Come sleep come…

This week, we are travelling far back in time. A time when whole movies used to be shot on a movie set, akin to a theatre performance. A time when background music was not so high-tech, nor the musical instruments were too advanced and complicated. A time when a simple-looking, short guy without chiselled abs could still be the main lead actor and the movie could still be a super-hit. A time when dances were probably carried out without properly choreographed moves (notice the dance in the songs).

Albela (strangely unique) is all that and more. A box-office super-hit of 1951, it was the biggest success in the acting career of Bhagwan Dada. An average looking man who rose from being the son of a mill worker into a self-made director, producer and actor. Along with Geeta Bali, this movie was one with a social message, as per the advise of Raj Kapur, which has some of the most iconic Bollywood songs of all time. It is a full-blown musical (12 songs in total, literally the movie breaks into songs at the most abrupt moments) and a feast for movie-making history lovers. In case you wish to see the origin of all those bombastic forever songs, you can watch the whole movie on YouTube. You might feel though that half of the movie is songs.

The story is quite simple. Pyarelal (Bhagwan dada) comes from a very poor family, struggling to gather money to get the youngest daughter (Pyarelal’s sister) married. Under such stressful circumstances when Pyarelal loses his job due to his dreams of becoming a theatre actor, the father gets into a huge argument with him and he leaves the house with the promise to come back only when he becomes a famous actor. Eventually he comes back after getting success and a girlfriend (Geeta Bali) but things have gone topsy-turvy at home (spoiler much!). The movie tries to showcase the state of women in terms of lack of education and employment opportunities, dowry demands and a general non-existence of the word ‘women empowerment‘ (I hardly think it was the keyword at that time). The movie does showcase social problems, but does it provide any solution? No, Not even a clear comment. For that you obviously will have to turn to Raj Kapur‘s movies.

Back to this song. Based on the beautiful Raga Piloo, there are three different versions of this song in the movie. Two female versions, happy and sad, sung by Lata Mangeshkar ji and one male version sung by C. Ramachandra. Here I am translating the happy version by Lata didi, which is in the form of a lullaby. One of the earliest Bollywood lullabies, it is so soothing to listen to, that you might actually fall asleep with it. The lyrics give the feel of a colloquial Hindi dialect and are quite simple. Might translate the sad version some other time. The male version has the same lyrics as the happy female version.

Female: Dheere se aaja ri ankhiyan mein
Nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja
Dheere se aaja ri ankhiyan mein, nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja

English: Come treading lightly into the eyes

Sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Come treading lightly into the eyes, sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Chupke se nainan ki bagiyan mein, nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja

English: Secretively into the garden of eyes, sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Ho o o o
Ho o o o
Lekar suhaane sapnon ki kaliyaan
Sapnon ki kaliyaan
Lekar suhaane sapnon ki kaliyaan
Aake basade palkon ki galiyaan
Palkon ki chhoti si galiyan mein
Nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja

English: Ho o o o

Ho o o o

Bringing along the buds of charming dreams

Buds of charming dreams

Bringing along the buds of charming dreams

Come and populate the lanes of eyelids

Into the tiny lanes of eyelids

Sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Dheere se aaja ri ankhiyan mein, nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja
Chupke se nainan ki bagiyan mein, nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja

English: Come treading lightly into the eyes, sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Secretively into the garden of eyes, sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Ho o o o
Ho o o o
Taaron se chhupkar, taaron se chori
Taaron se chori
Taaron se chhupkar, taaron se chori
Deti hai rajni chanda ko lori
Hansta hai chanda bhi nindiyan mein
Nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja

English: While hiding away from stars, stealing from the stars

Stealing from the stars

While hiding away from stars, stealing from the stars

Night gives (sings) a lullaby to the moon

The moon too, laughs in his sleep

Sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Dheere se aaja ri akhiyan mein, nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja
Chupake se nainan ki bagiyan mein, nindiya aaja ri aaja
Dheere se aaja

English: Come treading lightly into the eyes, sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Secretively into the garden of eyes, sleep please come, please come

Come treading lightly

Glossary:

1. Dheere: Slowly
2. Aaja: Please come. Aana is the verb which means ‘to come’. The addition of ‘ja‘ makes it a polite request to come rather than a simple order with only ‘aa‘.
3. Ankhiyan: Eyes, colloquial word for the pure Hindi word ‘aankhen‘.
4. Nindiya: Sleep, colloquial word for the pure Hindi word ‘neend‘.
5. Suhaane: Pleasant and charming
6. Sapne: Dreams
7. Kaliyaan: Buds, mostly flower buds.
8. Basana: To populate, colonize or settle.
9. Palken: Eyelids
10. Galiyaan: Lanes, small streets
11. Chhoti: Small or tiny, here along with ‘si‘ it gives an idea of being cute as well.
12. Taare: Stars
13. Chhupkar: While hiding, in secret
14. Chori: Robbery or stealing
15. Rajni: Night
16. Chanda: Moon
17. Lori: Lullaby
18. Hansna: To laugh