Day: January 5, 2008

Facebook removed the “is” from their status. So I figured I would do my msn thing where I tag a line from a song along side my name. But since this is f8, they allow you to post things, and youtube has moving pictures for most of the songs I’d come up with. I figured, let’s post the song.

“tujhse naaraaz” came to mind, it’s funny though because I never really heard or understood the lyrics of that song, beyond the first two lines. So when I thought of it, I only thought of the starting of the song, something to put in as a status. But the song is so good, that anyone can connect to it. Because it’s so… real, and the emotion it draws is real.

I copy/pasted a translation on facebook, but I don’t think it was adequate. So here’s a re-attempt, in simplified dummy adnan words. I mean, who uses the word astonished in normal conversation? Although, feel totally free to correct/improve.

My English translation:

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tujhse naaraaz hahin zindagi hairan hoon main
I am not upset with you, life… I am surprised

tere masoom sawaalon se pareshan hoon main
by your innocent questions… I am worried
(although, I would prefer this read: “your innocent questions worry me”)

jeene ke liye sochaa hi nahin dard sambhaalne honge
I never thought, that for me to live, I would have to bear such pains

muskuraye to muskurane ke karz utaarne honge
that for me to smile, I would have to pay a debt for smiling
(note: this is an important distinction here, not “take on a debt” but to “pay off a debt”)

muskuraye kabhi to lagta hai jaise hothon pe karz rakha hai
and when I do smile, it feels as if I have placed this debt upon my lips

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beautiful still.

It’s awesome, because when I posted the song it got responses from folk who don’t understand the language, that is something I didn’t expect at all. Emotion does truly transcend language. Methinks I shall try and post a song each day. Which ends up sounding like a new year’s resolution.

It’s interesting, how things are connected. Given the time of the year, in conversations with anjum, it reminded me about my “new year’s resolution” from last year. Hah, I’m not sure if over the year I was able to accomplish those two goals. I think I’ve talked ever so slightly less, but not noticeably smiled a whole lot more. I try/tried though.

It is also interesting how it connects to the newunion (will yasmine blog about it already!). Because some of us have issues/difficulties with smiling. Definitely, in ways, a little dead inside. Just a little.

It’s also interesting how the song connects the thought of smiling to a debt that needs to be paid, and how that connects to money and happiness, and how that connects to the creditcanada.com ads on the TTC subway. Much the discussion during the newunion.

Although I will still contend that the currency of debt in the song is not cash money. I think the song attributes a certain burden/heavyness to smiling, and thus we smile less on an overall scale, or at least in front of a camera. As if for smiling there is a cost that will need to be paid, and so when you even think about smiling, you would have to consider those costs.

Smiling should, however, be free (as in speech and as in beer).

But really, what are the costs of smiling? what are its returns?

🙂