Sunday, February 17, 2008

Lyrics...without the music.

Well, here's something I spend nearly all my time unconsciously collecting-those words or lines that sum up exactly what you're feeling deep or not-so deep-within. The reason why some songs just hit you or make you cry or make you realise that someone way across the globe feels the same way you do-irrespective of the language, the genre. Human emotion seems to be global-atleast that's what I've found. Here is a collection of some of the words that have touched me through songs in Arabic, Spanish, Hindi and of course English. These are words that I have scrawled in the back pages of my journal, in the margins of class notes, in cards to friends, on chart paper stuck up on my wall, as messenger nicknames, as text messages and even to describe myself or state of mind on social networking websites. These are the songs I sing to myself before moments I dread, during days I need strength to get through or simply because they define a state I want to live in forever. And sometimes simply because they amuse me to no end because of their pure and simple honesty... Hope you share my opinion, and if you don't, just go listen to techno!

(In no particular order)

1)“Lli fat mat, lli fat mat! Defnu-h et-twala! Lli fat mat!Xetwa mwura xetwa, ishara mwura ishara, gerreb men lli baid u xalli el-madi f-el-madi!Ma tderr h’add! Ma teh’sed h’add! smaa el-maaqul, u kun karim! Derrej l-uraq, qsem el-h’anana! Lli dyal-ek dyal-u, nsa el-h’riq! Ma tkun ghir nefs-ek! El h'ayat terjaa u twulli ki l-melh'un, ki l-mel'hun!"
(What is past is dead and gone, what is past is dead and gone, the last have been buried, what is past is dead and gone.Step after step, gesture after gesture, get closer to the far distance and leave the past to the past!Don’t hurt anyone, don’t be jealous of anyone! Listen to the wise and be modest. Turn the page, share tenderness! What is yours is his! Forget the pain, be yourself, and from life, make a poem, make a poem….)
- 'Lli Fat mat'('What's past is past'), Rachid Taha

2)"Let's see colours that have never been seen
Let's go to places no one else has been
You're in my mind, all of the time
I know that's not enough
But if the sky can crack
There must be some way back
To love and only love"-
'Electrical Storm', U2


3) "Ana gelb-i safi!
Nebghi el- h'obb zahwani!
Ana gelb-i safi!
Safi safi zahwani!"
(As for me, my heart is pure. I like joyous love, As for me my heart is pure, Joyous!
-'Safi'('Pure'), Rachid Taha

4)"But I'm a million different people from one day to the next..."
-'Bittersweet Symphony', The Verve

5)"Oh can't you see what love has done to every broken heart
Oh can't you see what love has done for every heart that cries
Love left a window in the skies
And to love I rhapsodize "
-'Window in the Skies', U2

6)"Take a tip and do yourself a little service
Take a mountain turn it into a mole"
-'The Denial Twist', The White Stripes

7)"And we all sympathize with your torn-apart heart
And your really artistic worldly views
It sells records when you're sad these days
It's super cool to be mad these days "
-'I'm Gay', Bowling for Soup

8)You say you'll give me a highway with no one on it
A treasure just to look upon it
All the riches in the night
You say you'll give me eyes in a world of blindness
A river in a time of dryness
A harbour in the tempest
But all the promises we make
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you "
-'All I Want Is You', U2

9) Everybody's gonna love today,
Gonna love today, gonna love today
Everybody's gonna love today,
Gonna love today,
Anyway you want to, anyway you've got to,
Love love me, love love me, love love."
-'Love Today', Mika

10) "And I can hear the bells
Are ringing joyful and triumphant"
-"I Hear the Bells', Mike Doughty

11)"Baby slow down
The end is not as fun as the start
Please stay a child somewhere in your heart....
...Some things you shouldn't get too good at
Like smiling, crying and celebrity
Some people got way too much confidence baby"
-'Original of the Species', U2

12)"Oh you don't mean nothing at all to me
No you don't mean nothing at all to me
Do you got what it takes to set me free
Oh you could mean everything to me"
-'Say it Right', Nelly Furtado

13)"You've been living underground
You've been eating from a can
You've been running away from what you don't understand-
Love....
...To touch is to heal
To hurt is to steal
If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel"
-'Mysterious Ways', U2

14)"Touch me.
It's so easy to leave me,
All alone with the memories
Of my days in the sun.
If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is.
Look, a new day has begun."
-'Memories', Andrew Lloyd Weber

15)"I believe in the kingdom come
When all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well, yes I'm still running"
-'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for', U2

16)"I think I'm in love but it makes me kinda nervous to say so"
-'Think I'm in Love', Beck

17)"Ek rastaa mera
Ek rasta teraa
Hum donoh ki manzil judaa
Hum do humsafar
Hum do ajnabee
Hum donoh ka ek khudaah

Huye begane kyun
Huye anjaaney kyun"

(You have your path
I have my path
Our destinations are separate
We are two co travellers
We are two strangers
Our God is the same

Why did we become out of tune?
Why did we become unknown to each other?)

-'Anjaane' (Strangers), Strings

16)"I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman be still.
I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman, I will."
-'Trying to throw your arms around the world', U2

17)"Hoy puede apagarse el sol pero no la luz de mi alma"
(Today, you can turn off the sun, but not the light of my soul)
-'Un dia normal' ('A normal day'), Juanes

18)"Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara
Khwaja mere khwaja
dil mein sama ja
Beqaso ki taqdeer,
tune hai sawari "

(Oh Saint Khwaja
Reside in my heart
King of kings
Ali's beloved
Oh Saint Khwaja
Reside in my heart
The destiny of the ones in despair,
You have changed for the better)

-'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' ('Saint Khwaja of Mine'), lyrics by Gulzar, composed by A.R.Rahman from the movie 'Jodhaa-Akbar'

19)"This memory of Eden haunts us all"
-'Desert Rose', Sting

20)"Kiske Dil Mein Kya Chhupa Hai Sab Tumhein Maaloom Hai....
....baaba jo bhi aapaka ho chuka use kya gumaan hoga piya haaji ali piya haaji ali piya haaji ali piya ho"
(what is hidden in somebody's heart, everything is known to you...
....o sage, whoever has become yours, he wil not carry any misgivings)

'Piya Haji Ali', lyrics by Shaukat Ali, Tejpal Kaur, Gulzar, Sameer, composed by A.R.Rahman from the movie 'Fiza'

21)"Thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not doubt that this love is real
So I got down on my knees and I prayed to the skies
When I looked up could I trust my eyes?
All the saints and angels and the stars up above
They all bowed down to the flower of creation
Every man every woman
Every race every nation
It all comes down to this Sacred love"
-'Sacred Love', Sting

22) “Nah'seb f-il-yam, nah'seb!
Men-el-uwwel l-et-tali,
Nestenna briya talfa, ishara
Nestenna imara"
(I count the days, I count. From first to last, waiting for a lost message, for a gesture, waiting for a message, a sign.)
-'Nah'seb' (I Count), Rachid Taha

23) “Khul Gaya Aasmaan Ka Rasta Dekho Khul Gaya
Mil Gaya Kho Gaya Tha Jo Sitara Mil Gaya, Mil Gaya
Roshan huyi saari Zameen,
jag mag huya saara jahaan
Udne ko tu azaad hai
Bandhan koi ab hai kahaan”

(The way to the sky has opened up
The lost star has been found
The entire ground is lit up
the entire world is glittering
you are free to fly
there is nothing to hold you back)

-‘Kholo kholo’(Open, open), Raman Mahadevan from the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’

24) “Singing Amen, I’m alive,
Amen, I’m alive..
If everyone cared and nobody cried,
If everyone loved and nobody lied,
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we’d see the day when nobody died”
-‘If Everyone Cared’, Nickelback

25) “It’s a new dawn, and a new day and a new life for me
And I’m feelin good”
-‘Feelin’ good’, The Pussycat Dolls

26)If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate

If I could
throw this
Lifeless lifeline to the wind
Leave this heart of clay
See you walk, walk away
Into the night
And through the rain
Into the half-light
And through the flame

If I could through myself
Set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day

To let it go
And so to fade away
To let it go
And so fade away

I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no

If you should ask then maybe they'd
Tell you what I would say
True colors fly in blue and black
Blue silken sky and burning flag
Colors crash, collide in blood shot eyes

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would Let it go...
This desperation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation

Let it go
And so fade away
To let it go
And so fade away
To let it go
And so to fade away
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no
-'Bad', U2

27)"I'm going back to the start"
-'The Scientist', Coldplay

Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Soul Sessions

I don't mean to sound like an email forward or an sms (probably not an sms because I'm pretty long-winded out here in Estarra) on harbouring goodwill for your neighbour, loving life and celebrating every moment and allllllllll those things that come in succulent points as reminders to what you should realise about this short existence. {Even if you do recognise the said things but are not in the mood to care anyway! Especially since those words of wisdom are so hard to follow up on when your neighbour is conniving little twerp or you just crashed your car into someone else's and you have an exam in ten minutes ;), personal note here}
Well, I slightly strayed from the point. What I intended to say is, that I don't mean to sound preachy but everything in life is meant for a reason, a lesson. And I learnt quite a few lessons over the past few days....

Acting as an amateur journalist for the past three days on account of a conference that was conducted in my college, I got to meet a lot of educators and listen to a lot of discussions on the current education system. Informative insights were delivered. From the numerous notes I scribbled, I definitely benefited intellectually and came away with new perspectives on education and learning (not to mention a simultaneous quasi-workshop on journalism-what with the reporting, interviewing and camera work we had to do!) But besides that, I learnt some things which struck a chord in my soul and as 'internet preachy forward' as they sound, just give them an unbiased read... :)

*Each one of us has something to say-old or new, borrowed or original, crystal clear or abstract. But each of us has something to say...and the irrepressible need to say it.

*You are all that belongs to you. So it's natural for you to have a rather keen interest in yourself. But there's so much to learn from the other six billion people that constitute this planet! Seriously!

*Idealistic or otherwise, anybody's vision or dream for a perfect society is meant to be respected and not ridiculed.

*Solutions CAN be found.

*Everybody feels like a star when their opinion is sought. It gives the most often forgotten joy-the joy of feeling important, of feeling needed.

*Talk to everyone! Smile at everyone!

*Work is worship.

*No matter how much you say that your own personal satisfaction is what counts, there is nothing like the appreciation from an external source, especially coming from someone whom you respect and look up to the most. There is nothing to replace that feeling.

*Team work is perhaps much harder than individual effort but immensely rewarding. There is nothing like celebrating as a group, as a makeshift family, tired but tired together.

*Everything turns out alright in the end. :) It really does.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Let me be me!!!!

Let me be me!!!!

To be lazy and and lie around the house in shorts and ridiculously oversized t shirts, watching tv and reading books about following dreams when I either have too many or none...
To be hyperactive and super productive, regarding the smallest of duties, acting like a CEO and feeling that happily tired feeling after a job well done...

To not want to go to a coffee place or a disco not because I don't love you, my friends, or because I hate coffee or dancing but because I just don't want to do the above...
To listen to any kind of music I want in any language which talks about everything under the sun and does not just weep over tainted love...

To be a 'nerd', an 'over-enthu', a 'weirdo', a 'specimen', because atleast I don't get bored...
To be as split personality as I am, even if sometimes I'm on silent mode...

To respect anyone and everyone as a human being first and not to scorn them or judge them, because we all have something to offer...
To be everything that I should be as a powerful, independent individual and not to be restricted because I am a daughter...

To speak up and shut up whenever I feel like, because there is so much to be understood from my silence...
To accept me for hesitation and impulsiveness, for doubt and optimism, for intensity and patience...

To be afraid and to find strength in its recognition...
To say all that I want to say and find ultimate liberation..

To find a miracle in a blue sky, in a lyric of a song, in my own smile so broad...
And to recognise in each miracle, the outstretched hand of God...

Friday, February 1, 2008

I met the president!

Well, not Prathiba Patel. But the former president of India, the man who's inspired millions and who's taught us to dream, dream and dream!
Yup!!!!
It's rather surreal to believe that I was actually face to face with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and I'm still finding hard to believe.
It's not like I'm a this diehard fan ( I must confess, I've never read 'Ignited Minds') but I've always had profound respect for our former president, not just for his achievements but for the person that he is-the innocence, the childlike curiosity and the humility that he exudes.
Here's what happened. I was online as usual, had gotten back home from my exam and was whining about this fever I had-head throbbing, swollen throat etc and generally being a pain for everyone in the vicinity when I got this call demanding to come to college IMMEDIATELY...I was going to interview... Abdul Kalam!
Needless to say, I raced out of the house, jumped into my car and drove numbly to college, head throbbing and heat beating with excitement.
The deal was he was visiting to participate in a seminar in my college and we had to catch him before he left. A gang of 4 of us (me to ask the question and one person to shoot it on camera included) lurked around the area until a kind soul who knew one of our gang spotted us and motioned us forward.
We waited till he came walking towards us, flanked by security and other officials. He was smaller in physical stature than the rest, but stood out because of the benign expression he had on his face.
Here was the moment. Now or never. I approached him, asking if I could ask him a question.
He was so adorable! He brushed the formality aside and was more curious about us! He asked us if we were students and good students at that. I said yes but my friend hesitated and he said "Why?? Why don't you say 'YES!'?" , he said with his gentle, unassuming smile.
I proceeded to my question then, asking him about his message- to dream, dream and dream. But what about a young child who cannot afford to dream?
(I know, I know. A very boring question! But the documentary is about education and we wanted him to basically give his views on education for all)
Dr. Kalam listened to my question carefully but took no time to answer. He spoke about his vision 2020 and that education for all could be possible only as a result of development in all other spheres. He said that our duty was to be good students and if we were, then we could easily help the young child by each of us teaching one. His parting words were "And listen to your parents!"
We stepped back as he walked away, briskly (for a man of 77 years he walked faster than any of my peers!) as he was in such great demand. My friend and I hugged each other and we danced around (our professor declaring that this was our first taste of true journalism) as if in a surreal dream.
As we watched him walk away, surrounded by people, all wanting to share a little bit of his glow, to demonstrate their appreciation and to convey the impact that he has had on their lives in just a few moments of meeting. I stood apart, absorbing the scene and felt like a fake. Here I was, asking a question about an issue that I did care about but had no intentions to do something about and listening to an answer given by a great man, and nodding like I was going to take up his advice. I felt guilty. I still do.
I wish I could go up to him and ask him how we could get rid of this inertia that's sweeping over most of the youth today. About how we're imbibing the 'me' culture from the west while rejecting the west's values of growing social consciousness. About how to retain our individuality while being united with the rest of humanity. About how to seek spirituality whilst striving for material happiness.
I could go on forever. Perhaps, one day, I would get a chance to ask that great little gentleman all these questions. Till then, I'll probably set off to seek the answers myself.

P.S: What would you ask him?