Swapnaatlyaa kalyaanno

 Of the many Marathi songs ( Bhav Geet) of the beloved Asha tai(Asha Bhonsle) I have loved since an early age, one is by poet M.P. Bhave, composed by music director duo Anil Arun.

Swapnaatlyaa kalyaanno umalu nakaach kevha 

Godi apoornatechi laavil ved jeeva 

Oh tender buds of my dreams, please do not ever blossom !

Let me remain forever intoxicated by the charm of incompleteness, imperfection.

When one hears it for the first time it seems foolish ! Why would one ask for the dreams to never be fulfilled ? Why would one care to have incompleteness in life?

In 2005, addressing the new batch of students at Stanford University in Palo Alto on June 12th( which incidentally is my father’s birthday) Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple Computers famously said “ Stay Hungry! Stay Foolish!”

What did he mean by that ? Hungry for hamburgers? Noooooooo ! 

Hungry for new ideas ! New knowledge! New endeavors! 

Hunger is a metaphor for motivation. 

In my earlier posts I had shared some pearls from the teachings of Sant Tukaram. His words “ Thevile Anante taisechi rahaave, chitti aso dyaave samaadhaan “ ! 

Stay where the Infinite Lord places you. Let the heart be filled with contentment!

This seems to contradict what the song or Steve Jobs are saying. 

Not really!!

Contentment about personal physical comforts does not contradict the restlessness to learn or achieve finesse in your work ! Complacency can ruin the zest for life. When you wake up there must be something you look forward to. 

What did Steve Jobs mean by stay foolish ?

Sometimes being too careful, too logical is a limiting factor in achieving big things. It takes a drive , a leap of courage , often despite the disapproval of everyone around you, to do something remarkable and innovative. 

The other important part of the song talks about the duality of happiness and sorrow. There will be hardships before you enjoy the sweet fruits of labor. Life will always have ups and downs. If something remains unfulfilled it is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives you a reason to keep going further and further.

Someone recently commented on my post “ when do you get time to do all this ?” ( referring to my travels etc). I can’t sit still. Work day or not I’ll be up at 4 am by habit or duty. Catching a glimpse of sunrise and sunset is my obsession. Reading about a nice poem and understanding the poet’s background intrigues me. Going around asking questions about places and things is second nature. Of course my family thinks I’m crazy to stop and ask strangers about things like that. But the day I stop asking for more to add to my understanding of everything from soil, stars and soul I would not consider that as living. 

My father was just like that. Despite all setbacks, despite all of us , including me, asking him to take it easy with age, he never paid heed. At the age of 80 he was gearing up to start a new restaurant on the terrace of our building. Even on the last day he could talk to me he said “ I thought I’m going to live much longer and had so much in mind to do”. 

Although in many ways I’m different from him, I can see he has passed some of his restlessness into me. That desire to be fully alive as long as I’m alive. I am foolish as one can be. And hungry too ! A dreamer who can’t be cured by any medicine on earth! 

Here my friends is that beautiful song that I encourage to listen to. It is mesmerizing to say the least. And inspiring, if you know what it means.

स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा
स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा
गोडी अपूर्णतेची लावील वेड जीवा
स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा

रेखाकृती सुखाच्या चित्ती चितारलेल्या
साशंक कल्पनांनी सहजी विरून गेल्या
कधी सोशिला उन्हाळा कधी लाभला विसावा
स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा

नैराश्य कृष्णमेघी आशा कधी बुडावी
विरहात चिंब भिजुनी प्रीती फुलोनि यावी
काट्याविना न हाती केव्हा गुलाब यावा
स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा

सिद्दीस कार्य जाता येते सुखास जडता

जडतेत चेतनेला उरतो न कोणी त्राता

अत्रुप्त भावनांनी जीवात जीव यावा

स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा
गोडी अपूर्णतेची लावील वेड जीवा
स्वप्नातल्या कव्व्यांनो उमलू नकाच केव्हा

Oh tender buds of my dreams, may you never blossom! 

I am enthralled with the charm of incompleteness!

From time to time my heart paints vivid pictures,( dreams) of happiness 

Only to be dissolved by imaginary doubts

I suffer through heat( pain, suffering) at times and then at other times get to enjoy shade/ rest/ respite .

My hopes seems to drown and disappointment gathers like dark clouds

Love blossoms after enduring the pain of separation from my beloved

It is always the case that one can hold a beautiful rose after sustaining the pricks of the thorns ( happiness follows after initial pain)

If all tasks are successful, all wishes are fulfilled, the excitement and happiness get dampened.

Mind gets dulled because there is nothing more left to dream of.

It is the unfulfilled aspirations that continue to create a cause for living, striving.

Saree is a fine cotton jamdani in white with red floral design on borders and pallu and self design in white on the body.

A rainy day it was , heavily overcast allowed for a glimpse of gold on the eastern skies at sunrise.