Dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasle bahaar kyaa
Posted on: February 19, 2011
Mukesh was brought to Bombay (now Mumbai) in late 1930s by Motilal (a distant relative) who had seen him singing a song at Motilal’s sister’s wedding. While at Bombay, Mukesh got the opportunity to act and sing in a movie called “Nirdosh” (1941). This movie also had Nalini Jaiwant.It is interesting to note that Mukesh first acted in movies in 1940s, whereas his grandson (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is acting in movies more than six decades later.
Here is the very first song that Mukesh sang in Hindi movies. This song, which was also picturised on him, is written by Neelkanth Tiwari. Tiwari ji has written a song consisting of heavy duty Urdu words, most of them going beyond most people’s comprehension. I request my knowledgeable readers to fill in the blanks/correct the lyrics as applicable.
Music is composed by Ashok Ghosh and I became aware of this name for the first time a few hours ago when I discovered this song.
Song-Dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasle bahaar kyaa (Nirdosh) (1941) Singer-Mukesh,Lyrics-Neelkanth Tiwari,MD-Ashok Ghosh
Lyrics
aaaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
saaqi nashaa sharaab hataao, ab bazaar kyaa
saaqi nashaa sharaab hataao, ab bazaar kyaa
duniyaa se le chalaa hai jo tu hasraton kaa bojh
duniyaa se le chalaa hai jo tu hasraton kaa bojh
kaafi nahin hai sar pe gunaahon kaa bojh kyaa
kaafi nahin hai sar pe gunaahon kaa bojh kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
baad-e-fanaa fuzool hai naam-o-nishaan ki jeet
baad-e-fanaa fuzool hai naam-o-nishaan ki jeet
jab ham nahin rahe to rahegaa mazaar kyaa
jab ham nahin rahe to rahegaa mazaar kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
23 Responses to "Dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasle bahaar kyaa"
February 20, 2011 at 10:31 am
I think “bazaar” is appropriate.
The song(probably )means-
every comfort,happiness is available(fasle-bahaar),even the saaqi tried to dance and give me the drink,even the drink did its duty to try to make me happy;in this condition what is the point of going to the bazzar to have comfort/happiness,when my heart is broken and I am not able to enjoy anything ?
This ofcourse,is how I understand the song.
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February 20, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Atul ji, Arun ji
I tried to locate a published version of Neelkanth Tewari’s writings, but there is none available on the net, or online bookstores. And of course, the lyrics available online for this song (as in many other cases) are simply replications of some original post; and all of them continue to perpetuate the errors made by that original post. I will try to explore some libraries or old book stores.
In the process, I did find out more about the poet himself. Neelkanth Tewari was active in the film industry for more than 4 decades, as a poet, an author, and a film critic. He even did some supporting roles in some movies. He was primarily a Hindi writer with an impeccable command over the language, but very versatile and fluent with Urdu also, as is demonstrated by this ghazal. He was conferred the Sahitya Academy Award for his outstanding contributions towards Hindi literature. He passed away in 1976.
This is a ghazal of intense sadness and repentance, expressing extreme disillusionment with life and this world, and even beyond, as is expressed in the second antara. The words ‘nachaa’ and ‘hansaa’ would not even form a part of this melancholy. Following is how I have deciphered the lyrics. I will give the verses and their explanation, and then the complete ghazal once again.
DIL HI BUJHAA HUAA HO TO FASL-E-BAHAAR KYAA
When the heart is broken and disillusioned, then what use are the flowers-of-spring (fasl-e-bahaar). In this one line, the shaayar discounts every happiness and luxury of this world using the words “fasl-e-bahaar”. He starts his verse stating that my heart is broken and nothing in this world can now comfort me.
SAAQI NASHAA SHARAAB HATAAO, AB BAZAAR KYAA
Remove the wine (“sharaab”, anything that can give happiness), the stupor of intoxication (“nashaa”, happiness), and the “saaqi” (one who gives me the wine of happiness); there is no purpose to anything in this world (bazaar). In severe dejection the poet requests everything and anything that is of any comfort to be removed from his life and he be left alone. What use is this world at all for him (“ab bazaar kyaa”)?
The word “bazaar” here refers to ‘duniya ka bazaar’ in poetic form.
(There is another famous ghazal by Akbar Allahabadi
‘Duniya mein hoon duniya ka talabgaar nahin hoon,
Bazaar se guzra hoon kharidaar nahin hoon’
The reference to the “bazaar” is the same).
DUNIYAA SE LE CHALAA HAI JO TU HASRATON KAA BOJH
As you prepare to depart from this life (this world), you wish to carry with yourself a cluster of unfulfilled desires (hasraton kaa bojh).
SAATH NAHIN HAI SAR PE GUNAAHON KAA BOJH KYAA
Are you oblivious of the huge burden of your misdeeds (gunaahon kaa bojh), that you are carrying? The poet alludes here that his misdeeds greatly outnumber and outweigh his desires and wishes; and that his misdeeds are so numerous that he should not deserve to wish or desire any happiness.
BAAD-E-FANAA FUZOOL HAI NAAM-O-NISHAAN KI JEET
After my destruction / death (baad-e-fanaa), it is uselss (fuzool) that my name and my memories (naam-o-nishaan) to last forever. The word “jeet” here is used in context that the name and memories be victorious over death i.e. one will be remembered after physically leaving this world.
A deeper meaning here is that the poet talks about his destruction, and not death. Destruction in the terms that his heart is broken, that he desires end of his existence as a person. What is the use now for the people to know him or recognize him; or even that he himself does not care that the people know him and recognize him.
JAB HAM NAHIN RAHE TO RAHEGAA MAZAAR KYAA
When my own existence has come to an end, how will my mausoleum (mazaar) exist forever? The word “mazaar” refers to a physical tomb or a gravestone, but in this line it also alludes to recognition and memories. The poet, in his extreme dejection, is equating his recognition (by others) and his remembrance (by others) to his grave, thereby alluding that there is nothing good and happy in his life to be remembered. Further, the poet alludes that the world does not care to remember or retain any memories once you are gone.
A brief note on style of singing. In the late 30s and 40s, a number of new singers started their careers by emulating the style of the great stalwarts of that era, namely KC Dey, Pankal Mullick and KL Saigal. Check out the early works of singers like Surendra, Mukesh, Rafi and yes, even Kishore Kumar. One finds an unmistakable influence of the established style of singing. It is amazing, but even Kishore Kumar in his very first song, is trying to sound like KL Saigal. And of course, CH Atma sustained that style throughout his career. Others, i.e. Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore very quickly moved on to establish their own unique sound and style of singing. This ghazal is one of the very early work of Mukesh, and he is sounding very close in style to KL Saigal. So one has to be careful while listening, to decipher the words based on the context. E.g. the second line of the mukhda; the second word is ‘nashaa’ but sounds like ‘nachaa’ because of the nasal tonal quality. Similarly, the second line of the first antara; the first word is ‘saath’ but sounds very much like ‘saathi’ due to a slightly longer emphasis on the second syllable.
The complete ghazal is now reproduced below.
aaaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
saaqi nashaa sharaab hataao, ab bazaar kyaa
saaqi nashaa sharaab hataao, ab bazaar kyaa
duniyaa se le chalaa hai jo tu hasraton kaa bojh
duniyaa se le chalaa hai jo tu hasraton kaa bojh
saath nahin hai sar pe gunaahon kaa bojh kyaa
saath nahin hai sar pe gunaahon kaa bojh kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
baad-e-fanaa fuzool hai naam-o-nishaan ki jeet
baad-e-fanaa fuzool hai naam-o-nishaan ki jeet
jab ham nahin rahe to rahegaa mazaar kyaa
jab ham nahin rahe to rahegaa mazaar kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
dil hi bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
Rgds
Sudhir
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February 20, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Waah waah ! What an explanation. Indeed the lyrics given by you make sense now.
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September 10, 2012 at 8:42 pm
In the seventh line ‘bojh’ should have been bar, which means bojh. It is the command of kafia. Tiwari must have written ‘bar’ originally, but might have changed at the insistance of m.d. or the director as ‘bar’ is not in common use. Bazar and Mazar do meet the need of kafia of the ghazal.
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February 20, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Sudhir ji,
I am impressed with your comments on this song/gazal.You have really poured your heart in discussing the song/gazal,with emotions.I appreciate it and it gives me immense pleasure to know that there still are people who involve themselves in the pursuit of their hobbies so much.
Thank you !
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February 20, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Arun ji
Thanks for your appreciation. 🙂
Yes, I do have a love for poetry, and it really fascinates me how some people can pack so much meaning and emotion in so few words. Some written words are so impressive, they simply persuade you to think more and delve further into the meaning.
Rgds
Sudhir
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May 6, 2012 at 8:51 am
check about the song Dil hi bujha hua;i have posted correct lyrics.
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February 20, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Sudhir sir’s effort and the result is definitely praiseworthy. I also tried to decipher the peculiar pronounciation of those words yesterday.
One minor variation could be in the second shair :
duniyaa se le chalaa hai jo tu hasraton kaa bojh
Kaafi nahin hai sar pe gunaahon kaa bojh kyaa
or even “gunaahon ka baar kya”. But the sound is definitely ‘bojh’ , so bojh it is.
In the final shair, the word fuzool sounded too much like fuzun, except that there appears to be no such word in either urdu or farsi.
I have never read the word ‘naacha’ in any serious urdu poetry of the yore. though ghalib, iqbal etc. used ‘tamasha’ frequetnly.
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February 21, 2011 at 12:13 am
Hi Nahm,
Thanks for your post, and the suggested correction. I heard the song again, and I agree with your correction. The word ‘saath’ should be replaced with ‘kaafi’. It both fits the spoken sound, as well as fits more correctly into the meaning.
duniyaa se le chalaa hai jo tu hasraton kaa bojh
kaafi nahin hai sar pe gunaahon kaa bojh kyaa
As you prepare to depart from this life (this world), you wish to carry with yourself a cluster of unfulfilled desires (hasraton kaa bojh). Are you oblivious of the huge burden of your misdeeds (gunaahon kaa bojh), that you are carrying? Is that burden not enough?
Thanks again
Sudhir
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February 21, 2011 at 10:00 am
This jugalbandi over the meanings and appropriateness of words is immensely enjoyable.
Thanks,Atulji,for providing a platform for the true connoisseurs,to pour their expressions and share them with likeminded people worldwide.
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February 21, 2011 at 10:59 am
Indeed it is highly satisfying that likeminded people can share their views in the field of old Hindi music that is a rather specialised field which do not attract the attention of two many music lovers. I am happy that we are able to share our views and information with other several likeminded people here. The information that is thus getting accumulated is indeed invaluable.
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February 21, 2011 at 5:28 pm
My compliments to Sudhir for such thoughtful analysis. A small observation though – in the third line, instead of हटाओ it should be हटा, for the sake of proper metre. It is quite ususal in Urdu poetry to alter a word slightly even departing from its correct grammatical form for rhyming and metre. You would find it difficult to sing the line with hataao.
Another interesting point is that you often find Dil jalta hai to jalne de from Pehli Nazar (1945) being mistakenly mentioned as Mukesh’s first song. This came four years later, and surely Mukesh must have sung several songs in between. I am not aware of any song in the interregnum, at least one can safely say Dil jalata hai was the first song that brought Mukesh national fame. But it would be a wonderful exploration for Atul ji to find Mukesh songs of 1941-45.
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February 21, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Some information about Mukesh songs during1940 to 1945.
Mukesh recorded 3 non-filmi songs in 1940( sanvar yaar/Ab tu hai dilgir/Allah maula dekh jara ).
Mukesh sang “Ab der na kar sajan” in film Dukh sukh(1942) Mukesh sang in Nirdosh(1941).
In addition,there are 115 unreleased songs of Mukesh,but no deatils of their year of recording are availabale.Some of these may be from the period in discussion.
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February 22, 2011 at 8:37 am
fasle-bahar means basant ritu means flowers blooming season. poet sitting in maikhana,dont want to drink any more as he is fed up from this world.Poet is depressed that he is leaving this world without fullfilling all the promises made,but then he felt that he is even unable to carry weight of all bad deeds on his head after death. Poet further says when this world is non-existenti i.e.nashwar,what is the fun putting your name plates everywhere.When Myself is no more,but is the fun of yadgars in my name.
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May 5, 2012 at 2:59 pm
sorry to find everyone mistaking the lyrics due to unclear sound. let me correct; saqi hai kya sharaab hai kya sabjzaar kya; meaning whats saqi ( the lurer),whats sharaab and in the end whats thegreenery(alluring) in life.
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September 10, 2012 at 8:50 pm
It should be sabzazar and not subzaar. Rest seems to be all right.
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June 18, 2012 at 8:07 am
Hi Atul, I see another error in the antra: bade fanaa fuzool hai namo nishan ki fikr: please correct it.I have original version if you have guessed by my name.
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August 14, 2013 at 11:05 am
My dear Tiwari,
You seem to be a worthy son of a worthy father. Kindly upload on the net all the information you have with you regarding your father. I understand he was a great friend of kavi Pradeep and an active member of IPTA. I want to write an article on him as a lyricist. I value his contribution and feel pained that he was not given his due.
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October 13, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Atul ji / Sudhir ji,
In an old issue of Listeners’ Bulletin No. 27 of November 1976,
I found the original Lyrics of the above song.
Here it is-
Dil hi buzaa hua ho to faslebahar kya
Saqi hai kya,sharaab hai kya,sabz bazaar kya
Duniya se ley chala hai jo tu hasaraton ka boz
kafi nahi hai sar pe gunahon ka boz kya ?
baad e fanaa fizul hai,namo nishan ki fikr
jab hum nahi rahe to rahega mazaar kya ?
i am sure it must have been taken from the original booklet of the film,by Harmandir ji.
This should settle all the discussion on its lyrics now.
-AD
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
February 19, 2011 at 7:21 pm
The missing word is bazaar.
” saaqi nachaa,sharaab hansaa,ab bazaar kya “
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February 19, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Indeed it sounds that way. But what would that line mean ? If it was “bachaa kyaa” then it would make more sense, I think.
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