This is a very touching real life incident about a non-film song sung by our beloved Geeta ji.
As narrated by our friend Soumya Roy ji.
Let me share with you a story I had heard from (composer) Anal Chatterjee’s mouth. Btw, Sir Salil (Choudhury) had three famous proteges all of whom blossomed into first class music directors in Bangla modern music without copying Salil’s style. They were Anal Chatterjee, Prabir Mazumdar and Abhijit Banerjee.”Koto gaan … haaralam” is an Anal Chatterjee score of unmatched beauty.
In his own words, this was a song composed in 1964 at a time Geeta Dutt’s personal life was in shambles and the lady had become a wreck and a recluse. With a lot of effort Anal had managed to get Geeta to hear the song. So tremendous was its impact that she heard it just once and was ready to record. She cried through the entire recording, streams of tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks and throat smudging the inked lyric sheet mounted on the metal stand below the recording mike beyond legibility. But Geeta didn’t need to see the words any more – it was a song that reflected her life …..
Details of the song:
Song : Kato Gaan Haralam Tomar Maajhe (Private Song)
Composer : Anal Chatterjee
Lyricist : Prabodh Ghosh
Singer : Geeta Dutt
The lyrics of the song are as follows:
Kato Gaan Haralam Tomar Maajhe,
Aajke Keno Go Balo Shei Gaan Dola Dey Shokal-Sanjhe?
Tumi Nei Shur Nei Kande Je Akaash.
Phuleder Mone Nei Oolir Bilaash.
Tabu Keno Shey Diner Dokhin Bataash Dhara Diye Jaay Aajo Shakol Kaaje?
Jakhon Jeebane Mor Choiti Jharar Bela Shey.
Takhan Keno Go Balo Basanta Phule Phule Hashe?
Aei Raat Aei Gaan Swapnamaya.
Keno Aar Daake Michhe Shei Aaleya?
Keno Aaj Bone-Bone Shey Aalo-Chhaya?
Bholaay Mon Aeki Natun Saaje?
A native Bengali speaker may be able to understand and appreciate the finer nuances of the words in this song, but for the rest of us it is pretty difficult to grasp the same. Hence we requested our friend Sounak Gupta, a school going kid (and a huge bhakt of Geeta ji) to help us with the meaning of the song.
Sounak put his heart and soul in this song and has come up with this detailed analysis of the song and its deeper meaning. It is our pleasure to share the same with you.
Lyrics (Line 1) : Kato Gaan Haralam Tomar Majhe,
Literal Translation (Line 1) : Lost So Many Songs Amidst You,
Meaning (Line 1) : On the allegorical plane, “Gaan” which literally means “Song” may be considered as inspiration (or rather, hope to live)… The person says that (one may consider ‘her’ in this case) her departed beloved was her inspiration and provided her hope to live. In poetic words, the hopes for living have been “Lost” amidst the beloved.
Lyrics (Line 2) : Aajke Keno Go Balo Shei Gaan Dola Daey Sakal Kaaje?
Literal Translation (Line 2) : Why Today That Song Sways In My Mind In Whatever I Do?
Meaning (Line 2) : In such a time, when she can not get her beloved back, she reminisces the days when her beloved inspired her continuously (that means, the days when he was on the earth). This memory brings down gloominess in her mind.
Lyrics (Line 3) : Tumi Nei Shur Nei Kande Je Akaash,
Literal Translation (Line 3) : You Are Absent Hence Tunes Are Absent And The Skies Lament,
Meaning (Line 3) : She laments that the departure of her beloved has broken the tune of her life and in all her imaginations (compared to “Akaash” or the sky as imagination is limitless) there is only sorrow at present.
Lyrics (Line 4) : Phuleder Mone Nei Oolir Bilash.
Literal Translation (Line 4) : The Minds Of The flowers Get No Chance To Comfort The Bees.
Meaning (Line 4) : To her the whole world seems to have become full of darkness and she visualizes that the bees, having got the sorrowful news of the end of her beloved, have given up drinking nectar from the heart of flowers.
Lyrics (Line 5) : Tabu Keno Shey Diner Dokhin Batash Dhora Diye Jaay Aajo Shakol Kaaje?
Literal Translation (Line 5) : Yet Why Do The Southern Winds Meet Me In Whatever I Do?
Meaning (Line 5) : To her it seems that the winds are carrying to her the fond memories of the days when she and her beloved were together, at all times. She questions why the winds do so.
Lyrics (Line 6) : Jakhon Jeebane Mor Chaiti Jhorar Bela Shey,
Literal Translation (Line 6) : When The Time Has Come For My Happy Days To End,
Meaning (Line 6) : She knows that this is the time since when the colourful days of her life will be over, in the sense, she will lose the joy of living. (“Chaiti” is the poetic form of the word “Chaitra” which is the last month of the Bengali calendar and she knows that “Chaiti” or an end has come to the joyful days of her life too).
Lyrics (Line 7) : Takhon Keno Go Balo Basanta Phule-Phule Hashe?
Literal Translation (Line 7) : At Such A Time Why Does The Spring Smile Through All Its Flowers?
Meaning (Line 7) : “Basanta” is the Bengali word for the colourful spring season. She laments that although this is her “Chaiti Jharar Bela” or end of happy days, “Basanta Phule-Phule Hashe” or colourful memories of the past haunt her mind. (When her beloved was present, she possessed the joy of living hence she was “Colourful” and now that he is no more, she has lost the joy of living and hence she expects everything around her to be pale but the “Colourful” phase of her life is continuously coming back into her thoughts.)
Lyrics (Line 8 ) : Aie Raat Aie Gaan Swapna-Maya,
Literal Translation (Line 8 ) : This Night And This Song Is All My Dream,
Meaning (Line 8 ) : She realizes that the colourful spring that plays hide and seek with her mind (takes her memory to the past happy days) is false like a dream and those colourful days would never return.
Lyrics (Line 9) : Keno Aar Daake Michhe Shei Aaleya?
Literal Translation (Line 9) : Why Does The False Will-O-Wisp Call Me Again?
Meaning (Line 9) : Memories of her past days appear now as false will-o-wisps to her. Hence she laments that she can not forget those colourful days although she is wishing to. She has begun to realize that thinking about her past would hence give her nothing but sorrow hence the wish to forget those days.
Lyrics (Line 10) : Keno Aaj Bone-Bone Shey Aalo-Chhaya,
Literal Translation (Line 10) : Why In The Forests Is This Game Of Light And Shadow,
Meaning (Line 10) : She questions why the sun goes on playing the light and shadow game with the trees hence not letting a complete reality (either light or shadow) take shape.
Lyrics (Line 11) : Bhulaay Ae Mon Ae Ki Notun Shaaje?
Literal Translation (Line 11) : Falsely Guide My Mind To This New Attire?”
Meaning (Line 11) : She imagines that just in the same way as above, memories of her past happy days are playing the light and shadow game with her (endlessly haunting her soul) and not letting her mind be confirmed that her beloved is no more and the “Colourful” days of her life are over (thoughts reflecting her blissful past are confusing her to such an extent that she can not identify the reality).
Thanks Soumya ji for sharing this incident with us. Thanks Sounak for all the hard work you have put.
* This post was originally posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2010. We lost some pages due to technical issue. Now we are in the process of re-publishing these articles.