Tum Aa Gaye Ho Translation

Tum aa gaye ho noor aa gaya hai was a song from the 1975 movie Aandhi. Gulzar wrote the lyrics and R.D.Burman wrote the musical score. Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar were the singers. I always marvel at Gulzar's brilliance of drawing from a wide language base and cultural commonalities to make his songs more meaningful, and yet remaining within the boundaries of Hindi. I believe his brilliance will be recognised more over time.

The lyrics are intriguing, because they imply that he met her, they separated, then found her again some years later. Is it possible for a man to love a woman so entirely that she gives him a reason to live.

Tum aa gaye ho, noor aa gaya hai,

Your presence brings light in my heart,

nahi to, chirago se, lau ja rahi thi.

without which, like a flame, it would have gone.

Jeene ki tumse, wajeh mil gayi hai,

You have given a reason to live,

badi bewajeh zindgi ja rahi thi.

life was going hugely without meaning.

Kahan se chale, kahan ke liye,

Where should I go, where might I see you,

yeh khabar nahi thi magar,

that I did not know, however,

koi bhi sira, jahan ja mila,

whoevers scarf, wherever I found (saw),

wahi tum miloge.

there you would be.

Ke hum tak tumhaari duaa aa rahi thi.

Because your prayers came in my direction (and guided me to you).

Din dooba nahi, raat doobi nahi,

The day is not over; the night is not over,

jane kaisa hai safar,

(who) knows how this journey will be,

khawabon ke diye, aankhon mein liye,

(what is) given by dreams, taken in (seen) by eyes,

wahi aa rahe the

that becomes (true).

Jahan se tumhaari sadaa aa rahi thi.

Where your hopes are heard.

Tum aa gaye ho noor aa gaya hai...

Approximate Translation

Hindi is more evolved than most European languages are, and therefore the subtler meanings are usually lost in the translation. Consequently, this translation is an approximation.

Tum aa gaye ho noor aa gaya hai loosely translates to, your presence brought light, but what he really means is, seeing you brought light to my heart. The English equivalent would perhaps be, you make me a better man...

Uses of the word noor exist from the farthest parts of East India to Saudi Arabia. It is usually within a name, and means a person of great radiance.

Tumhaari - your

duwa - prayers / hopes

chirago - illuminating flame, usually from a lamp

khawabon - dreams

tumse - from you

aa rahi thi - comes / came

ja rahi thi - goes / went

tumhaari duwa - your prayers

miloge - find

tum - you

ham tak - to me, or in my direction

Jeene ki tumse wajeh mil gayi hai closely resembles to, from you, I have a reason to live, but it makes more sense as, you gave me a reason to live. Wajeh is one of those words that can mean slightly different things across the continent but it approximates to meaning. Bewajeh is the antonym, without meaning or void. Bewajeh zindagi jaa rahi thi, loosely approximates to life was going without meaning. Badi bewajeh usually approximates to very meaningless.

Gulzar's genius was often in using double and triple meanings. Sira is like a scarf worn over the head, I believe it has more use in Punjabi language. However, it can also mean flower, which grows everywhere.