Chandi jaisa Rang hai Tera...

Chandi jaisa Rang hai Tera...

Its a beautiful day today. No scorching heat. No clouds. Clear blue skies and very pleasant. Just a hint of breeze romancing with the trees in Infy campus. Reminded me of my training days in Mysore.

But that is not all. I listened to one of my personal favorite songs after such a long time. It is a gazal written by Janaab Khatil Shifai, and sung by Pankaj Udhas. The lyrics go like this

Chandi jaisa ranga hai tera
Sone jaise baal,
Ek tu hi dhanwan hai gori
Baaki sab kangaal...

This songs speaks so romatically about the beauty of a woman. I am not proficient in Urdu but the style in which this song has been composed any lay man will also feel what exactly the poet wants to say. He has not only praised her beauty which immensely mesmerises the listener, but at the same time prays that no Evil Eye ever catches even a glimpse of her and that she may live a thousand years.

During my training days, a friend of mine came and visited me in Mysore. He stayed for two days. We had a lot of fun in that time. Lunches, dinners... had a very nice time. Then, like al good things must come to an end, he had to leave to get back to his city. That was his last evening there. We dined in one of the plush restaurants Mysore could offer. Hotel Nityanand. A well lit place, perfectly suited for a romatic dinner. And for the icing on the cake, there was a Mehfil, something that I never expected in a city like Mysore. People requested for gazals. And the singer happily sang most of the gazals. I also gave him a list of songs. One of them was our very own, "Chandi Jaisa Rang". I was hoping against hope, while he looked at my list that he may sing this one. He shuffled through his old, tattered book to find lyrics of any of the ones listed. In less than 5 mins, he started playing his harmonium and there! He did sing "Chandi jaisa rang hai tera..."

I just couldn't stop smiling while he was singing. And my friend not only enjoyed the song but also my facial expressions. :)