Saanware: The stamp of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan | Bandit Queen

I had heard and read about the film Bandit Queen, based on a passage of life of the notorious and infamous Phoolan Devi. A film directed by the coveted director, Shekhar Kapur. The topic or subject of film and having read and heard about Phoolan Devi’s ‘exploits’ in her heyday just did not make this film appealing enough to make the effort to watch it. On hindsight, I consider that a folly on my part. Folly because of my lack of inclination, I missed out on hearing and then subsequently enjoying a song which I recently ‘discovered’, all those years. This song, “Saanware”, just does not lend itself to being assumed to be a part of the soundtrack of a film like Bandit Queen! The words, simple in their beauty and depiction of the emotion and feelings. The voice of NFAK, simply divine. NFAK is one singer who can, I am sure, create a masterpiece of a song, if given the words of the nursery rhyme – ‘Jack and Jill’. No surprise that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan gained popularity and fame, not only in the Quawwali-listening regions, but also in the west with musicians such as Peter Gabriel.

Saanware. This is the magically divine, in my humble opinion, word and sound of this song. You only have to listen to NFAK’s rendition of that specific word to know and understand what I am trying to relate. I would be very surprised, if a listener said to me that they listened to the song and were not moved in emotion or moved physically to ‘jhoom’ along with NFAK, as if sitting in a mehfil with the maestro wielding his magic wand.

Update: Please read all the comments under this post.The link to this song has been given in one of the comments ! 🙂

The song:

The words:

Saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye na
from: Bandit Queen, 1995

Sung by: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Humera Chana
Music by: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Written by: Riaz-ur-Rehman Sushir, Ayub Anwar

saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa
jaluun tere pyaar mein
karuun intazaar teraa
kisii se kahaa jaaye naa
saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa

Dhuundhe meri preet re
tuu hai kahaan miit re
aansuu bane geet re
aahen sangeet re
saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa

yaad tihaarii moraa man tadapaaye
saari rainaa neend na aaye

birahaa ki maari dekhuun raah tihaari
do nainon ke deep jalaaye
jaluun tere pyaar mein
karuun intazaar teraa
kisii se kahaa jaaye naa
saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa

dhuundhe meri preet re
tuu hai kahaaN meet re
aansuu bane geet re
aahein sangeet re
saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa

duub chale meri aas ke taare
kaise pahuunchuun pii ke dwaare

toot gaye sab sang sahaare
bole naiyaa duur kinaare
jaluun tere pyaar mein
karuun intazaar teraa
kisii se kahaa jaaye naa
saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa

dhuundhe meri preet re
tuu hai kahaan meet re
aansuu bane giit re
aahein sangeet re
saanware

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