Oru Chambaneer...

India is famous for Bollywood but there are number of regional film societies which contribute to the cinema world of the country. Malayalam film society is one such place. There are movies of all genres from commercial to art. Most of these even go for international film festivals. Some of them have amazing stories. One such story is Sthithi (Plight) which was released in 2002. I haven’t seen the movie but there is a song in the movie which is super. The movie is about an average middle class family in Thiruvananthapuram who face crisis in difficult political times. The family has a man, wife with two kids. Like most middle class household lost in the daily struggle forget about each other as humans. The song is beautiful and I want to translate how much ever I can. Forgive me if I err. The song is what the man thinks for his wife when she busy washing dishes, cooking, taking care of kids, getting them ready for school, getting him ready for work and then herself. Coming back from work and continuing with the rut thereon. Here it goes:
“A scarlet red rose with me I have always nurtured,
But not even once in all these years did I even offer it to you,
But some how you always knew the rose has blossomed just for you,
Spreading its sweetness around just for you,
How do you do this Lady,…please tell me.”

“Love…not an iota of sweetness did I offer you,
Not even in a word.
In those dark blue lonely moonlights,
I did not wipe the tears you hold back in your lashes.
But some how you always knew I get wet only for you,
And the moist in me recognizes only your wet.”

“Never did I hum the Shree ragam into your ears,
The clear penetrating shree ragam.
In the break of dawn with the mist blurring everything,
I did not caress your gentle body,
But somehow you always knew my heart beats in tandem with yours,
And my heart is yours always.”

I wrote and now when I read it, its a classic case of lost in translation. The original is much more beautiful.