Tere Tille Ton
Why not die in love rather than live a life of “what if”?
My dad once told me that when Kuldeep Manak was alive, people would call him and ask him to sing a song, on the spot, over the phone. He would proceed to do Boliyaan right then and there, in that distinctly soulful voice that will always be recognized and never be replicated. What an honor, I thought, to be able to hear from such a legend before he passed away.
My last post covered Raf Saperra’s Ranjha, which told a rendition of “Heer Ranjha”, largely from Heer’s perspective. “Tere Tille Ton” captures another snapshot of the full story, this time with Ranjha as the narrator.
In Waris Shah’s “Heer Ranjha”, it is said that after Heer is married off to another man, Ranjha departs her village of Jhang, heartbroken. He becomes a Jogi, or a monk, renouncing love and other indulgences in the name of God. He joins the pierced ear sect of Jogis at Tilla Jogiyan (The Hill of the Jogis), before traveling around Punjab and eventually running into Heer once again. “Tere Tille Ton” chronicles a cry from Ranjha to Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the sect of Jogis.
Ranjha exclaims to Gorakhnath that he can see Heer from the hill, even describing her in great detail. He had planned on moving on with his life by renouncing love, but upon seeing Heer again, he feels a force imploring him to fight for love and return to her. Back and forth he goes, as he starts by telling Gorakhnath of Heer’s beauty, but finishes by describing how corrupt and immoral the world is. Ranjha’s desperation is palpable, as he is crying out to a monk, someone who has chosen not to indulge in love for the rest of his life; but he has nowhere else to turn, and he is starving for an answer that never comes in the song.
There are several tracks that either tell the whole story of Heer Ranjha, or just a snippet of it with a unique spin or point of view. This version specifically plays with the idea of the biased narrator. Ranjha is the narrator in the song, but narrators are not always reliable, especially when they themselves are a main character in the story. The whole song is based off of Ranjha’s claim that he can see Heer from the hill, but is she truly there, or is she a figment of his imagination? He describes her phulkari, her lips, her eyes, but is his mind fabricating these images just to soothe his broken heart? Should he move on, or is this a sign that he should risk his life and return to Heer?
Often times, when we are fighting our own internal battles, we see or feel signs from God, the Universe, or whatever we believe in, that we hope will provide us with an answer. But do those signs actually exist, or are they simply visions of the biased eyes that we see them through? We ourselves are the biased narrators in our own story, which is why we won’t know the answer to these questions until we ultimately put our fear aside and make a decision. Even the wisest and most respected people in our lives, the Gorakhs to our Ranjha, will not be able to give us the answer unless we first take the leap. In Ranjha’s case, that leap led to his and Heer’s demise, but that doesn’t mean it was wrong. Why not die in love rather than live a life of “what if”?. But does that mean we’re indulging these potentially imaginary “signs”? If we take these risks with the right intentions, the external “signs” become irrelevant, because what guides us on this path becomes purely internal.
I would have loved to have gotten the chance to pick up the phone, call Kuldeep Manak, and ask him to sing “Tere Tille Ton” just one time. His unique style of singing, Kali, is characterized by an adherence to a specific poetic cadence in Punjabi music. That style, combined with the lyrics of Dev Tharikewala, created one of the most distinguishable voices in Punjabi music’s history. Despite his early death, Kuldeep Manak’s fingerprints are still all over the industry. He served as an Ustaad (instructor), and an inspiration to Jazzy B, and following Raf Saperra’s recent concert in San Francisco, with Manak’s daughter Shakti in attendance, Raf joined Jazzy B and Bhinda Jatt in a musical tribute to Kuldeep Manak:
Relevant Words/Phrases Learned:
Gorakh/Gorakha: Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the pierced ear sect of Jogis that Ranjha is seeking to join at Tilla Jogiyan (The Hill of the Jogis)
Phulkari: An elegant cloth similar to a chunni or dupatta
Patisian: An Indian sweet
Galgal: Refers to a species of lemons that grow in the hills, a large and hearty version of the lemon
Chandan geli: A special kind of tree trunk, known to attract snakes with a certain smell and cooling ability
Trinjan/Trinjna: A place where women gather for embroidery, weaving, knitting, cooking, etc.
Hazaara: Ranjha’s home village of Takht Hazaara, Punjab
Chuchak: Heer’s father
Jog/Jogi: An ascetic, or monk, who abstains from all forms of indulgence through severe self discipline
Khedeyan/Khaira: The village where Heer resides after becoming married to Saida Khaira
Tharikewala: Dev Tharikewala, the writer of the song and for many of Kuldeep Manak’s songs
Sandli: Refers to the color yellow, or something being made of sandalwood. When used in the human context, it refers to someone who has a deep desire for love
Panditan: Refers to Hindu Pundits or priests, who are forbidden from eating meat, but in this case they go against their religion by making chicken in their own homes
Qaazian: Refers to Muslim judges who are forbidden from drinking alcohol, but in this case their sons go against their religion by becoming alcoholics
Tere Tille Ton
Kuldeep Manak (Lyrics by Dev Tharikewala)
Oh Tere tille ton oh, surat deendi ah Heer di
Oh I can see my Heer’s face from your hill
Tere tille ton oh, surat deendi ah Heer di
I can see my Heer’s face from your hill
Oh leh vekh Gorakha, udd di ay phulkari
Look at her flying phulkari, Gorakh
Bhul patisian ohdian, gallan galgal naar diyan main sadke
Her lips are like patisa, and her cheeks are like galgal, I’ll give my life for her
Bhul patisian ohdian, gallan galgal naar diyan
Her lips are like patisa, and her cheeks are like galgal
Toya thodi de vich, na patli na bhaari
A dimple is on her chin, neither fat nor thin
Dono nain jatti de, bhare ne kaul sharaab de
Both of her eyes are tempting like a drink of alcohol
Dono nain jatti de, bhare ne kaul sharaab de
Both of her eyes are tempting like a drink of alcohol
Dhaun surahi mangi, mirga tor udhaari
Her neck is long, and she walks like a deer
Gori dhaun duaale, kaali gaani jatti de main sadke
She wears a black necklace around her white neck, I’ll give my life for her
Gori dhaun duaale, kaali gaani jatti de
She wears a black necklace around her white neck
Chandan geli nu jyon, nagaan kundli maari
As if a snake has coiled around a Chandan Geli
Baithi trinjna de vich, oh charkhe tand paondi aa
Sitting in the Trinjan, she puts a thread on the spinning wheel
Baithi trinjna de vich, oh charkhe tand paondi aa
Sitting in the Trinjan, she puts a thread on the spinning wheel
Vekh ke rang jatti da, tauba karan lalaari
Even the painters are surprised by her color
Gujji Heer rahe na, meri vich hazaaran de main sadke
My beloved Heer does not live in my village of Hazaara, I’ll give my life for her
Gujji Heer rahe na, meri vich hazaaran de
My beloved Heer does not live in my village of Hazaara
Dhee oh Chuchak di hai, hai sahan ton pyaari
Chuchak’s daughter is closest to my heart
Jatti khatar aya, jog lain nu tille ton main tere
I’ve come to your hill to become a jogi for her
Jatti khatar aya, jog lain nu tille ton
I’ve come to your hill to become a jogi for her
Pa de mundran kanni, shoori pher ik vaari
Pierce my ears and put earrings on them one time
Ja ke Khedeyan De Pind, darshan kariye Heer de main sadke
Let’s go to the Khaira village and meet Heer, I’ll give my life for her
Ja ke Khedeyan De Pind, darshan kariye Heer de
Let’s go to the Khaira village and meet Heer
Kahe “Tharikewala”, ishq hai buri bamari
Tharikewala says, love is a bad illness
Nain sandli jatti de, pijh gaye ni
Her eyes are deep, like Sandli
Ghar Panditan de murgay, rijh gaye ni
The pundits are making chicken in their homes
Munde Qaazian de daru peen, gijh gaye ni
The sons of the Qazis are alcoholics
Tag tutt geya saari, saari bai duniya da.
The whole world is falling into chaos.