Ruke Ruke Se Qadam

 Ruke Ruke Se Qadam

This song from the Hindi film “Mausam” is liked by many from the generation that’s above 50 today. The film “Mausam” borrows heavily from the novel “The Judas Tree” by AJ Cronin. The story is a tragedy that would have made Shakespeare proud. It’s about a well intentioned but weak and self-indulgent man who brings disaster on three different women and is himself destroyed by the fourth. Here’s the link to the Wikipedia page on the novel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Judas_Tree

Unlike the novel, the film has a happy ending. In “Mausam”, Dr. Amarnath, who is on a holiday, falls in love with the innocent Chanda who stays with her father in Darjeeling. During his stay, Amarnath gets intimate with Chanda. While returning to his town he promises Chanda that he’ll return and take her with him. As things turn, he marries a rich mans daughter and never returns to Chanda.

Chanda meanwhile gives birth to their love child -  girl and names her Kajli. Chanda eventually becomes mad and dies. Kajli grows up looking exactly like her mother. She ends up at a brothel after her maternal uncle tries to molest her.

Years later Amarnath after his wife’s death travels again to Darjeeling to search Chanda. He instead finds Kajli and “buy’s” her from the brothel with the intention to change her into a well-refined woman. Kajli is unaware that Amarnath is the one responsible for her misery and falls in love with him. Amarnath confesses his guilt to her. An upset Kajli runs away into the woods. Amarnath finds her and seeks her forgiveness. Later they drive home together.

As per some, the song written by Gulzar was actually, originally penned by Mirza Ghalib. If this is true then it must be the second Gulzar version. He had earlier written a version for a Bengali film “Laal Pathore”. It was the original of the Hindi film “Laal Patthar”. That song was more into Mujra genre.

Incidentally the other hit song from this movie – Dil Dhoondta Hai – sung by Bhupendra Singh was also based on Mirza Ghalib’s famous sher.

Coming back to the subject of this blog. The song plays in the background as the heroine contemplates on leaving Amarnath’s house.

रुके रुके से कदम रुक के बार बार चले
करार ले के तेरे दर से, बेकरार चले

करार = सुकून, राहत, स्वीकृति, प्रतिज्ञा, वचन

सुबह ना आई, कई बार नींद से जागे
थी एक रात की ये ज़िन्दगी, गुज़ार चले

उठाए फिरते थे एहसान दिल का सीने पर
ले तेरे कदमों में ये कर्ज़ भी उतार चले

 A ghazal is said to be good if the listener is able to draw his/her own meaning and be able to relate to it. In that sense, the verse रुके रुके से कदम, रुक के बार बार चले … करार ले के तेरे दर से, बेकरार चले can mean her feet move ahead but hesitate to leave his place, as her disturbed self had found solace at his doorstep". The hesitation is indicative of the state of her mind that had at last found some calmness in his house, but has the innate compulsion of walking away in everyone’s interest.

The verse can also mean that she got solace from her grief through his love, but that very
love left her disturbed and that’s why she has chosen to walk away.

सुबह ना आई, कई बार नींद से जागे
थी एक रात की ये ज़िन्दगी, गुज़ार चले

Sleep is supposed to calm the body and help the mind to de-stress. Dawn usually is a new beginning. Here she says that the night never ended and she kept on waking up. She is not able to sleep, is stressed and restless. She is a prostitute, for  her the night is what day is for others. Her life, her existence is valued for only one night, that she says she’s lived it.

It can also mean that “I spent a night of life time. This single night made me feel as if it was a whole life time. So having lived it, I am now ending this episode of my life.” 

From the point of view of the protagonist, there can be yet another interpretation – Sleep is a means to escape from the dark reality of the night. You close your eyes with the hope that when you wake up, it will be a new day and your troubles would have magically disappeared! But for her this नींद is not a calm, peaceful slumber by any means. It's restless, troubled sleep. She wakes up hoping that the subah has arrived. But it hasn't. (That’s where the बेक़रारी comes again). Accepting her fate she says " थी एक रात की ये ज़िन्दगी", her whole life has been one single, long, dark, troubled, painful night.

Check the song here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qffEu_c4zvI

The original ghazal has different lyrics

रुके रुके से क़दम रुक के बार बार चले
क़रार दे के तिरे दर से बे-क़रार चले

उठाए फिरते थे एहसान जिस्म का जाँ पर
चले जहाँ से तो ये पैरहन उतार चले
न जाने कौन सी मिट्टी वतन की मिट्टी थी
नज़र में धूल जिगर में लिए ग़ुबार चले

सहर न आई कई बार नींद से जागे
थी रात रात की ये ज़िंदगी गुज़ार चले

मिली है शम्अ' से ये रस्म-ए-आशिक़ी हम को
गुनाह हाथ पे ले कर गुनाहगार चले