I am mesmerised by Big B’s rendition of ‘Ekla Cholo Re…’ for Kahaani
I guess most Keralites are suckers for Bengal, Bengali songs, and that whiff of nostalgia that perhaps only Bengal and Kerala share.
 |
| Image of Tagore from 1905 – when he wrote ‘Ekla Cholo Re’ Image from: Wikipedia (Apparently it is in the public domain) |
Living in Assam, there have been some rare introductions to Tagore poetry (I must thank Akbar Ali, my classmate for some very insightful introductions).
I have heard Ekla Cholo Re before – even used by AR Rahman for one of his compositions.
But this one by Big B takes the cake:
For those who are interested, to save you a Google search, here is what the lyrics mean, as translated by none other than Tagore, Ctrl C, Ctrl V here from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekla_Chalo_Re
- If they answer not to thy call walk alone,
- If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,
- O thou unlucky one,
- open thy mind and speak out alone.
- If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,
- O thou unlucky one,
- trample the thorns under thy tread,
- and along the blood-lined track travel alone.
- If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,
- O thou unlucky one,
- with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart
- and let it burn alone.
