Naseem Bano: Who Shall I Sing For?
Side-tracked to a railroad ghazal in the background score of Pakeezah
Dilip saab aayenge, said a frail Naseem Bano Chopra to the nurse on night duty in Bandra’s Guru Nanak Hospital.
Haan, we are also waiting for Yusuf uncle kab se, said the nurse. I pray to Jesus unko phir kabhi yahan ka rasta mat dikhao. (God forbid him ever to come here again).
She smiled and tucked Chopra to sleep.
Chopra had begun muttering after days of rest.
She was found in a paralysed state and admitted to a hospital by her neighbours. A grubby man, who claimed to be her attendant, showed people the tattered jacket of an LP Buzm-E-Ghazal to collect funds for her treatment.
https://medium.com/media/1b1002f4e199344ab6d2d015846e4150/hrefChopra had sung for the music composer Naushad. Her claim to Hindi films was the song Dekh Toh Dil Ke Jaan Se Uthta Hai, a ghazal written by Mir Taqi Mir, and used in the background in Pakeezah when Meena Kumari talks about love and its distant, fading call.
Chopra’s clear voice rises like a sadaa, an echo reverberating Meena’s yet unspoken desire.
dekh to dil ki jaañ se uThtā hai
ye dhuāñ sā kahāñ se uThtā hai
From the heart or the breath
Where does this fog rise from?
Chopra was a famous singer back in the day when artists visited the kotha district in Bombay. And just like that, she slipped into obscurity when the culture languished.
Chopra began to speak clearly to the nurse.
Har raat teen baje ek rail gaadi apni patriyon se utar kar mere dil se guzarti hai aur mujhe ek paigham de jaati hai. (Every night at three a train derails and passes through my heart, leaving a message for me)
The nurse was surprised to hear her form a long sentence. She congratulated Chopra.
Arre wah, tum toh theek ho gayi. Accha hai, kal chhutthi kar sakte hain. (You have recovered. Tomorrow you can go home)
Saying so, the nurse got up.
Chopra’s hand moved. She gestured the nurse. The nurse lowered her head to hear Chopra.
Train aa gayi hai, said Chopra.
The sound of a Bandra fast local was familiar to everyone in the room, even when it was not passing by at this quiet hour. It seemed wistful of Chopra to talk about trains in her current state, the nurse thought.
The nurse caressed her head and left.
At three in the morning, Chopra opened her eyes. She helplessly stared at the milky white ceiling in the dark, as one stares at the opacity of heaven. The train was on time. She could see her soul, a liquid white flame, floating up from her body to travel into another realm.
gor kis diljale kī hai ye falak
shola ik sub.h yaañ se uThtā hai
Which broken-hearted’s tomb the sky ishttps://medium.com/media/1475d056f6f8604d987095b2c345846c/href
A morning flame rises from the earth
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction or more formally known as real person fiction. It is not for any commercial use. Read more on Real Person Fiction here.
