Saturday, January 15, 2011

Amar nishitho raater badol dhaara

Sunny and I visited Shama at her new home yesterday along with Brishti and a friend; what was amazing was how well  settled she already looked in her new surroundings. Seeing her so at ease in her new abode, it was hard to tell she had only been living there for several hours. And it definitely was heartwarming to see her genuine happiness. It was as if she was radiating joy from within, that was adding the glow to her sleep-deprived face. During the couple of hours we were there to give her company, she told us about how her new family, immediate and extended, welcomed her into the clan with arms wide open. Apparently, Marzuq's aunts had welcomed her into their home with a well-known Tagore song 'Esho esho amar ghor-e esho, amar ghor-e' which roughly translates to 'Come into my home, dear'. I left Shama's home yearning to soothe my tired mind with some Tagore songs before I called it a day. Once we were back  home, Sunny was happy to play along the keyboard while Brishti, my mother and I sang along all the Tagore songs we could remember the lyrics of, albeit a bit out of tune. The lyrics were food for the mind and balm to the soul.

Tagore's songs have always been an enigma to me. As a child, I would listen to my mother humming some of her favourite Tagore numbers and I couldn't comprehend how she could love the slow melodies so much. Of course, my mind then never paid attention to the lyrics. It was shortly after I fell in love, for the very first time, I decided to turn to Tagore for some explanation of the alien feelings that jolted through my heart all day, and Tagore did not disappoint me. 'Tumi kon kanoner phool, kon gogoner taara' became my favourite because it seemed like my beloved was a mystery to me and I was always looking for ways to figure him out. 'Tora je ja bolish bhai, amar shonar horin chai' stuck to me during the time I was fighting to hold on to my dreams while people tried to me throw reality at my face. 'Amar nishitho raatero badolo dhara' was my trusted companion during the long bouts of insomnia I faced at a certain point in my life. I now believe Rabindranath Tagore had the unique ability of understanding the mystifying intricacies of the human heart and empathizing with almost every emotion that a human being can possibly experience.



I must admit, when it comes to Tagore songs, I'm not a regular listener. I put away listening to them until and unless I really need to, which is usually when a familiar heartache pops us now and then or my soul needs some rejuvenating, like a special bar of chocolate stashed away to be relished only after an exceptionally tiring day or a bottle of rare wine carefully preserved to celebrate that one special occasion that calls for nothing but the best. And when I do envelop myself with Tagore's melodies and words now and then, it's pure rejuvenation that I treat my heart/soul to. And if I ever met Tagore in person, I would give him a bear hug or maybe a kiss on his right hand, and I'm sure he would know why.

Well, I have rambled on for long enough, I guess I'll get going now. Sunny is playing the keyboard to his heart's content, paying no heed to the fact that it is now well past 2 in the morning and tomorrow is a weekday. I guess I'll join him for a song or two before we bid the world 'goodnight'. 

3 comments:

br|sh said...

Tagore is Tagore and his songs are as unique as everything else about him. Love ur new template btw!

Purple Butterfly said...

Thanx Brish :) Let's sing some more soon :D

Anonymous said...

i'm trying to get my hands on a good english translation of Tagore's songs. would you be able to suggest some?

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