Ye duniyaa agar mil bhi jaaye to kyaa hai?

A few years ago, film-maker Shashi Anand and I discussed the idea of bringing out a book (in English) of selected Hindi film songs.

Hindi film songs used to combine outstanding poetry, melody, vocal and instrumental virtuosity, choreography / picturisation, and social and cultural communication. They formed an important part of the education of millions of Indians from all walks of life.

We wanted to celebrate and pay tribute to Hindi film songs as exemplars of social integration, and to share our own intensive appreciation of many songs. We thought that through our book, a heightened appreciation of Hindi film songs would be awakened, besides reaching out to many others who are otherwise indifferent or lukewarm to this art form.

Apart from basic information on the singer, film, music director, director etc, there would be an accompanying commentary on each song to enhance readers’ appreciation of the meaning and significance of the songs.

Well, that was another project that remains unrealized.

But one of the songs that would have been high on the list is “Yeh duniyaa agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai?” This is from the film Pyaasa (1957), directed by Guru Dutt.

With lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi, and the music composed by Sachin Dev Burman, the song is sung by the immortal Mohammed Rafi.

The title of the song means: Even if this world is attained – so what?

Who gives a damn for this rotten world?

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The lyrics in Hindi text are accessible here.



ye mahalon, ye takton, ye taajon kii duniyaa / This world of palaces, of stages, of crowns
ye inasaan ke dushman samaajon kii duniyaa / This world of societies that are enemies of humans
ye mahalon, ye takton, ye taajon kii duniyaa / This world of palaces, of stages, of crowns
ye inasaan ke dushman samaajon kii duniyaa / This world of societies that are enemies of humans
ye daulat ke bhuukhe rivaazon kii duniyaa / This world of wealth-craving rites
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?

har ek jism ghaayal, har ek ruh pyaasii / Every body wounded, every soul thirsty
nigaaho mein uljhan, dilon me udaasii / Sight confused, hearts sorrowful
ye duniyaa hai yaa aalam-e-badhavaasii / Is this a world or a beacon of an ill-wind?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?

yahaan ek khilaunaa hai inasaan kii hastii / Here man is a puppet
ye bastii hai murdaa-paraston kii bastii / This is a place of necrophiliacs
yahan to jo jiivan se hai maut sastii / Here cheaper than life is death
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?

javaanii bhatakatii hai badkaar banker / Youth goes astray by transgression
javaan jism sajte hain baazaar banker / Marketplaces arise and young flesh adorns itself
jahaan pyaar hotaa hai vyaapaar banker / Where loving mutates into commerce
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?

ye duniyaa jahaan aadamii kuchh nahiin hai / This world where people count for nothing,
vafaa kuchh nahiin, dostii kuchh nahiin hai / Honour is nothing, friendship is nothing,
ye duniyaa jahaan aadamii kuchh nahiin hai / This world where people count for nothing,
vafaa kuchh nahiin, dostii kuchh nahiin hai / Honour is nothing, friendship is nothing,
jahaan pyaar ki kadr hii kuchh nahiin hai / Where respect for love is itself non-existent
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?

jalaa do, ise bhunk daalo ye duniyaa / Burn down, raze this world
jalaa do, jalaa do, ise bhunk daalo ye duniyaa / Burn down, burn down, raze this world
mere saamane se hataa lo ye duniyaa / Remove this world from my sight
tumhaarii hai tum hii sambhalo ye duniyaa / Its yours, you take care of it
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?
ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai / Even if this world is attained – so what?

Seeing

When one reads an allegory, its a question of being able to see it as allegorical, notwithstanding the intensive detail within the story.

Mythology is like that; the unrealistic, the fantastic - the magical has to be seen as indicative of transformation, from the lens of one's own life experience.

It calls for the ability to step back and see in perspective.

Illustration: Scene from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, by John Baptist Medina.

Trans-historical

A painting on bark by Kneepad,
of Groote Eylandt, illustrates creation
story from Australian indigenous people.

In Mahayana Buddhism, there are several very sacred texts, of apocryphal origin, which are very mythic in their content, and phantasmagorical in their description.

The Prince who became a Cuckoo: reading this within the specific psycho-social circumstances I was in, and the state of mind-being generated by that - I only saw it as a "manual of planning".

The Lotus of the True Law: became a "manual of long-term planning” (i.e.trans-historic, e.g. for a final outcome that will emerge after several centuries and then endure over millenia).

The Land of Bliss: a "textbook of civics".

During the period I read these texts - everything took on an aura.

The Sufi teaching has this trans-historicity.

Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East is an example from contemporary times.

Perfect & Flawless

Two years ago, I came upon the “uncollected” stories of JD Salinger. This included his last published work, Hapworth 16, 1924 (which appeared in the New Yorker in 1965). The “story” is in the form of a long letter written by seven year old Seymour Glass to his family, when he and his brother are at summer camp.

The critical reviews of this story that I found on the net - I thought those were entirely inappropriate. That was NOT a dark work, but a funny and cheerful one.

I valued the distinction made by the protagonist in the story, Seymour Glass, between "perfect" and "flawless".

We can all find perfection in ourselves, howsoever flawed and sullied we are! Self-dissolution is the key; and adversity and suffering, valiantly borne, only aid this. Succour and cheer also come, often enough amidst the bleak reality - if one can see and feel the ever-present grace surrounding one; until one becomes immured to grasping for ephemeral happiness and running away from the unavoidable reality of dissolution, and simply is, amidst one's circumstances; internally a feeling, seeing, knowing being; and externally simply an instrument of life in its infinite mystery...

Here’s the relevant extract, for which I invoke the author’s kind approval.

.............

John Bunyan. If I am getting too curt or terse, please excuse it, but I am racing to a brisk conclusion of this letter. All too frankly, I did not give this man a fair chance when I was younger, finding him too unwilling to give a few personal weaknesses, such as sloth, greed, and many others, the benefit of a few prickly, quite torturous doubts; I personally have met dozens upon dozens of splendid, touching human beings on the road of life who enjoy sloth to the hilt, yet remain human beings one would turn to in need, as well as excellent, beneficial company for children, such as the slothful, delightful Herb Cowley, fired from one menial, theatrical job after another! Does the slothful Herb Cowley ever fail his friends in need? Are his humor and jolliness not a subtle support to passing strangers? Does John Bunyan think God has some maddening prejudice against taking these things into very pleasant consideration on Judgment Day, which, in my forward opinion, quite regularly occurs between human bodies? Upon re-reading John Bunyan this time, I am aiming to give his natural, touching genius more recognition and admiration, but his general attitude is a permanent thorn in my side, I am afraid. He is too damnably harsh for my taste. Here is where a decent, private re-reading of the touching, splendid Holy Bible comes in very handy, freely preserving one’s precious sanity on a rainy day, the incomparable Jesus Christ freely suggesting, as follows: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Quite right; I do not find one thing unreasonable there, far from it; however, John Bunyan, a baptized Christian warrior, to be sure, seems to think the noble Jesus Christ said, as follows: “Be ye therefore flawless, even as your Father which is in heaven is flawless!” My God, here is inaccuracy incarnate! Did anybody say anything about being flawless? Perfection is an absolutely different word, magnificently left hanging for the human being’s kind benefit throughout the ages! That is what I call thrilling, sensible leeway. My God, I am fully in favor of a little leeway or the damnable jig is up! Fortunately, in my own forward opinion, based on the dubious information of the unreliable brain, the jig is never damnable and never up; when it maddeningly appears to be, it is merely time to rally one’s magnificent forces again and review the issue, if necessary, quite up to one’s neck in blood or deceptive, ignorant sorrow, taking plenty of decent time to recall that even our magnificent God’s perfection allows for a touching amount of maddening leeway, such as famines, untimely deaths, on the surface, of young children, lovely women and ladies, valiant, stubborn men, and countless other, quite shocking discrepancies in the opinion of the human brain. However, if I keep this up, I will firmly decline to give this immortal author, John Bunyan, a quite decent re-reading this summer. I swiftly pass on to the next author on the disorderly list.

Musical inspiration

Having discovered the wonders of YouTube, I picked up clips of some of the important sources of my musical nourishment and inspiration over the last 40+ years.

Here's a pick of a dozen.

Three cheers for YouTube!