BULLAH SHAH
Most of the music videos for Indipop that I see on television
have provocative visuals and old Hindi film hits remixed. It is
as if the director wants to compensate the plain and simple
lyrics of yesteryears with titillating images to grab the
attention of today's generation ! It is rare to find a video
that is sensitively made and even rarer to find music, song and
video all finely blended. After a long time, there is such a
video and the good news is that the video got the recognition
it deserves, in my opinion : it ruled the Indian charts until a
couple of weeks ago. I am talking of the song by Rabbi which
starts "Bullah ki jaana ....". The web page
http://store.indiatimes.com/music/PlanetMMusicDetails.jsp?albumid=alb14687
has the details of the album for those interested.
What attracted me to the song in the first place was the
strumming of the guitar in the song. Rabbi, the Sikh singer,
blends rock music from his guitar with age old poetry written
by Bulleh Shah and a video that captures the spirit of the
poem. I don't know the director, but both the director and
Rabbi deserve credit for creating a work of art in a commercial
enterprise. The song is in Punjabi and the video has
translations of the lyrics.
While it was the strumming of the guitar which made me pause
when I first heard the song, it was the visual translation of
the Punjabi text that sustained my interest in the song. Images
from Indian cities and places and Indians in those places are
seen in the video. As Rabbi echoes Bulleh and says "Neither am
I Moses nor the Pharaoh", the camera shows a man who looks like
a Jew. "Neither am I fire, nor am I the wind", sings Rabbi and
a frame is shown of a tree, with its leaves seemingly aflutter
due to the wind ! The images come one after another in the
video. The Charminar in Hyderabad ; the Gateway of India in
Mumbai ; Rabbi walking across the Thar Desert ; people sitting
in a boat on the shores of the sea ; a man wearing glasses and
a showy moustache ; Muslim boys, including one who peers into
the camera, with his face covered in purple hue ; an old man
who could be anywhere in India ; the railway tracks of an
Indian metropolis ; Rabbi at the station, in a crowd.... the
images are a reflection of India. As the song ends, Rabbi ends
in a climatic and drawn out "Ooooo" that almost sounds like a
wail. The visuals show various Indian people and finally, the
video ends with Rabbi and his guitar.
The point of the song-video-music (I will include all three
things since each complements the other so well !) is the
search for identity. One of the eternal question that haunts
philosophers is "Who am I?" Bullah Shah answers this question
by "negation". He says that he cannot be fit into any one
ideology or category. He says that he is neither among the holy
Vedas nor in opium, nor in alcohol. Spatially, Bulleh says
that he is neither a citizen of Lahore nor is he an Arab.
Similarly, Bulleh makes a lot of negations and leaves his
readers to conclude that he is above any categorisation and
classification. In the end of the song, he says that he is the
wisest and that he stands alone. In terms of philosophy, it is
a profound thought that is expressed in this poem !
It has taken a music video in today's world for me to learn
about Bulleh Shah ! After I saw and heard the song-video-music,
I did a bit of research on the poem and on Bulleh Shah. The
poem and its translation are pasted below. Bulleh Shah's story
is available online at
http://www.apnaorg.com/poetry/bullahn/ and also at
http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004026&channel=leafyglade%20inn
More information about Bulleh's
poetry is available online at
http://www.apnaorg.com/poetry/bulleheng/
*-*- PASTED TEXT BEGINS BELOW *-*-
This poem and the translation is taken from
http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004026&channel=leaf
yglade%20inn
+=+=+=+= ENGLISH TRANSLATION +=+=+=+=
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s intoxicated craze
Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
THE PUNJABI OR SINDHI WORDS
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen momin vich maseet aan
Na maen vich kufar diyan reet aan
Na maen paakaan vich paleet aan
Na maen moosa na pharaun.
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen andar ved kitaab aan,
Na vich bhangaan na sharaab aan
Na vich rindaan masat kharaab aan
Na vich jaagan na vich saun.
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun.
Na vich shaadi na ghamnaaki
Na maen vich paleeti paaki
Na maen aabi na maen khaki
Na maen aatish na maen paun
Bulleh!, ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen arabi na lahori
Na maen hindi shehar nagauri
Na hindu na turak peshawri
Na maen rehnda vich nadaun
Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya
Ne maen aadam havva jaaya
Na maen apna naam dharaaya
Na vich baitthan na vich bhaun
Bulleh , ki jaana maen kaun
Avval aakhir aap nu jaana
Na koi dooja hor pehchaana
Maethon hor na koi siyaana
Bulla! ooh khadda hai kaun
Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun
*-*- PASTED TEXT ENDS ABOVE *-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Most of the music videos for Indipop that I see on television
have provocative visuals and old Hindi film hits remixed. It is
as if the director wants to compensate the plain and simple
lyrics of yesteryears with titillating images to grab the
attention of today's generation ! It is rare to find a video
that is sensitively made and even rarer to find music, song and
video all finely blended. After a long time, there is such a
video and the good news is that the video got the recognition
it deserves, in my opinion : it ruled the Indian charts until a
couple of weeks ago. I am talking of the song by Rabbi which
starts "Bullah ki jaana ....". The web page
http://store.indiatimes.com/music/PlanetMMusicDetails.jsp?albumid=alb14687
has the details of the album for those interested.
What attracted me to the song in the first place was the
strumming of the guitar in the song. Rabbi, the Sikh singer,
blends rock music from his guitar with age old poetry written
by Bulleh Shah and a video that captures the spirit of the
poem. I don't know the director, but both the director and
Rabbi deserve credit for creating a work of art in a commercial
enterprise. The song is in Punjabi and the video has
translations of the lyrics.
While it was the strumming of the guitar which made me pause
when I first heard the song, it was the visual translation of
the Punjabi text that sustained my interest in the song. Images
from Indian cities and places and Indians in those places are
seen in the video. As Rabbi echoes Bulleh and says "Neither am
I Moses nor the Pharaoh", the camera shows a man who looks like
a Jew. "Neither am I fire, nor am I the wind", sings Rabbi and
a frame is shown of a tree, with its leaves seemingly aflutter
due to the wind ! The images come one after another in the
video. The Charminar in Hyderabad ; the Gateway of India in
Mumbai ; Rabbi walking across the Thar Desert ; people sitting
in a boat on the shores of the sea ; a man wearing glasses and
a showy moustache ; Muslim boys, including one who peers into
the camera, with his face covered in purple hue ; an old man
who could be anywhere in India ; the railway tracks of an
Indian metropolis ; Rabbi at the station, in a crowd.... the
images are a reflection of India. As the song ends, Rabbi ends
in a climatic and drawn out "Ooooo" that almost sounds like a
wail. The visuals show various Indian people and finally, the
video ends with Rabbi and his guitar.
The point of the song-video-music (I will include all three
things since each complements the other so well !) is the
search for identity. One of the eternal question that haunts
philosophers is "Who am I?" Bullah Shah answers this question
by "negation". He says that he cannot be fit into any one
ideology or category. He says that he is neither among the holy
Vedas nor in opium, nor in alcohol. Spatially, Bulleh says
that he is neither a citizen of Lahore nor is he an Arab.
Similarly, Bulleh makes a lot of negations and leaves his
readers to conclude that he is above any categorisation and
classification. In the end of the song, he says that he is the
wisest and that he stands alone. In terms of philosophy, it is
a profound thought that is expressed in this poem !
It has taken a music video in today's world for me to learn
about Bulleh Shah ! After I saw and heard the song-video-music,
I did a bit of research on the poem and on Bulleh Shah. The
poem and its translation are pasted below. Bulleh Shah's story
is available online at
http://www.apnaorg.com/poetry/bullahn/ and also at
http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004026&channel=leafyglade%20inn
More information about Bulleh's
poetry is available online at
http://www.apnaorg.com/poetry/bulleheng/
*-*- PASTED TEXT BEGINS BELOW *-*-
This poem and the translation is taken from
http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004026&channel=leaf
yglade%20inn
+=+=+=+= ENGLISH TRANSLATION +=+=+=+=
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s intoxicated craze
Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
THE PUNJABI OR SINDHI WORDS
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen momin vich maseet aan
Na maen vich kufar diyan reet aan
Na maen paakaan vich paleet aan
Na maen moosa na pharaun.
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen andar ved kitaab aan,
Na vich bhangaan na sharaab aan
Na vich rindaan masat kharaab aan
Na vich jaagan na vich saun.
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun.
Na vich shaadi na ghamnaaki
Na maen vich paleeti paaki
Na maen aabi na maen khaki
Na maen aatish na maen paun
Bulleh!, ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen arabi na lahori
Na maen hindi shehar nagauri
Na hindu na turak peshawri
Na maen rehnda vich nadaun
Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya
Ne maen aadam havva jaaya
Na maen apna naam dharaaya
Na vich baitthan na vich bhaun
Bulleh , ki jaana maen kaun
Avval aakhir aap nu jaana
Na koi dooja hor pehchaana
Maethon hor na koi siyaana
Bulla! ooh khadda hai kaun
Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun
*-*- PASTED TEXT ENDS ABOVE *-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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