Matlabi Hain Log Yahan Par Matlabi Zamaana English Translation

Matlabi hain log yahan par matlabi zamaana, is a 1986 song from the film Begaana. It was sung by Kishor Kumar and written by Anjaan. I decided to translate this song to English because the video song with its English subtitles had some mistakes.

The song is about the innocence of youth, and how idealistic we once were, learning the hard way that actually some of the people in this world are indeed selfish and corrupt. Sometimes in life, it is possible to lose without making any mistakes whatsoever, and it is usually due to dishonest and corrupted people. I remember walking home from College, just like the actor in the film, thinking this... This was when I discovered that some of the teachers I regarded highly were bigots.

Matlabi approximates to selfish behaviour, describing people who become your friend only when you have something they desire. Alternatively, bigoted people who act as if they are your friend but are not. Of course, once they have what they want, they are quick to throw away the friendship and become a stranger, which in Hindi approximates to begaana. These people are empty or dead inside and it makes one wonder if one belongs in the same world as them.

In the film subtitles, they translated laashein as corpse; however the writer wanted to use the imagery of a dead body to convey emptiness and void, which is best described as a carcass.

The writer questions whether he belongs in this world of selfish mindless zombies and whether the world is deserving of someone like him. He questions why he should not hit the erase button and move on from this mortal coil.

English Translation

Nadaan, nasamajh, pagal dewaana...

Innocent, naive, crazy-in-love...

Subko apna, maana toone, magar ye na jaana

Belonged with everyone, so you thought, but you did not know...

matlabi hain log yahan par, matlabi zamaana ×2

(that) people here are selfish, and these are selfish times.

socha saaya saath dega nikla wo begaana

thought your shadow (would at least) accompany you, but it (too) turned out to be that stranger.

begaana... ×2

a stranger...

apno mein, main begaana, begaana...

(even) amongst my own, I am a stranger, a stranger...

khushiyaan chura ke, guzre wo din

stolen moments of happiness, passing through those days

kaante chubha ke, bichhde wo din

thorns that hurt, separated those days

aankho se aansoo, behne lage,

tears from eyes, begin to stream,

behte hi aansoo, kehne lage

(those) flowing tears, try to say...

ye kya hua,

what happened?

ye kyun hua,

why did this happen?

kaise hua,

how did this happen?

maine yeh na jaana

That I did not understand.

zinda hai laashein, murda zameen hai

Life is an (empty existence) carcass, (and) the ground is death

jeene ke kaabil, duniya nahi hai

worthy of my life, this world is not

duniya ko thokar, kyun na laga doon

why shouldn’t I reject this world,

khud apni hasti, kyun na mita doon

(...and) my entire life, why shouldn’t I end it.

Jee ke yahan, jee bhar gaya!

Living here, (has) filled my heart!

dil ab marne ka, dhoonde bahaana

and it is now the heart is searching for an excuse to die

I have tried to keep the order of the words precisely as they would be in Hindi, and therefore the English appears back to front in some places. Nevertheless, it still makes sense if you were thinking in both languages simultaneously.

I have never had a place where I belonged, a place I could call my own, and it is an awful existence being a stranger everywhere, even amongst my own. That is why this is one of my favourite songs that I can relate to intimately.

... Anyway, I hope you catch those tears before they reach your keyboard and I wish you well.