Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
Music: O.P. Nayyar
Main Movie-Hall where first released in Bombay: Novelty Cinema.
Peppy Song of Rafi Sahab: Ee.nt kee dukkee paan kaa ikka..
Roman Transliteration/English Translation of the original Hindi Lyrics by Nasir Ali.
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE, suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai,
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai....
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
baali-ga.nj kee jheel pe babu, aaye.n roop ke daas,
BEAUTY'S SLAVES COME AT THE BALLYGUNGE LAKE, SIR,
jheel kinaare ba.Dhtee jaaye, matvaalo.n kee pyaas,
THIRST OF THE SMITTEN ONES RISES AT THE LAKE'S EDGE,
naa paakit me.n maal hai babu,
THERE’S NO MONEY IN THE POCKET, SIR,
naa paakit me.n maal hai babu,
THERE’S NO MONEY IN THE POCKET, SIR,
naa kap.Raa, naa lattaa hai
NO CLOTHES NOR CLOTHING EITHER,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai ...
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
haTke~~~~
MOVE ASIDE...
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai....
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
chaura.ngee ke chauk me.n dekho, matvaale ba.ngaalee,
SEE THE JOVIAL BENGALIS AT THE CHOWRINGEE SQUARE!
rasgulle see meeThee baate.n, in kee shaan niraalee,
WITH TALKS SWEETER THAN THE RASGULLAS; UNCOMMON IS THEIR DIGNITY,
kahee.n mukherjee kahee.n benarjee
SOMEWHERE A MUKHERJEE; A BANERJEE SOMEWHERE,
kahee.n mukherjee, kahee.n benarjee,
SOMEWHERE A MUKHERJEE; A BANERJEE SOMEWHERE,
kahee.n ghosh kahee.n dattaa hai
A GHOSH HERE; A DATTA THERE!
suno jee yeh, kal-kattaa hai ...
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
o haTke...
HEY, MOVE ASIDE!
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai....
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
yeh bastee hai, aag kaa dariyaa, is me.n haava.Daa pul hai,
THIS COLONY'S SEA OF FIRE, HAS THE HOWRAH BRIDGE!
apnee jaan bachaa lo babu, varnaa Dabbaa gul hai,
SAVE YOUR LIFE SIR, OTHERWISE YOU’RE DONE FOR!
sar par paa.nv rakh kar bhaago
VAMOOSE!
sar par paa.nv rakh kar bhaago, kaTne vaalaa pattaa hai
VAMOOSE! SOMEONE’S ABOUT TO BE SNIPPED!
suno jee yeh, kal-kattaa hai ...
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
hrrrr~~~~
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai,
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
hey ~~ha ha~~(whistlings)
TRANSLATED BY NASIR
From the position of the imperial capital of British India to the number one city in independent India, Kolkata (then Calcutta) went on sinking lower, thanks to the hartals, agitational politics, mob spirit, mammoth political rallies, the refugee problems, and the squalor and disease that began in the Nineteen Fifties. Popular culture and cinema were the only silver linings when the pairing of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen was the brightest light on the horizon. It was in the mid-sixties that I visited Calcutta. For me, the saddest aspect was the lot of rickshaw pullers (as shown in Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen) and I vowed never to sit in the rickshaw since it made an animal out of men. That vow lasted only for an hour. I was a newcomer who after getting down at the Howrah Station, got a cab and crossed the famous Howrah Bridge and had to get down at Dharamtalla in Calcutta. There I was amazed at seeing the public transport bursting at its seams so much so that I imagined the buses would overturn. My destination was the Free School Street and daunted at the sight and not finding any alternative, I had to willy-nilly beckon a rickshaw-puller, though with a guilty conscience. From Dharamtalla to Free School Street I paid the fare of Rupees Two.
Personally, I’ve good memories of Calcutta. On my first stepping into Chowringee Street, I was transported for a moment or two to Dhobi Talao of Mumbai, with Metro Cinema in a look-alike location. I also liked the Park Circus, the New Market, Rippon Road, and Free School Street. These names, I’m sure, must have been changed by now. At Free School Street I managed a shop of Vespa, Lambretta, and their spare parts. I lodged at Rippon Road where a good apartment could be had for the “Salaami” of just One Thousand Rupees. My Bengali friends taught me Lata’s song: Naa Jaiyo naa, which has the same tune as the PARAKH song: O Sajna Barkha Bahaar Aaayee… For their entertainment, I used to sing Rafi Sahaab’s songs from Junglee, Kashmir ki Kali, Kajal, etc. I also visited India’s first planetarium as well as the museum and the zoo. I enjoyed the tram rides over the green Maidan while going to Kali Ghat. The Victoria Memorial looked lovely from all angles. I especially loved the movie halls there and had the opportunity to watch the newly released MAMTA, MERA SAAYA, LOVE IN TOKYO, and HUMRAAZ as well as the older movies HORROR OF DRACULA and DIL DEKE DEKHO. I loved the New Market where I used to buy the daily groceries. After three months, I returned to Mumbai (Bombay).
lyrics
translation
naa paakit me.n maal hai babu,
THERE’S NO MONEY IN THE POCKET, SIR,
naa kap.Raa, naa lattaa hai
NO CLOTHES NOR CLOTHING EITHER,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai ...
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
haTke~~~~
MOVE ASIDE...
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai....
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
chaura.ngee ke chauk me.n dekho, matvaale ba.ngaalee,
SEE THE JOVIAL BENGALIS AT THE CHOWRINGEE SQUARE!
rasgulle see meeThee baate.n, in kee shaan niraalee,
WITH TALKS SWEETER THAN THE RASGULLAS; UNCOMMON IS THEIR DIGNITY,
kahee.n mukherjee kahee.n benarjee
SOMEWHERE A MUKHERJEE; A BANERJEE SOMEWHERE,
kahee.n mukherjee, kahee.n benarjee,
SOMEWHERE A MUKHERJEE; A BANERJEE SOMEWHERE,
kahee.n ghosh kahee.n dattaa hai
A GHOSH HERE; A DATTA THERE!
suno jee yeh, kal-kattaa hai ...
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
o haTke...
HEY, MOVE ASIDE!
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai....
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
yeh bastee hai, aag kaa dariyaa, is me.n haava.Daa pul hai,
THIS COLONY'S SEA OF FIRE, HAS THE HOWRAH BRIDGE!
apnee jaan bachaa lo babu, varnaa Dabbaa gul hai,
SAVE YOUR LIFE SIR, OTHERWISE YOU’RE DONE FOR!
sar par paa.nv rakh kar bhaago
VAMOOSE!
sar par paa.nv rakh kar bhaago, kaTne vaalaa pattaa hai
VAMOOSE! SOMEONE’S ABOUT TO BE SNIPPED!
suno jee yeh, kal-kattaa hai ...
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
hrrrr~~~~
ee.nT kee dukkee paan kaa ikkaa,
THE TWO OF DIAMONDS, THE ACE OF HEARTS,
kahee.n jokar kahee.n sattaa hai,
THE JOKER HERE, THE SEVEN THERE,
suno jee yeh kal-kattaa hai,
HARK, ‘TIS CALCUTTA!
hey ~~ha ha~~(whistlings)
TRANSLATED BY NASIR
From the position of the imperial capital of British India to the number one city in independent India, Kolkata (then Calcutta) went on sinking lower, thanks to the hartals, agitational politics, mob spirit, mammoth political rallies, the refugee problems, and the squalor and disease that began in the Nineteen Fifties. Popular culture and cinema were the only silver linings when the pairing of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen was the brightest light on the horizon. It was in the mid-sixties that I visited Calcutta. For me, the saddest aspect was the lot of rickshaw pullers (as shown in Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen) and I vowed never to sit in the rickshaw since it made an animal out of men. That vow lasted only for an hour. I was a newcomer who after getting down at the Howrah Station, got a cab and crossed the famous Howrah Bridge and had to get down at Dharamtalla in Calcutta. There I was amazed at seeing the public transport bursting at its seams so much so that I imagined the buses would overturn. My destination was the Free School Street and daunted at the sight and not finding any alternative, I had to willy-nilly beckon a rickshaw-puller, though with a guilty conscience. From Dharamtalla to Free School Street I paid the fare of Rupees Two.
Personally, I’ve good memories of Calcutta. On my first stepping into Chowringee Street, I was transported for a moment or two to Dhobi Talao of Mumbai, with Metro Cinema in a look-alike location. I also liked the Park Circus, the New Market, Rippon Road, and Free School Street. These names, I’m sure, must have been changed by now. At Free School Street I managed a shop of Vespa, Lambretta, and their spare parts. I lodged at Rippon Road where a good apartment could be had for the “Salaami” of just One Thousand Rupees. My Bengali friends taught me Lata’s song: Naa Jaiyo naa, which has the same tune as the PARAKH song: O Sajna Barkha Bahaar Aaayee… For their entertainment, I used to sing Rafi Sahaab’s songs from Junglee, Kashmir ki Kali, Kajal, etc. I also visited India’s first planetarium as well as the museum and the zoo. I enjoyed the tram rides over the green Maidan while going to Kali Ghat. The Victoria Memorial looked lovely from all angles. I especially loved the movie halls there and had the opportunity to watch the newly released MAMTA, MERA SAAYA, LOVE IN TOKYO, and HUMRAAZ as well as the older movies HORROR OF DRACULA and DIL DEKE DEKHO. I loved the New Market where I used to buy the daily groceries. After three months, I returned to Mumbai (Bombay).
lyricstranslation
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