Shiv Kumar Batalvi, A Legend….

There are so many writers in this world and there is just an ocean of literature. But despite the fact that all the writers are good and the entire literature of the world is nice, I still love Punjabi literature and its writers the most. You may call it whatever you want but this is what I really love and it has reasons. And out of all, the foremost reason is that no culture is as rich in its wealth as Punjabi culture and I have yet to read some thing which is as romantic or as painful or as joyful as Punjabi writer’s writing are. There is no disrespect to anyone else or any other language but this is what my choice is!

There are a lot of writers but few only have power to become immortals with their work. Only some chosen ones have a power to write fire with their words. Out of those few, Shiv Kumar Batalvi stands apart. It wont ever happen that anyone would be able to touch even the heights where he is with his writing. Its a pity that Shiv had to leave this world so early but in his very small life span, he has created that verdicts which are going to be remembered as long as a single soul even will be alive over this earth.

After a long time, I heard today 2 songs of Shiv today. There were two reasons of this. One, I didn’t hear them from so long and I really wanted to listen them because it doesn’t matter how many times one would listen them, they sound as fresh as ever all the time. Second reason was that my mood today was resembling those two songs today. Somehow I was having the same feelings inside me today which are mentioned in these songs. I thought to put them here. These songs are in Punjabi but I shall be putting their translation in English as well.

The first song is , Mae Ni Main Ik Shikra Yaar Banaya meaning that O my mother, I have made a hawk my beloved. It is said that Shiv used to love a gal and she left him and went to USA. There she did marry some one else. This thing broke Shiv completely. When he came to know that she has given birth to her first child, he wrote this legend. These are the feelings of a lover who is telling what he has done for his love but what he has got in the end. A marvellous song! Listen it here,

And here are the lyrics of it in Punjabi,

Mae in mae, main ik shikra yaar banaya,

Ohde sir te kalgi te ohdi pairin jhanjhar!

Oh chog chuginda aaya!

Ik ohde roop di dhupp tikheri,

Oh duja mehkan da tirhaya!

Teeja ohda rang gulabi,

Oh kise gori maan da jaya!

Ishqe da ik palang nuari,

Ve asin chananian vich daheya!

Tan di chadar ho gayi maili,

Os pair jad palanghe paya!

Dukh mere naina de koye,

Te vich had hanjhuan da aaya!

Saari raat gayi vich sochan,

Us ne ki julm kamaya!

Subah savere lai li vattna,

Ve asaan mal mal os nuvaya!

Dehi de vichon niklan chingan,

Ve saada hathh gaya kumlaya!

Choori kuttan te oh khanda nahin,

Ve asin dil da maas khuaya!

Ik udaari aisi maari,

Oh mud watni na aya oh mae in!

Main ik shikra yaar banaya…. 

 

And here is the meaning in English,

O my mother, I made a hawk my beloved,

A plume on his feet,

Bells on his feet!

He came pecking for grain!

His beauty was as sharp as sunlight,

And he was thirsty for fragnances!

Third, his color was like a red rose,

He must be son of a very fair mother!

A bed of love,

I laid for him under moonlight!

Sheet of this body was strained,

That very instant when he laid his feet over it!

Corner of my eyes hurt,

A flood of tears engulfed me!

All night long I tried to fathom,

How he could do this to me?

In early morning,

With beauty mix, I scrubbed and bathed his body!

There were flames coming out from the body,

My hand were burnt!

I crush food for him,

But he never ate!

So I fed him with flesh of my heart!

He took such a flight,

That he never returned back!

O my mother, I made a hawk my beloved….

I am sure you must have understood that here hawk is the gal who loved and left her beloved(Shiv himself). I really don’t think that I am worthy enough to add anything more to this. The pain , the feeling of seperation which Shiv has narrated here is saying it all. Anything added to it would be like showing torch to sun. So I am stopping here. Listen it and do let me know how did you find it?