And the perfect background to the song is Roshan’s music- a quiet mélange of the flute, some fleeting notes on a keyboard, Tabla, and that ever so expressive Sitar.

This song reminds me of the story of this singer I know- Shyam Subrahamaniyam
(who actually does have a voice exactly like Mohammad Rafi).

Coming from a family of genius mathematicians and gifted singers; Shyam is no exception.  And in that family of gifted people was a woman who, according to Shyam, was exceptionally gifted. His mother.

For Shyam, his mother was a goddess- he worshipped her, the beauty in her voice, and the motherhood in her. Being the youngest and inflicted with several diseases at a very young age, Shyam had always been closer to his mother than anyone else. As he grew up, he turned into a brilliant singer and a banker by profession. His insecurities went away but the love for his mother remaind untouched.

In the last days of her life when she was really sick- coughing, spitting blood, insomniac- she wanted Shyam to take care of her. And he did- he had his bed right next to her, so that he can be with her every minute.

One night, out of frustration over his mother’s condition, he could not sleep; and so, in that insanely ineffable darkness, he started singing this song.

His mother, in her sickness, tersely instructed him, “Shyam. Will you please turn off the radio?”

Shyam stopped singing.
She died the very night not knowing that it was not the radio but her son singing.

I think that Sahir wrote this song for Shyam. Because maybe, in some time warped parallel world, he had met with Shyam’s helplessness. That, maybe, years ago, Sahir had taken a time trip to the night when Shyam’s mother died, plucked this moment out of his life, and turned it into this song. Sahir had known to be able to do that.

A translation of this song will tell you what the words mean, but the real meaning will slip from your hands. So, as far as understanding the meaning of this song goes,  Shyam’s helplessness is the farthest that anyone can go. It is not entirely the meaning of this song, but it is the basis of it. And if you can’t understand the meaning of that helplessness, then you won’t be able to understand this song either.

Here are the lyrics:

Man re
tu kahe na dheer dhare…

Woh nirmohi moh na jaane
Jinka moh kare…
Is jeevan ki chadhti dalti
dhoop ko kisne bandha
Rang pe kisne pehre daale
roop ko kisne bandha
Kahe yeh jatan kare?

Man re
tu kahe na dheer dhare…

Utna hi upkaar samajh koi
jitna saath nibha de
Janam maran ka mail hai sapna
yeh sapna bikhara de
Koi na sang mare