"SAADA CHIDIYAAN DA CHAMBAA VE BABUL ASAAN UDD JAANA " "

                                                                            

                                                                                 

         

SAADA CHIDIYAAN DA CHAMBAA VE BABUL ASAAN UDD JAANA ....

 

.(WE DAUGHTERS ARE LIKE SPARROWS , AWAY WE FLY  FROM YOU DEAR FATHER)

 

Not by Waris Shah , Baba Bulle Shah or Sheikh Fareed ; then who wrote these immortal and touching lines that used to be sung in almost all Punjabi weddings at Bidaai ( parting ) time or departure of the bride . Possibly a folk song that is being sung for the last 500 years or more in Punjab

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I am told that Pandit Jeevan Lal Mattoo , ( who was in charge of the Music Section at AIR Lahore before 1947 ) recorded this Bidaai song in the voice of Surinder Kaur and Prakash Kour before partition. But Tufail Niazi's singing this Bidai song can't be forgotten. That is simply heart touching. This is a Bidaai song that can still bring tears to any and every person who listen to these emotion-packed words. This song is actually a communication between a father and the daughter ( bride ) who is about to leave for her new home. The song continues to be the choicest Bidaai song of Punjabis living both in India and Pakistan. A part of the shared culture and tradition or subcontinental culture.

For friends, I present the song as an emotional communication between the bride and her father at the time of Dholi / departure along with English rendering. I am using a version of the song that was sung in undivided Punjab and is still sung by old people. However ,at present many lines have been added and changed like “ Tere mehlaan de vich vich ve babul khedaan kaun khede or Teray mehlaan de ranglay booay te wichoon meri doli langni" etc.

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(1 )

 

Bride ( daughter to her father )

 

“ Sadaa chidiyaan da chamba ve

Babul assan udd Jaana

Saadi lammi udaari ve

Babul kedey des jaana ”

 

(We girls are like a group of sparrows

dear father ,away we fly ,

Too long is our flight

and we know not to which country this journey shall take us)

 

(2)

Bride ( daughter again to her father )

 

“Tere mehlaan de vich vich ve babul dola nahin langdhaa ”

 

(Dear father , my palanquin / Dholi

is unable to come out of the door of your palace like house)

(3)

Father ( father to his daughter )

 

“Ik itt putaa devaan, dhiye ghar jaa apne."

 

( I shall get some bricks removed ,

my dearest daughter , go to your new home)

 

(4 ) 

 

Bride ( daughter again to her father )

 

“ Tere baghaan de vich vich ve, babul charkha kaun kattey? ”

 

( In your house dear father , tell me who shall do the spinning now ?)

 

(5) 

 

Father ( father to his daughter )

 

“ Meriaan kattan potrian, dhiye ghar jaa apne.”

 

(My gand-daughters shall spin now ,

My dearest daughter , go to your new home)

 

(6) 

 

Bride ( daughter again to her father )

 

“ Mera chhuta kaseeda ve, babul Duss kaun kaddey?”

 

(The half done embroidery that I left dear father ,

tell me who shall complete it now ?)

 

(7)

Father ( father to his daughter )

 

“Meriaan kaddan potriaan, dhiye ghar jaa apne.”

 

(My Grand daughters shall complete it now

My dearest daughter , go to your new home)

 

 

It is said that when poet Sahir was asked to make some addition or alterations to this Bidaai song ( to be used in Yash Chopra's movie Kabhi Kabhi ) , he had initially refused and advised his producer and other members of the team to use the above version of the folk song . He was then suggested to add such lines as would make it appear a Suhaag song. And Sahir added this :-

 

"Surkh joaday ki ye jagmagaahat

Shokh bindiya ki ye jhilmilaahat

Chudiyon ka ye rangeen taraana

Dhadkanon ka ye sapna suhaana

Jaaga jaaga sa kajre ka jaadoo

Bheeni bheeni si gajre ki khushboo

Narm honthon ka ye kanpkanpaana

Garm chehray ka ye tamtamaana

Jism ka mehka mehka paseena

Husn ka dehka dehka nageena

Jhanjharon ka ye tham tham ke bajna

Yeh sanwarnaa nikharanaa ye sajna

Kis ki khaatir hai kiss ke liye hai ….."

 

 

At some point of time in her life , every woman seeks reply to this question ?

 

“ Father ! why did you marry me off to such a distant place? ”

 

Amir Khusro has touched this question beautifully in his Bidaai song that is equally popular in the Indian subcontinent . I quote some lines ..

 

"Kaahe ko byaahi bides

Hum to babul tore baagon ki koyal

Kuhakat ghar ghar jaaon

Hum to babul tore khaiton ki chidiyaa

Chugaa chugat uddi jaaon

Hum to babul tore bailey ki kaliyaan

Jo maange chali jaaon

Hum to babul tore khoontey ki gaiyaa

Jit haanko hunk jaaon

Kaahe ko byaahi bides

Suun babul more

Kaahe ko byaahi bides"

 

Popular Hindi poet and film Lyricist Gopal Singh Nepali( 1911-1963 ) also wrote a poem on this thought titled “Babul tum bagiya ke taruwar” conveying the loss of childhood, home and friends to a girl who gets married.

 

“ Father you are like a tall tree in the garden and I am just a bird sitting on one of its branches. Never does the bird sitting on the branch nor the girl who leaves her parental home return. ”

 

I quote select lines from late Gopal Singh Nepali’s poem…….

 

Aankhon se aansoo nikle to peechhe takkey nahin mudd ke

Ghar ki kanya ban ka panchhi phirein na daali se udd ke

Zanjeeron mein baandha tan ko

Tyaag raag se saadha mun ko

Panchhi ke udd jaane par hi kholi nain kiwadiyaan re

Udd jaayein to laut na aayein jyon moti ki ladiyaan re

Babul tum bagiya ke taruvar ..

Hum taruvar ki chidiyaan re…………………….."

 

 

( Avtar Mota )

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