This week's Maitri Tunes is a light-hearted ghazal by Hariharan that joyfully reflects upon impermanence of life and invites the listeners to act on their hearts calling.
Click below to listen (you can also download here):
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Wikipedia has something interesting to say about the ghazal form of poetry. Many of the historical ghazal poets were either avowed Sufis themselves (like Rumi or Hafiz), or were sympathizers with Sufi ideas. Most ghazals can be viewed in a spiritual context, with the Beloved being a metaphor for God, or the poet's spiritual master.
Most ghazal couplets are exclusively about Divine Love (ishq-e-haqiqi), others are about "earthly love" (ishq-e-majazi), but many of them can be interpreted in either context.
Jhoom le by Hariharan
Jhoom le has bol le pyaari agar hai zindagi,
saans ke bas ek jhonke ka safar hai zindagi
If you value life, then dance and sing,
Life is but a fleeting play of breath
Der hi bante bigadte kuch ise lagti nahi,
phool ki deewar pe shabnam ka ghar hai zindagi
All it takes is a second to create or dissolve,
Life is but a drop of dew on a wall of flowers
Ajnabee halaat se bhi has ke milne chahiye,
har kadam par mudne waali rehguzar hai zindagi
Embrace the unknown laughingly,
Life is but a path that keeps twisting at every step
Zindagi mein jo bhi karna chahta hai kar guzar,
kya khabar barson ki hai ya lamha bhar hai zindagi.
Act on your heart's calling, as you pass thru life, Life could be a few years or just this one moment ​
