Yeh mahalon, yeh takhton, yeh taajon ki duniya

Yeh insaan ke dushman samajon ke duniya

Yeh daulat ke bhookhen rivajon ke duniya

Yeh duniya agar mul bhi jaayen tho kya hai?

Har ek jism hai ghayal, hare ek rooh pyaasi

Nigahon me uljhan, dilon me udaasi

Yeh duniya hai ya aalam-badhawaasi

Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tho kya hai?

Jahan ek khilona hai insaan ke hasti

Yeh basti hai murda paraston ki basti

Yahan par tho jeevan se hai maut sasti

Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tho kya hai?

Jawani badakti hai badkaar banker

Jawan jism sajte hai bazaar banker

Yahan pyar hota hai vyapar banker

Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tho kya hai?

Yeh duniya jahaan aadmi kuch nahi hai

Wafa kuch nahi, dosti kuch nahi hai

Yahan pyar ki kadr kuch nahi hai

Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tho kya hai?

Jalado ise phook daalo yeh duniya

Mere saamne se hatado ye duniya

Yumhari hai tum hi sambalo yeh duniya

Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tho kya hai?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSo3KVwrp8M

You can watch the video on the following link:

An attempt at an English translation  for my non-hindi speaking friends

A world of palaces, thrones and crowns

Where Man becomes  the foe of Man

Where greed of wealth rules the day

What if you win this world, what then?

Every being lies wounded, every soul athirst

Eyes glazed with worry, hearts heavy and depressed

What world is this, bewildered, distraught?

What if you win this world, so accursed?

A world where  Man is but a throwaway toy

Teeming with corpses and skeletons

Where life is a struggle and death is cheap

So you win this world-what then?

Where youth roams around in aimless distraction

And bodies adorn themselves to be bought and sold

Where love is but a sordid transaction

So what if this world is in your hold?

A world where humaneness has no place

Where loyalty and friendship means little or naught

Where love is shorn of all nobility and grace

Winning this world , you don’t win a lot.

So burn it to ashes, blow it all up

Push it aside ,  far away from my sight

Let me withdraw, it is all yours to keep

For a world like this, I will not fight.

 And now for a lark, I’m going to try and  guess what comments this song will bring from some of my friends on this Iland (if they read it).

Jolly Jacob:   Love Gurudutt . Quite a romantic, wasn’t he? But should one give up so easily?  I think  it is up to each one of us to change the way things are and we can, if we really want to.

Ranjit Singh: A haunting song . It really describes the state of the world we find ourselves in today.

Amar snh:  Nice post. I totally agree with the sentiments expressed in the song.

V.T: Aisa gussa mere ragon me bhi daudta tha.   Phir……phir mujhe naukri milgayi.

Lissome Lady: Ah! The Question that has haunted Man through the ages…..What if I win the whole world and lose my soul ? But the n, there are as many answers as there are people. Faustus surrendered to the devil . King Asoka gave up his kingdom  to reclaim his soul. And the question haunts us still. But I still have hope in Mankind. So I  won’t run away. I will stay and fight as best as I can, in ways that I can. Giving in would be  the easier option , but not the right one.

Freedom Unbound:  “ How long will you go on? How long? Will you be like that old man who had spent all his life in prison and when let out begged to be brought back into his dark and filthy dungeon cell? This is the case with us all! We cling with all [our] might to this low, dark, filthy cell called this world, to this hideous, chimerical existence where we are kicked about like a football by every wind that blows…”-V

Amit Goel: This is the kind of world we get by surrendering to the conspiracy of mediocrity . But I will not say there is no hope . I don’t believe that this world is such a bad place . I believe that  nice people still outnumber the narrow and wicked ones 10 to 1 and I hope that ratio only gets better.

Dilip Krishnan: Thanks for the translation. I can appreciate the song much better now. The state of affairs described in the song is more true now, perhaps, than ever before. May be it can’t get worse than this. Let’s hope it only  gets better from here.

Shyama Menon: Not too good with my hindi, but I have listened to this song many times. Thanks for the translation. Obviously, the poet was in a very depressed frame of mind when he penned this song. But surely things are not that bad. No point in being so defeatist. We shall overcome , is what I say. So practicing daily to win more medals for the next Olympics .

Madhu P.K: Yes, the world is too much with us. We’re stuck here,  but it can’t get any worse , can it?

Kush A : This is why I hate to love and love to hate. This is exactly why I’d rather watch a football match between Chelsea and Man U.

Moe M: I had seen this Moevie. Some of its moements  had really moeved me and still remain etched in my moemories.

Divyani: I dozed off listening to this song. As for poetry, you know how much I love it , nah?

Frozen Sun: Why in the world , is this guy so upset?  I know, I know . He hasn’t tried Hyderabadi biriyani, has he?

Aameen Khan: Nice choice of song and your translation is okay too. Thanks for sharing.

Thoughtworks: We need to move away from the cacophony of voices beneath the banyan tree and individually look for peace and quiet under the pipal tree.

Ekantapadhika:  “Sapnon ke aise jahan me, jahan pyaar hi pyaar pala ho. Hum jaake wahi kho jaayen, shikwan ho na koyi gila ho.Kahin bhair na ho, koyi ghair na ho. Sab milke yu chalet chale. Jahan gham bhi na ho, aasoon bhi na ho, bus pyaar hi pyaar paleJ”

 Now for your comments pleaseJ