Kishore Kumar Ke Kuchch Gaane

Yeh rahe kuchch gaane Kishore Kumar ke jo pichchle kai dinon ke liye mere man mein phas gae hain. Shaayad aapke liye yeh gaane jo hain naye nahin hain, lekin hamaare liye yeh saare gaane kafi naye hain, aur main yeh sab post kar raha hun is liye ki in gaanon ke lyrics to mujhe bahut hi khubsurat lagne lage. Mujhe ummeed hai ki aap log in lyrics phir se parh ke to khubsurti aur zindagi ka ankahe sachchai mil paayenge.

ये ददर् भरा अफ़साना, सुन ले अन्जान ज़माना ज़माना
मैं हूँ एक पागल प्रेमी, मेरा ददर् न कोई जाना - २

कोई भी वादा, याद न आया
कोई क़सम भी, याद न आई
मेरी दुहाई, सुन ले खुदाई
मेरे सनम ने, की बेवफ़ाई
दिल टूट गया, दीवाना
सुन ले अन्जान, ज़माना ज़माना
मैं हूँ एक पागल प्रेमी ...

फूलों से मैं ने दामन बचाया
राहो में अपनी काँटे बिछाये
मैं हूँ दीवाना, दीवानगी ने
इक बेवफ़ा से नेहा लगाये
जो प्यार को न पहचाना
सुन ले अनजान ज़माना, ज़माना ...

यादें पुरानी, आने लगीं क्या
आँखें झुका लीं, क्या दिल में आई
देखो नज़ारा, दिलवर हमारा
कैसी हमारी, महफ़िल मे आई
है साथ कोई, बेगाना
सुन ले अन्जान, ज़माना ज़माना
मैं हूँ एक पागल प्रेमी ...

मन्ज़िलों पे आके लुटते हैं दिलों के कारवाँ
कश्तियां साहिल पे अक्सर, डूबती हैं प्यार की
मन्ज़िलें अपनी जगह हैं रास्ते अपनी जगह - २
जब कदम ही साथ ना दें, तो मुसाफ़िर क्या करे
यूँ तो है हमदर्द भी और हमसफ़र भी है मेरा - २
बढ़के कोई हाथ ना दे, दिल भला फिर क्या करे
मन्ज़िलें अपनी जगह हैं रास्ते अपनी जगह
डूबने वाले को तिनके का सहारा ही बहुत
दिल बहल जाए फ़कत, इतना इशारा ही बहुत
इतने पर भी आसमाँ वाला गिरा दे बिजलियाँ
कोई बतलादे ज़रा ये डूबता फिर क्या करे
मन्ज़िलें अपनी जगह हैं रास्ते अपनी जगह
प्यार करना जुर्म है तो, जुर्म हमसे हो गया
काबिल-ए-माफ़ी हुआ करते नहीं ऐसे गुनाह
संगदिल है ये जहाँ और संगदिल मेरा सनम
क्या करें जोश-ए-ज़ुनूं और हौंसला फिर क्या करे
मन्ज़िलें अपनी जगह हैं रास्ते अपनी जगह

आती रहेंगी बहारें
जाती रहेंगी बहारें
दिल की नज़र से दुनियाँ को देखो
दुनियाँ सदा ही हसीं है

मैं ने तो बस यही माँगी है दुआएं
फूलों की तरह हम सदा मुस्कुराये
गाते रहें हम खुशियों के गीत यूँ ही जाये बीत
ज़िंदगी
हो~ आती रहेंगी बहारें ...

तुम जो मिले हो तो दिल को यक़ीं है
धरती पे स्वर्ग जो है तो यहीं है
गाते रहे हम खुशियों के गीत
यूँ ही जाये बीत
ज़िंदगी
हो~ आती रहेंगी बहारें ...

तुम से हैं जब जीवन में सहारे
जहाँ जाये नज़रें वहीं हैं नज़ारे
लेके आयेगी हर नयी बहार
रंग भरा प्यार
और खुशी
हो~ आती रहेंगी बहारें ...

हम हम हूँ हम हम दे रे ना आ आ आ आ आँ

लोग कहते हैं मैं शराबी हूँ - २
तुमने भी शायद यही सोच लिया हां ...
लोग कहते हैं मैं शराबी हूँ

किसीपे हुस्न का गुरूर जवानी का नशा किसीके दिल पे मोहब्बत की रवानी का नशा किसीको देखे साँसों से उभरता है नशा बिना पिये भी कहीं हद से गुज़रता है नशा नशे मैं कौन नहीं हैं मुझे बताओ ज़रा किसे है होश मेरे सामने तो लाओ ज़रा नशा है सब पे मगर रंग नशे का है जुदा खिली खिली हुई सुबह पे है शबनम का नशा हवा पे खुशबू का बादल पे है रिमझिम का नशा कहीं सुरूर है खुशियों का कहीं ग़म का नशा नशा शराब मैं होता तो नाचती बोतल मैकदे झूमते पैमानों मैं होती हलचल नशा शराब मैं होता तो नाचती बोतल नशे मैं कौन नहीं हैं मुझे बताओ ज़रा - २
लोग कहते हैं मैं शराबी हूँ - २
तुमने भी शायद यही सोच लिया लोग कहते हैं मैं शराबी हूँ थोड़ी आँखों से पिला दे रे सजनी दीवानी - २
तुझे मैं तुझे मैं तुझे नौलक्खा मंगा दूंगा सजनी दिवानी

MAIN BHI DESI HU NAA!

                  One of the most difficult parts of attempting to immerse oneself into another culture is that of being recognized by other members of that culture. Such is my trouble, which has been going on since the very beginning in all of attempts to become desi. My difficulties of completely fitting in with desis has basically been because I do not look like I’m desi at all; when was the last time a young man with blue-grey eyes and brownish hair of European descent and Protestant background was considered desi by anybody? If I tried, I could pass for a Kurd from Iran or an Afghan, maybe even Kashmiri, but not desi, not as it is usually thought of as a general South Asian from India or Pakistan.

 Despite my efforts, it is always a difficult process to get to know other local desis. First, I don't look like a desi, and this causes others to look at me first with the thought that I am nothing more than just an American, who is probably ignorant of desi culture, of major world events, and obviously their language. Not only this, but my attempts to be recognized as a desi are sometimes limited depending on whether that person I see and want to talk to speaks Urdu/Hindi, Panjabi, or Gujarati, or some other language, since there are sizable amounts of desis in my community that speak South Indian languages such as Tamil and Telugu, which I have only limited knowledge and experience of due to lack of material for me to teach myself about them. Even if they do speak Urdu/Hindi, Panjabi or Gujarati, my attempts at cementing a relationship can be difficult, even if we share a common language. This does not mean I have not had success. Many of the desis around the tri-city area have either seen me or talked with me at desi events, and many of them are quite willing to talk again if they see me, and often in their native language. At college, I have many desi contacts, including professors, most of whom are Urdu/Hindi speakers. I have also made impact through attending desi events (such as performing the dandiya raas and coming to desi concerts), and I was even recognized at the Diwali function by the President of the India Association of East Central Michigan, that too addressed in Hindi. Still, I feel pain when I walk into a public place to find desis who don't recognize me and (implicitly) think of me as another white brick in the American wall ( that too, even after hours of listening to Kishore Kumar and singing along with desi-filled joy) or when I talk to a desi in their language and get a reply back in English. In some of these cases, obviously, people are not able to see that I consider myself desi, and would have not opportunity probably to have me demonstrate it. But in others, I feel hurt that I'm not seen as desi, but simply as something of a oddball. Most of them probably have not heard my complaints about fitting in neither West nor East, which is the old desi adage that the washerman's dog not at home in the house nor at the riverside. But I still go about trying to advertise my desi-ness, which I feel is a powerful force in my life. Despite not being brown-skinned and dark-haired, I consider myself desi because I am able to speak desi languages, because I consider the culture embedded in those languages as the culture by which I want to live my life ( a view partly influenced by the decline of mainstream American culure and the general bad morals), and because I surround myself with aspects of desi culture ( desi music, desi literature, some general desi philosophy, desi food, desi media, etc.).

                I wish there were other ways of advertising my desi-ness other than simply by talking to other desis or expressing my desi-ness to my family through our time together. I remember that when I was younger I would always practice tabla motions around other desis in the hope that they would notice (I think only one has noticed so far). I used to not like going out with my parents and sisters earlier on because I was afraid that other desis would look at the ways that they acted and would think of me, by medium of association, as not being desi. Now that I've been so immersed in speaking Urdu/Hindi and Panjabi, my English has an accent, which, though at first was involuntary, has now become part of me, something I practice, and I am proud of my desi accent. I try not to worry about the things that I cannot handle these days, and be moderate about my desire to express that I am desi to the world, but lately I have been wondering about hanging a sign around my neck that says MAIN BHI DESI HU NAA! (“I’m Desi Too!”) Maybe that would get the attention of other desis who don't yet know about me.