Monday, May 16, 2011

Songs I love: Kahin Door/Amay Proshno Kore

The Hindi song, 'Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye' has been one of my favourites for as long as I can recall.

Today, while listening to said song (for the gazillionth time), I remembered that the song had a Bengali version(Actually, to be fair, the Hindi one is the 'version'; the Bong one is the original). So I did some google-vestigation and found 'Amay Proshno Kore'.

I spent the whole day listening to both songs. Truth be told, they share nothing except of the tune. They have very different lyrics, different singers, they belong to different movie industries etc.

Also, the Bengali version is much, much better.

My mum says that the reason why I like the Bong version more is because:
1. I'm a Bengali (atleast 50% anyway)
2. Its the original

Although I agree with my mum, I'd like to add the following points:
3. The Bong version is more melancholic (and as you know, I live in melancholy)
4. I think Hemant Kumar had a better singing voice than Mukesh (personal opinion)
5. I understood the whole song - which is a big deal since I know very little Bengalii
6. The lyrics are simpler and more touching. I love the depth and the simplicity of the Bong version. In front of it, the Hindi version looks slightly decorated (whatever that means)

I won't bother translating the Hindi version (I'm sure a translation exists somewhere on the web), but I'm gonna *try* (and probably fail at) translating the Bong version.

Here are the original lyrics:

amay proshno kore nil dhrubo tara
ar koto kal ami robo dishahara
robo dishahara
jobab kichui tar dite parinai shudhu
potho khuje kete gelo
ey jibono shara
ey jibono shara ||

kara jeno bhalobeshe alo jelechilo
shurjer alo tai nibhe giyechilo
nijer chhayar pichhe
ghure ghure pori michhe
ekdin shey dekhi 

ami tumi hara
ami tumi hara
amay proshno kore........ ||

ami poth khuji nato potho more khuje
mono ja bujhe na bujhe na bujhe ta bujhe
amar choturpashe shobkichu jay ashe
ami shudhu tusharito 
gotihino dhara
gotihino dhara
amay proshno kore........ ||


Translation:

the blue pole star questions me
how much longer will I remain direction-less
 remain direction-less
(I am) unable to give any answer,  just
looking for a path (I) spent
this whole life
this whole life

some had, out of affection, illuminated
which is why the sun's light had dimmed
behind my own shadow
i wander, wander fruitless
one day I see
I am without you
I am without you

(If) I don't look for the path, the path looks for me
my mind doesn't understand what it understands; it understands what it doesn't understand
all around me, everything goes and comes
I am just an icy, 
unmoving stream
unmoving stream

Note: I tried to stay close to the lyrics (its not my interpretation - translations are bad enough, I don't want to ruin the song completely :) )

Here's the Hindi version:

Bong version:

33 comments:

  1. A wonderful post.
    Thanks for sharing interesting article..
    Keep going brilliant work,
    GOD bless you and your loving family.

    ReplyDelete
  2. beautiful song indeed in Hemanta's voice. very apt feelings

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dr Shraddha. mail id.. shraddhauttam@gmail.comApril 14, 2013 at 1:58 PM

    feeling the translated words... tomorrow wanna sing this song ,Hunting for the meaning to add the feel,lovely

    ReplyDelete
  4. 4. I think Hemant Kumar had a better singing voice than Mukesh (personal opinion)
    >> U said it, sir. Once I said the same and I was attacked by some MUkesh-Loyalist. I am of an opinion that Mukesh was a very ordinary singer and all his songs are beautiful because of the compositions & words. If any other singer had sung them, they might have become even more beautiful.

    Let be.
    Thanks for sharing these lyrics with translation. My bengali friend had explained me the meaning and I got a refresher with this.
    Thanks again & all the best.

    - Ranjeet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The favourite singer of the composer was Mukesh and he chose Mukesh over Hemant. Definitely Salilda had better music sense than u fellows.

      Delete
    2. Hemanta da was an infinitely better vocalist than Mukesh. Unfortunately the two stalwarts Salil da and Hemanta da had a falling out. That is how Mukesh got the chance. Nothing against the man, but compared to Manna Dey, Kishore, Hemanta and Rafi, Mukesh was the outlier.

      Delete
  5. thank you for sharing the valuable information with us.I also confess that the original Bengali version is a shade better than the Hindi version that i adored for years.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for the wonderful translation

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am wondering who wrote the lyrics of the Bengali song. Was it Hemanta or was it Rabindranath Tagore?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salil Chowdhury has written (only the bengali one) and composed this immortal song.
      Hindi version is written by Yogesh.

      Delete
  8. Hemantda's version is dripping with melody - pristine melody!
    Mukesh's version is dripping with emotions and feelings.
    hard to compare the two.
    Mukesh doesnt sound like he is singing a song, its a sublime expression of the feelings behind the song.
    Wish there was atleast one such 'ordinary' singer after mukesh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There never was and never will be.

      Delete
    2. Khub bhalo geyechen. Apni Jodi aaro Kichu din thakten, Bangali jati aaro anek Kichu peto.

      Delete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pretty good translation of the song :)
    Song lyrics and music by the legendary Salil Chowdrury

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow... I was able to appreciate this song fully for the first time. Thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The blue pole star asks me a while
    how much longer will I remain direction-less
    will remain direction-less
    (I am) unable to give any answer, just
    keep on looking for a path (I)guess,
    looking for a path i guess.


    One had, out of love, lit a bright light,
    Reason why the sunlight had long dimmed inside;
    Chasing my own shadow in search
    I have wandered and kept falling like chasing a mirage
    Until one day I see an image
    in which I am without you
    I am without you.

    Now no more I look for the path,
    rather the path reaches me out
    my mind doesn't understand what it understands but
    it tries to understand what it understands nought
    all around me, everything comes and goes
    and yet like a meteor my entire life revolves.
    As if I am just an unmoving stream of ice
    an unmoving stream of ice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the translation of the author of this article is more accurate

      Delete
  14. posted this version...let me know how u may like to edit this.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the translation. This song brought back memories of growing up in Calcutta. What a melodious tune from Salil da.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks. Enjoyed it a lot. Non-bengali Calcuttan but a thorough Bengali at heart.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Both are different.

    Melancholy can have various reasons and these two renditions are a testimonial to the fact.

    Compare??? Why???

    It's comparing apple to oranges.
    Yeah the music is the fruit here.

    Still comparison is kinda insulting both legends, which isn't fruitful for aficionados.

    ReplyDelete
  19. http://fallinearth.blogspot.com/2011/05/songs-i-love-kahin-dooramay-proshno.html

    ReplyDelete
  20. who wrote the song
    please let me know

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful song, Sharing with with you all the Best version of Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye, I like it and I hope you would like it too..
    Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye by Faraz Nayyer

    ReplyDelete
  22. You retained so much of the beauty from the original lyrics. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love this song.. even though I'm not a Bong (wow that rhymes)
    but I guess every human has some melancholia in common with Bongs ;)

    ReplyDelete
  24. You are truly gifted to have translated so rightly. The essence is flowing. I had always enjoyed the bengali version. I am enjoying it even more now.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Enjoyed reading this. This song is quite a find, grateful for your translation.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Darun. Apni aar Kichu bachar thakle, amra apnar kach theke anek kichu petam.sona

    ReplyDelete
  27. Beautiful perspective. I found both the songs almost equally appealing. May be salil c chose mukesh over hemanta in quite a few of his compositions because mukesh's plain voice did better justice to the lyrics and tune of his songs so much so that they remained as salil c compositions and not mukesh numbers.

    ReplyDelete