Greatest Hits”: EMI ST 11467 -peak Billboard position # 1 for 1 week in 1972 -Words and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an’ pretend [...]

Zehaal-e-Miskeen -~Amir Khusrau

Khusrau was a master of  Persian ( which used to be the language of the court) as well as  Brij Bhasha ( the language of the common man) . Zehaal -e Miskeen is a master piece written in both the languages in Persian (bold) and Brij Bhasha (italics). In the first verse, the first line is in [...]

Amir Khusrau, the maestro of Tarana.

This blog is just an attempt to familiarise the lovers of Amir Khurau to a form of singing, called Tarana, the fascinating  fast paced rendition often intended  to attain trance ( haal),   is attributed to be invented by him. Needless to say his other inventions being Qawwali, seventeen taals, tabla and sitar. All I get [...]

Senorita ~Music without borders

[Señorita]Spanish Quien eres tu? (Who are you?) Donde has estado? (where have you been?) He removido cielo y tierra y no te encontre (I moved heaven and earth and not find you) Y llegas hoy (but you arrive today) Tan de repente (So suddenly) Y das sentido a toda mi vida con tu querer (and [...]