Khel Mandala (The game is set…)

The song (YouTube link): Khel Mandala
Tujhya paayarishi kuni saan thor nhai
Saad sunya kaaljachi tujhya kaani jaai

All are equal at your doorstep...
Only you can listen to the elegy of a lonely heart

Hey.. Tari deva sara na yo bhog kasha pai
Haravali waat disha andharalya dhaai

Then why doesn't the suffering end, my Lord?
The path is lost, darkness engulfs all directions..

Bavaaloon udhalato jeev maaya baapaa
Vanvaayo oori petla...

Fear grips and ravages me, O father…
There is a forest-fire raging in my heart

Khel Mandala, Khel Mandala…
khel mandala, Deva… Khel Mandala!

The game is set, O Lord, the game is set...

Sandaliga reetbhat ghetla vasa tujha
Tuch vaat dakhiv ga khel mandala
Daavi deva pail paar paathishi tu raha ubha
Yo tujhyach umbaryat khel mandala

We have forsaken all traditions and took your oath
You have to show us the way, for the game is now set..
Stand by us in all circumstances, O God...
For we have set the game in your courtyard...

Hey… Usavala ganagot saara, Aadhar kunacha nhai
Bhegaalalya bhooi pari jeena angaar jeevala jaali

The fabric of my relationships is all unwoven, there is no one I can rely on...
Flaming hot coals burn my body, as if the sun scalds the barren cracked earth

Bala de zhunjaayala kirpechi dhaal de
Inaveeti pancha praan, jeevarhat taal de

Give me the strength to fight, and the shield of compassion…
I ask for mercy, please give me the rhythm of your soul

Karapala raan deva, Jalala shivaar
tari nhai dheer sandala... Khel mandala...

The forest has burnt to ashes, and the farm is ablaze...
Even then I haven't lost hope, my Lord, for the game is set...

Music: Ajay-Atul

Lyrics: Guru Thakur

Translation: Myself

Kilmer & me...

It's been an year since we started seeing each other. We are 5 'dates' down now...

She says '"I am fast on turns" and then cries about me being too slow and hesitant...

She says "Your hands are all over the place!" and then reverts back to "Your hands are stiff on the wheel"

She asks me if I have ever done this before, and then reprimands me for being too reckless...

She wants me to signal my next move and then cribs about me not waiting on a green...

She ridicules me for not being "smooth" and hates it if I 'weave' through the path...

She whines about me using "extra-protection" (read: handbrake) and wants me to read the signs (on her moronic face, ya!) ...


ARE WE HAVING SEX OR AM I LEARNING TO DRIVE, YOU BITCH !!

IT'S OFFICIAL! I AM BREAKING UP WITH YOU, KILMER!!

The Irony of "Chudiya pehen lo"

This post finds its voice in an anecdote that Atul (of the RDB/ChandniBar/Devrai fame) shared in a casual discussion to promote his latest film 'Natarang'. When asked about the metamorphosis he went through while portraying an effeminate Nachya, he talked about general public's narrow-minded outlook towards such characters. He had come across an opposition party leader who suggested that the incumbent government wear bangles (chudiyan pehen lo) owing to its seemingly abominable performance. The mere fact that even in today's modern Indian society, the use of such phrases disparaging a women or relegating her an inferior position, is a matter of pure disgrace.

I couldn't agree more. There are countless times when men are constantly reminded by their spouses or elders to wear bangles for being passive in a situation demanding an aggressive approach. "Bangdya bhar" or "Chudiyan pehen lo" being the precursors of the various women centric abuses, highlight the idea that women, in essence, are inferior to men. A man having effeminate traits is ridiculed more passionately than a woman being "tom-boyish". In fact, she even might be praised for an act of courage (considered a manly trait) but a sensitive man is mostly relegated the title of a 'baailya' (womanish). The seemingly innocuous remarks show a deep rooted sentiment within a person of women being hapless, cowardly or passive.

In a society where 'bitch' rules as a foul word as against 'dog' OR where women expect men to be chivalrous by opening doors for them, offering them their 'rightful' seat in a crowded bus OR where a woman having multiple affairs is a 'slut' (negative connotation) as against a similar man being a 'casanova' (positive connotation) ; it is not surprising that such a sentiment exists. But acknowledging that such a divide is shameful and working towards reducing such instances, is a task that needs to see the light of the day. This isn't just a tribute towards the strong women who molded me as a person I am today, who washed my dirty dishes and clothes while I ran amok with friends or who offered me a larger share of any foodstuff I liked. It is a humble acceptance of the fact that for men and women to be termed as equal, such prejudices need to be done away with... forever.


When US beckoned me by Siddharth Wagh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.