Song for Coins on Hyderabad Metro Trains

MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System), Hyderabad's inter city metro train has a unique treat for wonderfully distorted music lovers. To experience this voluntarily induced musical trance you've to pass through Borabanda-Chanda Nagar stations. This is where a song womanbird sings the famous Amir Khan starrer movie 'Raja Hindustani's song Pardesi.

With a custom made tambourine in hand this woman drains her energy singing away:

'pardesi mere yaara vada nibhaana

mujhe yaad rakhna kahin bhool na jaana

pardesi pardesi jaana nahi mujhe chhodke mujhe chhodke

pardesi pardesi jaana nahi

munh modke dil todke'

I am sure you don't expect me to churn out the exact meaning of the song as you all know my hindi knowledge is grrrrr. Anyways, the song is a sad one where the lover sings 'don't go away leaving me behind, don't ever forget me' to her lover who is going abroad. The clinging of coins in her begging steel glass adds philosophic touch to the melancholic song.

Thanks to the fairy of mystery, I hear the same sad song every time I take the local train. It makes me feel like Nadeem Shravan composed the song for this woman to make the local train commuters swim in the pond of confusion. Confusion, cos the commuters are not going far away from home yet they are made to hear 'don't go away.' Most of the passengers are either going to work or are heading home. As for me, the moment I hear the tambourine I reflexively start wondering who am I leaving behind and where I am headed. In that confusion, I always end up not making my due payment for being part of the jocund concert.

I vouch the song would have profound effect on long distance travelers and am sort of tempted to deduce a theory that bards aka. beggars on long distance trains use this song as the favorite weapon to earn some coins for their livelihoods. I am not against that anyway. Yes, the lyrics has a 'never forget me' line somewhere. This must be the reason why I don't forget the woman and is logically the reason why I am writing about her and 'jaana nahin.'

As for her voice, take a joy trip between Borabanda and Chanda Nagar to draw your own conclusions. I am not Suresh Wadkar or Bela to comment; my croakish voice dictates me not to blab about music or someone's voice.

Coming to the choice of song, if I were given the chance to recommend, I'd rather suggest some lighter oldie songs like 'Mera Joota Hai Japani' from the movie Shri 420 starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Arrg, she won't want this song as she sure would know that her shoeless soles are not Japanese. Sorry, I have no sane suggestions to make now.

To enjoy the song to the fullest, I close my eyes and voluntarily kick myself into a trance like state only to be forcefully dragged back to reality when some passengers often shout at the bard 'Mein kahin nahi jaraha hoon,' 'I am not going anywhere.' That's when I also normally remember where I am going.

P.S: Will someone buy a nice tambourine for this bard?