RMIM Archive Article "248".

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: ReVerse - Rehman Verse
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# Posted by: moin@ellis.uchicago.edu (irfan moinuddin) 
# Author: Irfan Moinuddin
#


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		    "ReVerse" - Rehman Verse
		Lyrical Merit of A R Rahman songs
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This post is meant to defend, as the title aptly underscores, the
'lyrical   merit'  of  'poetry'  accompanying ARRehman's   music.
Secondarily, it is meant as a response  to Ikram (A. Khan) bhai's
"nudge"  that  I   rhetoricize   upon    the  claimed  (by    me)
meaningfulness of Re-'Verse' (Re(hman)Verse).

ReVerse  is  not   necessarily 'backward' verse;   the  music, of
course, is definitely 'forward'. 

Take for example,  the song 'tanha tanha...', whose picturization
may have given  many the idea that the  song was designed to keep
the audience's attention on Urmila and therefore had little or no
lyrical content.  There is  no  question that  the makers  of the
film were 'exploiting' Urmila's  physique in this song.  Yet, the
lyrical content of the song is not nil. 

It is my claim that the following poem is  meaningful; I hope all
of you will agree: 

	Dard-e-tanhaee Kisi ghamkhwaar se baantle 
	Sauda-e-dil zamaane ki tijarat-e-azeem hai 

The above lyrics express the same ideas that the following lyrics
are trying to say.  My point is  that the "down-to-earth" quality
of Re-Verse should not detract from its meaning. 

	Tanha tanha yahaN pe jeena, ye koi baat hai 
	Koi saathi nahiN tera yahaN to, ye koi baat hai 
	Kisi ko pyaar dede, kisi ka pyaar le le 
	Is saare zamaane meiN, yehi pyaari baat hai 

As another example, consider the  following lines, which I claim,
and I hope you will agree, are traditionally meaningful: 

   	ZameeN ne ki aasmaaN se, 
		LehreN ne ki Saahil se Guftguu-e-hub jis tarah 
	Karde aelaan-e-haal-e-dil, 
		Chaandni ne chaand se kiya izhar-e-ishq jis tarah 

The  following ReVerse  express   the  same  idea, albeit  in   a
superficially  unintellectual  way.  My  point  again is that one
must attempt    to appreciate  the  gilded  nature   of  ReVerse.
I.e. the outside is not a good representation of the inside. 

	ZameeN AasmaaN se woh kuch keh rahi hai 
	LehreN bhi saahil se kuch keh rahe hai 
	Chaandni bhi chaand se kuch keh rahi hai 
	Kisi na kisi se koi kuch to keh raha hai 
	Tu dil ki baat kehde, kehne meiN kya hai 

Finally,  consider the following   unmetrical couplets, which is,
IMHO, poetic and meaningful and compare its meaningful content to
the content of ReVerse. 

	VeeraN gulshan-e-chashm ko gulzar banade 
	Dasht-e-Jigar meiN shehr-e-ulfat banade 

	Dard-e-raah-e-zindagi sehna saza hai 
	Intekhaab-e-hamsafar hi ilaaj-e-marz hai 

The same concept is expressed  in the following ReVerse.  I shall
reiterate that it is the theme and not the juxtaposition of words
that   is important  (and  ReVerse  is  deficient  in  the latter
catergory, I will admit)!! 

	Kisi ka to sapna ho aankhoN meiN tere
	Koi dilbar to ho baahoN meiN tere
	Koi to bane hamsafar raahoN meiN tere
	Ye zindagi to waise ek saza hai
	Saath kisi ka ho to aur hi maza hai

Well, I hope I have some ReVerse converts!!

Irfan....who claims that ReVerse is meaningful but, perhaps, not
         exteriorly 'pretty'.

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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian