My school friend – Sanjay Saha – recently introduced me to the Bangla Band – “Joler Gaan”. I did not know of them. But very nice renditions of Bengali folks songs.

পরের জায়গা পরের জমিন, ঘর বানাইয়া আমি রই
আমি তো সেই ঘরের মালিক নই

“Porer jaga porer jomin, ghor banaiya aami roi
Ami to sei ghorer malik noi”

The folk song muses that nothing is really ours. We build “our” house on “our” land… and yet, nothing really is “ours”.

Chori chori ham se tum aa kar mile the jis jagah
Muddatein guzariin par ab tak wo thikaanaa yaad hai
Ham ko ab tak aashiqii ka vo zamana yaad hai
Chupke chupke raat din aansuu bahana yaad hai

Aa gaya gar vasl ki shab bhi kahin zikr-e-firaaq
Vo tera ro ro ke bhi mujhko rulana yaad hai
Ham ko ab tak aashiqii ka vo zamana yaad hai
Chupke chupke raat din aansuu bahana yaad hai

Roughly translated…

That place where you used to come to meet me secretly
Much time has gone by but I still remember that place
I still remember those days when we were in love
I still remember tears flowing secretly day and night

If ever any mention of parting came up during those nights of love
I remember how you would keep crying and then make me cry
I still remember those days when we were in love
I still remember tears flowing secretly day and night

This was written by and also sung by Hemanta Mukherjee. I think he also composed the tunes.

O Nodire
Ekti kotha shudhai shudhu tomaare
Bolo kothay tomar desh
Tomar neiki cholaar shesh

Amay bhabcho michei por
Tomar naai ki oboshor
Shukh dukkher kotha kichu
Koile na hoy amaare

Roughly translated:
(improvements welcome)

Oh! you incessantly flowing river
I have but this one query for you
From where are you coming
And is there no end to your flowing?

You seem to be blissfully unfettered
Bereft of your own abode
One moment I see you receding in an ebb
And in the next you are rushing in a tide

You break a bank on one side
Only to create another on the other
And what do you do for those
Who have lost on all their sides?

Do not think of me as a stranger
For whom you have no time nor tide
Why don’t you pause next to me
And narrate the story of your life?

A tad too cold to step out right now. Time for some oldies from Hemanta Mukherjee

Well, actually, it was three of us!

The three girls are out. Gave me a chance to get the record player going!

The beauty of the words can only be bested by the tune. Both of which are from Rabi Guha Majumdar. While there are many renditions of this song – and most would say Feroza Begum is the absolute authority on this, I would lean equally to the one by Kaushiki Chakraborty.

Translations of any poem never can carry the whole impact since emotions find it infinitely more difficult to cross language bridges than words do. That said, it might be instructional to remember here that while the song is ostensibly about the moonlight, metaphorically, it is referring to the person the poet loves.

Also, if you are not familiar with the traditional Indian dress “saree” – it is a long flowing piece of cloth that women wear with great elegance.

Anyways, the words of the first stanza go…

“জোছনা করেছে আড়ি
আসেনা আমার বাড়ি 
গলি দিয়ে চলে যায়,
লুটিয়ে রুপোলি শাড়ী”

Roughly speaking, (improvements welcome)

“She is upset with me like never before
For no more does she grace my abode
Quietly, she moves thru the neighboring lane
Sweeping all along with her saree’s train”