Chor Bazari

A friend at work, well versed in all things Hindi, recently introduced me to what has become my favorite Bollywood soundtrack, and boy am I grateful. I've had all the music stuck in my head ever since. The composer, Pritam, is a fixture in modern Bollywood. He manages to meld the traditions of Hindi and Bollywood music with pop hooks and dance club beats. The effect may be somewhat familiar to an American listener, but conveys enough cinematic magic and Bollywood tradition to make it unfamiliar, new, and appealing. The entire album is worth listening to if you have any appreciation of modern foreign pop culture and music, but even if you don't, you should give "Chor Bazari" a listen. It's perhaps my favorite track on the album. It's just lighthearted, pop music fun, with great artists chosen for the vocals. The echoing, catchy percussion and back-up marching band make it stand out and keep it stuck in your heard, and the lyrics are an excellent example of the value of artistry of words in Hindi music. They're not only used to convey meaning, become a part of the music itself, full of alliteration, vowel and even consonantal harmony, intentionally placed epenthesis, ring composition, and imbedded messages. And, of course, there's the typical, lighthearted Bollywood treatment of tough subjects; in this case, breakups.

You can look it up on youtube if you want something entertaining and cute, or just take my found-on-google translation and listen to it here for yourself. Maybe you'll catch a little bit of why I find Hindi such a compelling, beautiful, and artistic language, and why I think this song is just so much dang fun.

Jai:
chori bazari do naino ki, pehle thi aadat jo hat gayi
The habit we had of stealing glances  is gone now.
pyaar ki jo teri meri, umar aayi thi woh kat gayi
The age of love which dawned on us is over for good now.
duniya ki toh fikar kaha thi, teri bhi ab chinta ghat gayi
I never cared about this world, and you feel the same way too now.

Meera:
tu bhi tu hai, main bhi main hoon
You are the same you, I am the same me,
duniya saari dekh ulat gayi
but it seems like the whole world’s upside down.
tu na jaane main na jaanu
Neither you nor I know
kaise saari baat palat gayi
how all this turned out.

Jai:
ghatni hi thi yeh bhi ghatna,
Seems like all this had to happen,
ghatte ghatte lo yeh ghat gayi
and with time, it finally has.


haan… chor bazari do naino ki, pehle thi aadat jo hat gayi
The habit we had of stealing glances  is gone now.

tareef teri karna haan,
Praising you all the time,
tujhe khone se darna haan,
fearing losing you,
haan.. bhool gaya ab, tujhpe din mein char dafaa marna
and falling for you all throughout the day; I have given it all up.

tareef teri karna haan,
Praising you all the time,
tujhe khone se darna haan,
fearing losing you,
haan.. bhool gaya ab, tujhpe din mein char dafaa marna
and falling for you all throughout the day; I have given it all up.

Meera:

pyaar bimari, utree saari
The fever of love has completely gone
waadon ki badli bhi chhat gayi
and the clouds of promises have cleared.
hum se main pe aayi aise
We went from‘we’ back to ‘I’ so quickly
mujhko toh main hi main ratt gayi
I can’t think beyond myself now.

Jai:
ek huey they do se dono,
We became one from two,
dono ki ab rahein bant gayi
and the two of us have separate paths now.

*Instrumental Break*

ab koi fikar nahi
There are no worries now.
gham ka bhi zikar nahi
No ounce of gloom is left now.
haan…hota hoon main jis raste pe, aaye khushi wahin….
Wherever I go now, happiness follows.
azaad hoon main tujhse
I am free from you;
azad hai tu mujhse
You too are free from me.
jo bhi chahe jaise chahe, kar le aaj yahin
Wherever you want to go, make your choice right here, right now.

Meera:
laaj sharam ki, choti moti
From those little apprehensions in love
jo thi dori woh bhi kat gayi
the strings attached are cut for good now.
chowk choubare gali mohalle
All paths, all crossroads, everywhere
khol ke main saare ghoonghat gayee
I went to, without any fear of anyone.

Jai:
tu na badli main na badla
Neither you nor I changed,
delhi saari dekh badal gayi
but the whole of Delhi did.

Meera:
ek ghoont mein duniya dari
In a gulp of these worldly ways,
ki main saari samajh nigal gayi
I understood it all, how it works.
haan..,rang biranga paani peeke
By drinking ‘colored’ water
seedhi saadi kudi bigaad gayi
a simple straight girl lost herself.
dekh ke mujhko hasta gaata
While looking at me all laughing and singing
sad gayi yeh duniya sad gayi
thie world fumed with jealousy.