{"id":1176,"date":"2010-06-21T16:46:22","date_gmt":"2010-06-21T15:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/littleindian.awmyth.net\/?p=1176"},"modified":"2011-02-21T18:25:28","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T18:25:28","slug":"on-being-free-to-fly-back-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/littleindian.awmyth.net\/?p=1176","title":{"rendered":"when free to fly back home"},"content":{"rendered":"


<\/p>\n

it was about eleven at night
\non the last train from calcutta to shantipur<\/a>,
\na rare weekend off from work, going to visit my ma<\/p>\n

a railway carriage not unlike like this.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

wind free tunneling into the compartment,
\nincreasing with speed through the windows and doors,
\nthe metal and glass panels long vandalised leaving gaps on the outer shell<\/p>\n

on one such doorway stood a boy, with windswept hair and ragged clothes
\nhe was about ten or eleven.
\non of many such children
\nwho sang for money
\nhitching rides
\non trains.<\/p>\n

two pieces of broken slate
\nheld between the fingers of his left hand and
\ncleverly struck with the thumb and fingers of his right
\nhis own clickety clickety free percussion – easy to carry easy, easily replaced<\/p>\n

leaning onto the vertical pole of the doorway, one leg wrapped around it for safety
\nhe was singing a pitch perfect version of this song<\/p>\n

\n

\n<\/param><\/param><\/param><\/object>
\nOriginal song: Jaare – jaare ude jaare paakhi ( … go, go fly away bird … ) <\/span>
\nSung by: Lata Mangeshkar | Music: Salil Choudhury]<\/p>\n

Jaare – jare ude jare paakhi<\/span>
\ngo – go fly away bird<\/p>\n

Furalo praner mela – shesh hoye elo bela<\/span>
\nthis life’s festival is finishing – the day is coming to an end
\nAr kyano michey tore bendhay rakhi – jaare … <\/span>
\nwhy then, for no reason, do I keep you tied – so go …<\/p>\n

akashe akashe feeray – ja feeray apono neeray<\/span>
\ngo from sky to sky – go return to your own home
\nshymol mathir bonochaye<\/span>
\nin the dark shades of the woods<\/p>\n

shudhoo, monay monay tore daaki<\/span>
\nonly, just in my mind do I call you
\nchahina khelite khela, shesh hoye elo bela<\/span>
\nI no longer wish to play any games – the day is coming to an end
\nAr kyano michey tore bendhay rakhi – jaare … <\/span>
\nwhy then, for no reason, do I keep you tied – so go …<\/p>\n

aamari shopon hoye – kotoki je gyacho koye<\/span>
\nbecoming my own dream – you had said so many things
\nhridaye pinjoray boshiya<\/span>
\nsitting within the cage of my heart<\/p>\n

jaani – shobi roye gyalo baaki<\/span>
\nI do know – everything will remain unfinished
\nebaray bhashabo bhela – shesh hoye elo bela<\/span>
\nnow i’ll float out the raft – the day is coming to an end
\nAr kyano michey tore bendhay rakhi – jaare … <\/span>
\nwhy then, for no reason, do I keep you tied – so go …<\/p>\n

(I have tried my best to keep the translation as close to the original words of the song)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n


<\/p>\n

with three more stations to go
\nit was just two of us left in the compartment,
\nhe couldn’t have been singing for money, he was singing to himself
\nthe end of maybe a long day, no longer at ‘work’, he was singing just for the love of it<\/p>\n

just happy to be free, to be going home<\/span>
\nperhaps to his ma?<\/p>\n

like I was<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

\"child singers<\/a>\"bengal<\/a><\/p>\n