koii dost hai na raqiib hai
teraa shahar kitanaa ajiib hai
Soon it is going to be three months that I have stepped into this new country and this how I can describe this place today. The line above is borrowed from a poem which has been immortalized as a gazal by the famous singer Jagjit Singh. For those who are not conversant with Ürdu I would like to translate it into English.
Your city is quite a strange land where there are no friends neither are there any enemies… now Raquib is a word which cannot be truly expressed by saying enemy. Enemy poses a threat to you and might hurt you or inflict deadly blow. While one’s raquib is the man who is loved by the girl you have fallen for. This can be a cocktail of a competitor and an opponent. … so it is quite an intense word ... isn’t it!
I am having such a feel about this place because I find people here are too busy with their own life and their circle of trust. I still haven’t figured it out if this is a big city syndrome or a small city effect. At first it was while I was searching for an apartment to rent, it was so difficult to even get an idea about which locality I should concentrate. It was a bit stressful at one point but then asked myself ... “did you see anyone living on the footpaths on your way to work or back?”
I said “No”.
“So why do you worry!”
Reassured I went up to the face book and posted a link of another song Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein´” which sings about a lonely man looking for a home in a big city!
(Face book is another strange place that brings distant people closer, every day people are making new friends or getting connected to old friends but unfortunately I do not see any one chatting to each other once friendship has been restored.)
But this time I got an assuring response with an extract from a Gazhal……. “Main akela hi chala tha jaanib-e-manzil magar, Log saath aate gaye aur kaaravaan bantaa gayaa.” (I set out alone towards my goal, but others kept joining me on the way and a caravan was been formed).
So this is my life in poetry my friends!
This a U-tube link to the song for anyone who would like listen to it.
This a U-tube link to the song for anyone who would like listen to it.
Main akela chala ja raha tha kahin,
ReplyDeleteManzelein ajnabi,rahguzar ajnabi,
Ek khidki khuli,ek parda hata,
Ek awaz ayi,Thahar ajnabi.
The ghazal is beautiful
(Jagjit singh is my all time fav)...but i hope you get newer friends and get reconnected to your old friends ...soon soon very soon.
Can anyone help me find this above mentioned ghazal audio please.
DeleteI can not believe it has been three months already! I remember when you wrote the post about your moving...
ReplyDeleteYes, it is always so difficult with new beginnings and the most simple daily tasks can be complicated.
I LOVE the music. Wow, there is something infinitely escapist about it, at least to me.
xo
Zuzana
Are you settled now? Family has joined? All this moving around is very miserable for me, I guess am not free spirited enough, not al all a world citizen, I jsut cant handle it, and with age it just keeps growing worse. I love the security of old trusted people, known roads,and a nice circle of real friends. I hope you get real friends soon in your new city.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. You have beautifully used the lines from Jagjit Singh gazal to describe the situation. I liked the assurance given to you in terms of question “did you see anyone living on the footpaths on your way to work or back?”
ReplyDeleteI hope you have found a aparatment and settled now in the new place.
Beautiful post, touched my heart.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this every time I move, and for some time keep blaming the husband. He is the reason I have to pack up and leave everything familiar right? But then slowly, may be 3 months later, may be more, I make friends and settle down once again. And things do not look so bleak any more.
Facebook is strange, and some friends never bother to connect at all. At times I feel having a number of friends is like owning so many trophies to show off.As if the more friends you have, more popular you are.
Hope you will find happiness and joy in your city soon, all the best.
Very very touching post. I can very well understand how difficult it is to adjust in a different place moreover in a different country. I have travelled in many parts of India and abroad and it takes long time to adjust. In India, we find too many people and also friends and relatives to talk with and who can help also but in abroad we have to do all the things by ourself and we hardly find people to talk with. So the best way is to keep ourself engage in various activities so that we don't feel lonely.
ReplyDeleteThanks to friends for sharing my emotions… it was a venting out at the end of a long day.
ReplyDelete@Kavita,
Thanks for your thoughts.
Yes Jagjit Singh has done a great job in making Gazhals popular in India. We all love him as he taught us to listen to this form of music.
@Protege,
You are right. Time flies but at times it is a long flight.
This form of music is mostly sad, except a very few exception. These songs usually romanticize the sorrow of an unsuccessful lover. But there are a few happy ones too.
@ Sujata,
KaNha…. Family is still in Kolkata. Visa issue not resolved still. Yes it is very difficult to get to a new place and start all over again. For me too it has to be a few good friends ... I cannot handle volume being superficial
@ Rajesh,
I am glad that you liked it.
Isn’t it so true
@Aparna,
Yes someone has to do the hard work. Find a place to live, know the roads, buy the stuff, unpack and arrange stuff that has been moved over!
Making friends become increasingly difficult with the passage of time. But things finally fall into place or one gets used to the chaos!!!
Face book is a strange place… I am not sure why people send a friends request when there is no real intension to interact
@ Babli,
Yes ... those who have gone through it know how much fun it. The best way to keep busy is work.