Kiya Hai Pyar Jise Humne Zindagi Ki Tarah English Translation

Kiya hai pyar jise, humne zindagi ki tarah, translates to English as, I once loved someone, as I loved my own life. It will be found on track 2 of the 1978 LP record Ghazals. It was sung by Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh. In many ways, the duet is an explanation by two people of how they met, and the struggle they encountered, which usually occurs in any love dynamics. In many ways, it is almost a universal constant that almost anyone can recognise. In this song, Chitra Sing is able to shine and demonstrate her excellent vocal skills. She was always by far a much better singer of the two, in terms of clarity, technique, and pronunciation, and in this song you can hear clearly that she was an extremely proficient singer on her own right.

With hindsight, the Ghazals LP album was by far their best work and the most youthful during the peak of their skills. I have never before or since heard anything that parallels it. It was all totally fresh, with the acoustic guitar, violins, and a female Ghazal singer. Chitra’s mother was Shri Mati Krishna Shome, with deep musical roots in Bengal, and she may have had something to do with her skills developing so fast. After graduating from Calcutta University, Chitra developed an intense interest in music. Her deep understanding and vocalization of the lyrics made her extremely unique, and in many ways she remains unrivalled today.

Unlike English, which is a very direct language, matters of love and such nature are expressed very indirectly in Hindi. Hence, he uses terms such as, my thirst for her was huge; instead of, I loved her a lot! Consequently, I have added a third line which provides a more modern and direct expression in English. It is an interesting song because there is all this very subtle indirect communication going on, and right in the middle of it are the crossed communication wires that two people in love usually experience. It is the usual typical thing that tends to happen... He likes her lot, but she keeps rejecting him, which results in him falling in love even more. She eventually acquiesces and agrees, but just to spare his feelings. He then decides to end it, just when she realises that she actually does love him. Then she regrets and wonders why he too got away and thinks how unfair that was. When he finds out that she did actually love him, he regrets that he tortured himself for nothing by thinking all the time that she liked someone else... It’s one of those very frustrating human dynamics, which this song captures eloquently...

Interpretation, Meaning, and Context

Sitam, approximates to oppression, injustice, or torment (depending upon context)

Murawat, disobliging, rejecting not obliging

Dillagi, joining of hearts

Qateel, after the poet Qateel Shifai who wrote this poem

English Translation

Kiya hai pyar jise, humne zindagi ki tarah.

I (once) loved someone, as I loved my own life.

woh ashna bhi, mila humse, ajnabi ki tarah.

That person met me, like a stranger, too.

(We met as strangers, or we were strangers...)

Kise khabar thi badhegi kuch aur tareeki.

Who could have known, somehow we’d become so gloomy.

(We had no idea love would make us so melancholy...)

Chupega woh, kisi badali mein, chandni ki tarah.

(Now) he hides, in some cloud, as the moonlight does

(Now, he tries to avoid me all the time...)

Badha ke pyaas meri, uss ne haath chhod diya.

My thirst was huge, but she released my hand.

(I did love her a lot, but she rejected me!)

Woh kar raha tha, murawat bhi, dillagi ki tarah.

Even when she kept doing that, disobliging act, was like my heart joining hers.

(Even when she kept rejecting me, my heart fell in love even more...)

Sitam to ye hai ki, woh bhi na ban saka apna.

The injustice is that, he too could not become mine.

(It is paradoxical that, I loved him, but he could not be mine...)

Qubool hamne kiye, jis ke gham, khushi ki tarah.

Agreed I said, for the sake of his sadness, like I was happy.

(I agreed, pretending to be happy, just to spare him from becoming sad...)

Kabhi na socha tha, hamne Qateel, uss ke liye.

At no time did it occur to me, that I Qateel was for her.

Karenga hum pe sitam, woh bhi har, kisi ki tarah.

I was cruel upon myself, always too thinking, that she was someone else’s.

(I tortured myself by always thinking that she liked someone else...)