Surprise what the Malayalam portion in ‘Jiya Jale’ means? Lyrically Obscure on Instagram offers English translations of every thing from movie songs to garbas and aartis
“Predominant, kaidi quantity 786…”
[“I, prisoner number 786…”]
Actor Shahrukh Khan’s monologue from the 2004 film Veer Zaara has at all times moved Mumbai-based digital marketer Uma Shirodkar. The film is a giant a part of her childhood. The poem, penned by Aditya Chopra, is the newest that she has translated into English for her Instagram web page Lyrically Obscure.
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Previously few months, Uma has taken up translating songs from Bollywood and regional films, poems, and even devotional songs and aartis as a critical pastime. On her web page, she says she hopes to “decode and delve into South Asia’s wealthy musical panorama, one phrase at a time”.
She brings mild to Marathi ghazals corresponding to ‘Kehvatari pahate’ (someplace round daybreak), written by poet and creator Suresh Bhat, who’s credited with adapting ghazals to the Marathi language. “I first heard this music in class, on a cultural programme known as Nakshatranche Dene (Items of the Constellation),” Uma writes on Instagram. A few of them serve to introduce the viewers to quintessentially Indian phrases we might have heard in songs: such because the Gujarati phrase bhunga — the normal spherical homes of Kutch.
After which there are translations of regional language snippets in well-liked songs, such because the Malayalam “Punjiri thanji konjikko” portion in Dil Se’s ‘Jiya jale’ (posted on Onam, it’s simply her most preferred translation) and the Gujarati portion in Ram Leela’s ‘Nagada Sang Dhol’ towards the top, set to the visible of an excellent Supriya Pathak on the verge of hysteria.
“I’m the type of one that has to return and take a look at the lyrics of each music I hear. I’m fairly excited by studying new languages, the which means of phrases and the historical past behind them,” says Uma, over cellphone from Mumbai. She additionally frequently places up music suggestions on her web page, by means of ‘Songscapes’ — bite-sized translations of traces that stand out for her, and the historical past of the lyrics. “I truly began this web page to share music, translating primarily songs from movies. However then I realised I can increase it to poetry, aartis and garbas,” she says.
Uma is fluent in Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and English, with a eager curiosity in Punjabi and Urdu as nicely. For the opposite languages, she collaborates with different content material creators who assist her translate and proofread. “Translating is one thing I’ve been doing for a very long time. I used to work at a journey company, the place I’d be required to translate content material like itineraries from English to Hindi and Marathi for the regional market,” says Uma.
Going ahead, she hopes to find and share extra songs from the North-Japanese and Southern states. “This pastime type of helped me get by means of the lockdown, and helped me join with individuals with related tastes in Arts and Tradition,” she says.
