The poem is given below in roman script for those who don't read gurmukhi. At the end of the poem every line's meaning is also provided. The gurmukhi script version is at the fag end (ignore spell errors as I am writing in gurmukhi for the first time in my life).
Saade Bhabhajee dee yaad vich Kavita - 'Vartalaap'.
Important : ° stand for pronouncing the preceding alphabet by half. Eg : n° - stands for half 'n'.
'VARTALAAP'
[KANI]
Badlon udari jo mein° maari; vich tuffanan° kani mein° pbhaaree.
Hawa lapete, akhan° jujan; asmani-athroo kad thalle pun°jan.
Dooor-daraze bohrd mein° paya; vada chourda haraa see jaya.
Vich madanan° kharda see mallah; saab kujh suljhiya, ohda palla
[Bhord]
Chiron° bhaven° kharda mein° kalla; Rutan° ne nachiyan° val sawala.
Dariyaa vee see kolon° tappa; neer diyan° gunjalan° jinj baani japaan°.
Lukan-michi khediyan° see laheran°; vichon° kadiyan° punj-punj nahiran°.
Nahiran° chon° naale te bhole jehe sooe; saare dekhe aapne muhe.
Tu we aaja kole bhehja; dassan° tennu gallan° sehjiyan°.
[Kani]
Edda chaurda, rookh see lamba; jardan° see feliyan° daari vanga.
Naale, Sooe gheri bohrdan°; neer noo chooman usdiyan° doran°.
Mein° keha tane te deegan° uhde; lai lavan° sikhiya bhaven° jo de.
Mundiyan° akhan°, dhup, te vehrda; taan° mein° poochchiya saach hai kehrda? [Kani]
Dasin° pattiyan° kithe dekhin° ? [Bohrd]
Kuj hari see tapiyan°, anant peelee letin° [Kani]
Ah lae kuj saach parakh ke dekhin°; baaki ja ke dhanron° sametin° [Bohrd]
[Kani]
Solan° kadam vich mein° kuj gijiya; doran° lipta te bohrd we bhijiya.
Inj risde-risde thalle aa gaye; kuj paatte chuke te naaleyan° sama gaye.
Kudde tappe bhajje nahiran°; par bohrd na labha pinda shahiran°.
Gian dhan jo bohrdon° paya; sooe nu ohee darshaya.
Dhan bohrd jo meinu dhahiya; kalli kani nu samandaron° milaya.
___________________
Meaning of each line below.
'VARTALAAP'
[KANI]
Badlon udari jo mein° maari; vich tuffanan° kani mein° pbhaaree.
Meaning: I am a rain drop who fell from skies.
Hawa lapete, akhan° jujan; asmani-athroo kad thalle pun°jan.
Meaning: My (rain drop's) longing to reach my destination through trying times.
Dooor-daraze bohrd mein° paya; vada chourda haraa see jaya.
Meaning: i saw a green banyan tree (good old lovable grandfather of my wife) from above the skies.
Vich madanan° kharda see mallah; saab kujh suljhiya, ohda palla
Meaning: The banyan (grandpa) tree seemed like the boatsman (in ancient greek philosophy - the man who transports the dead to heavens. In my context the person who shows light of knowledge, rowing me to the other side of awakening)
[Bhord]
Chiron° bhaven° kharda mein° kalla; Rutan° ne nachiyan° val sawala.
Meaning: Banyan says, "although I seem standing alone since long, but in reality I have seen a lot - all seasons (ups and downs of life).
Dariyaa vee see kolon° tappa; neer diyan° gunjalan° jinj baani japaan°.
Meaning: The river (grandpa's beloved - grandma) of beauty also flowed by my side, who had her beautiful whirls (like water whirls in rivers), which talked to me (attracted me) like the water whirls make beautiful sounds when peacfully listened to, sitting by the side of the flowing river.
Lukan-michi khediyan° see laheran°; vichon° kadiyan° punj-punj nahiran°.
Meaning: Affectionate playfulness and love delivered five chidren - they are my wife's father and his brother and three sisters. They personify canals.
Nahiran° chon° naale, te bhole jehe sooe; saare dekhe aapne muhe.
Meaning: From the canals were born rivelets (my wife's brothers, sisters and cousins) and from them our children who are great grand children of grandpa.
Tu we aaja kole bhehja; dassan° tennu gallan° sehjiyan°.
Meaning: Banyan invited the raindrop to fall on itself. Wife's Grandpa invited me too to come and listen to his enlightened teachings.
[Kani]
Edda chaurda, rookh see lamba; jardan° see feliyan° daari vanga.
Meaning: I, the raindrop thought to myself - what a huge old and high banyan tree whose roots are hanging outside like beard of the tree. grey flowing beard in our culture stands for wisdom).
Naale, Sooe gheri bohrdan°; neer noo chooman usdiyan° doran°.
Meaning: Rivelets and channels surrounded the Banyan tree, while its hanging thin branches were kissing (dipping) in the waters. My wife's generation and our children surrounded grandpa listening to his stories and philosophies, a process through which they unknowingly were being touched/dipped and imprinted with morals and lessons of life. This also signifies my observation - I was brought up in a nuclear family. I had observed that the old and senior in families around were often excluded from conversation with visiting friends. They were considered old fashioned and outright embarrasing by youngsters (relative - folks in 30s). Old people were expected to fade away. The phenomena is a self inflicted emotional and mental injury because the youngsters did exclude the old but were also conscious and guilty of their actions). The blame of this phenomena was squarely laid on the doors of the youngsters.
But in my wife's family where I had my first experience of grandparents. I saw something exceptional - everything revolved around grandparents. It was only with time I realized that the cause of this social phenomena is not so one sided. If senior family members are inspiring, intelligent, selfless and loving in earnest, this will never happen.
Mein° keha tane te deegan° uhde; lai lavan° sikhiya bhaven° jo de.
Meaning: the raindrop (me) decides to fall on the trunk of the banyan tree - symbolizes my readiness to absorb what he said and taught.
Mundiyan° akhan°, dhup, te vehrda; taan° mein° poochchiya saach hai kehrda? [Kani]
Meaning : The shadow under banyan tree on a sunny day on a huge plain - signifies grandpa, who I often visited at noon in winters when he would go to terrace to warm up and when he talked or listened attentively his eyes would shut, to focus. And I asked him what is absolute truth?
Dasin° pattiyan° kithe dekhin° ? [Bohrd]
Meaning: Banyan (grandpa) counter questioned the trickling rain drop (me) as to where all do you see leaves?
Kuj hari see tapiyan°, anant peelee letin° [Kani]
Meaning: Raindrop replies I just passed by a few green leaves and there countless yellow ones which had fallen on the ground. The green leaves signify fresh phenomena, ideas and inventions and knowledge that is fresh and discovered, while the leafshed on ground represent ocean of phenomena, ideas and knowledge that has existed since long.
Ah lae kuj saach parakh ke dekhin°; baaki ja ke dhanron° sametin° [Bohrd]
Meaning: Banyan tree let the raindrops experience and trickle over many green leaves on the journey down. It signifies that he gave me some knowledge and understanding that he had and told me to make it a lif's mission to collect more ideas and truths of life from amongst the countless already out there, to discover.
[Kani]
Solan° kadam vich mein° kuj gijiya; doran° lipta te bohrd we bhijiya.
Meaning: The raindrop trickled sixteen steps down through which it got baked (concentrated by evaporation), hugged the hanging thin branches, and wet the banyan tree. I knew grandpa for sixteen years through which I matured with knowledge he imparted (baked), while hugging his thin branches signified that I too loved him. And our philosophical discussion and my views too effected him. Thin branches signify affection.
Inj risde-risde thalle aa gaye; kuj paatte chuke te naaleyan° sama gaye.
Meaning: The raindrop kept on trickling down the tree and reached the ground. Then rainwater picks a few more leaves (washes away) into the rivelet. The symbolism here is that on way to developing an understanding and creating a union of minds, I learnt many more ideas and knowledge as grandpa had advised.
Kudde tappe bhajje nahiran°; par bohrd na labha pinda shahiran°.
Meaning: The raindrop after joining rivelets and then canals saw that while waters were splashing around and flowing through villages and towns it never found the banyan tree again. As flow of life took parents and my wife's generation away (signifies death of relationship with grandpa owing to his death) I, raindrop maintaining my separate identity (that is why I saw the river waters in 3rd person) saw the waters of rivelets and canals (my wife and the generation of her parents) restlessly trying to find grandpa, somehow. But he was never to be found.
Gian dhan jo bohrdon° paya; sooe nu ohee darshaya.
Meaning: The raindrop encoded with all information gathered during interaction with banyan tree passed it on to branching out channels closer to delta. This signifies that we taught our children those values which we received from grandpa.
Dhan bohrd jo meinu dhahiya; kalli kani nu samandaron° milaya.
Meaning: Thanks to the banyan tree which let me trickle on it and then drop me under it as that led to the raindrop flowing through and becoming a part of an ocean. It signifies that I learnt a lot from grandpa and it was he to whom my wife talked and agreed with him to let us marry. So partly owing to him we could end into union of hearts and mind.
Deepak Loomba.
Saade Bhabhajee dee yaad vich Kavita - 'Vartalaap'.
Important : ° stand for pronouncing the preceding alphabet by half. Eg : n° - stands for half 'n'.
'VARTALAAP'
[KANI]
Badlon udari jo mein° maari; vich tuffanan° kani mein° pbhaaree.
Hawa lapete, akhan° jujan; asmani-athroo kad thalle pun°jan.
Dooor-daraze bohrd mein° paya; vada chourda haraa see jaya.
Vich madanan° kharda see mallah; saab kujh suljhiya, ohda palla
[Bhord]
Chiron° bhaven° kharda mein° kalla; Rutan° ne nachiyan° val sawala.
Dariyaa vee see kolon° tappa; neer diyan° gunjalan° jinj baani japaan°.
Lukan-michi khediyan° see laheran°; vichon° kadiyan° punj-punj nahiran°.
Nahiran° chon° naale te bhole jehe sooe; saare dekhe aapne muhe.
Tu we aaja kole bhehja; dassan° tennu gallan° sehjiyan°.
[Kani]
Edda chaurda, rookh see lamba; jardan° see feliyan° daari vanga.
Naale, Sooe gheri bohrdan°; neer noo chooman usdiyan° doran°.
Mein° keha tane te deegan° uhde; lai lavan° sikhiya bhaven° jo de.
Mundiyan° akhan°, dhup, te vehrda; taan° mein° poochchiya saach hai kehrda? [Kani]
Dasin° pattiyan° kithe dekhin° ? [Bohrd]
Kuj hari see tapiyan°, anant peelee letin° [Kani]
Ah lae kuj saach parakh ke dekhin°; baaki ja ke dhanron° sametin° [Bohrd]
[Kani]
Solan° kadam vich mein° kuj gijiya; doran° lipta te bohrd we bhijiya.
Inj risde-risde thalle aa gaye; kuj paatte chuke te naaleyan° sama gaye.
Kudde tappe bhajje nahiran°; par bohrd na labha pinda shahiran°.
Gian dhan jo bohrdon° paya; sooe nu ohee darshaya.
Dhan bohrd jo meinu dhahiya; kalli kani nu samandaron° milaya.
___________________
Meaning of each line below.
'VARTALAAP'
[KANI]
Badlon udari jo mein° maari; vich tuffanan° kani mein° pbhaaree.
Meaning: I am a rain drop who fell from skies.
Hawa lapete, akhan° jujan; asmani-athroo kad thalle pun°jan.
Meaning: My (rain drop's) longing to reach my destination through trying times.
Dooor-daraze bohrd mein° paya; vada chourda haraa see jaya.
Meaning: i saw a green banyan tree (good old lovable grandfather of my wife) from above the skies.
Vich madanan° kharda see mallah; saab kujh suljhiya, ohda palla
Meaning: The banyan (grandpa) tree seemed like the boatsman (in ancient greek philosophy - the man who transports the dead to heavens. In my context the person who shows light of knowledge, rowing me to the other side of awakening)
[Bhord]
Chiron° bhaven° kharda mein° kalla; Rutan° ne nachiyan° val sawala.
Meaning: Banyan says, "although I seem standing alone since long, but in reality I have seen a lot - all seasons (ups and downs of life).
Dariyaa vee see kolon° tappa; neer diyan° gunjalan° jinj baani japaan°.
Meaning: The river (grandpa's beloved - grandma) of beauty also flowed by my side, who had her beautiful whirls (like water whirls in rivers), which talked to me (attracted me) like the water whirls make beautiful sounds when peacfully listened to, sitting by the side of the flowing river.
Lukan-michi khediyan° see laheran°; vichon° kadiyan° punj-punj nahiran°.
Meaning: Affectionate playfulness and love delivered five chidren - they are my wife's father and his brother and three sisters. They personify canals.
Nahiran° chon° naale, te bhole jehe sooe; saare dekhe aapne muhe.
Meaning: From the canals were born rivelets (my wife's brothers, sisters and cousins) and from them our children who are great grand children of grandpa.
Tu we aaja kole bhehja; dassan° tennu gallan° sehjiyan°.
Meaning: Banyan invited the raindrop to fall on itself. Wife's Grandpa invited me too to come and listen to his enlightened teachings.
[Kani]
Edda chaurda, rookh see lamba; jardan° see feliyan° daari vanga.
Meaning: I, the raindrop thought to myself - what a huge old and high banyan tree whose roots are hanging outside like beard of the tree. grey flowing beard in our culture stands for wisdom).
Naale, Sooe gheri bohrdan°; neer noo chooman usdiyan° doran°.
Meaning: Rivelets and channels surrounded the Banyan tree, while its hanging thin branches were kissing (dipping) in the waters. My wife's generation and our children surrounded grandpa listening to his stories and philosophies, a process through which they unknowingly were being touched/dipped and imprinted with morals and lessons of life. This also signifies my observation - I was brought up in a nuclear family. I had observed that the old and senior in families around were often excluded from conversation with visiting friends. They were considered old fashioned and outright embarrasing by youngsters (relative - folks in 30s). Old people were expected to fade away. The phenomena is a self inflicted emotional and mental injury because the youngsters did exclude the old but were also conscious and guilty of their actions). The blame of this phenomena was squarely laid on the doors of the youngsters.
But in my wife's family where I had my first experience of grandparents. I saw something exceptional - everything revolved around grandparents. It was only with time I realized that the cause of this social phenomena is not so one sided. If senior family members are inspiring, intelligent, selfless and loving in earnest, this will never happen.
Mein° keha tane te deegan° uhde; lai lavan° sikhiya bhaven° jo de.
Meaning: the raindrop (me) decides to fall on the trunk of the banyan tree - symbolizes my readiness to absorb what he said and taught.
Mundiyan° akhan°, dhup, te vehrda; taan° mein° poochchiya saach hai kehrda? [Kani]
Meaning : The shadow under banyan tree on a sunny day on a huge plain - signifies grandpa, who I often visited at noon in winters when he would go to terrace to warm up and when he talked or listened attentively his eyes would shut, to focus. And I asked him what is absolute truth?
Dasin° pattiyan° kithe dekhin° ? [Bohrd]
Meaning: Banyan (grandpa) counter questioned the trickling rain drop (me) as to where all do you see leaves?
Kuj hari see tapiyan°, anant peelee letin° [Kani]
Meaning: Raindrop replies I just passed by a few green leaves and there countless yellow ones which had fallen on the ground. The green leaves signify fresh phenomena, ideas and inventions and knowledge that is fresh and discovered, while the leafshed on ground represent ocean of phenomena, ideas and knowledge that has existed since long.
Ah lae kuj saach parakh ke dekhin°; baaki ja ke dhanron° sametin° [Bohrd]
Meaning: Banyan tree let the raindrops experience and trickle over many green leaves on the journey down. It signifies that he gave me some knowledge and understanding that he had and told me to make it a lif's mission to collect more ideas and truths of life from amongst the countless already out there, to discover.
[Kani]
Solan° kadam vich mein° kuj gijiya; doran° lipta te bohrd we bhijiya.
Meaning: The raindrop trickled sixteen steps down through which it got baked (concentrated by evaporation), hugged the hanging thin branches, and wet the banyan tree. I knew grandpa for sixteen years through which I matured with knowledge he imparted (baked), while hugging his thin branches signified that I too loved him. And our philosophical discussion and my views too effected him. Thin branches signify affection.
Inj risde-risde thalle aa gaye; kuj paatte chuke te naaleyan° sama gaye.
Meaning: The raindrop kept on trickling down the tree and reached the ground. Then rainwater picks a few more leaves (washes away) into the rivelet. The symbolism here is that on way to developing an understanding and creating a union of minds, I learnt many more ideas and knowledge as grandpa had advised.
Kudde tappe bhajje nahiran°; par bohrd na labha pinda shahiran°.
Meaning: The raindrop after joining rivelets and then canals saw that while waters were splashing around and flowing through villages and towns it never found the banyan tree again. As flow of life took parents and my wife's generation away (signifies death of relationship with grandpa owing to his death) I, raindrop maintaining my separate identity (that is why I saw the river waters in 3rd person) saw the waters of rivelets and canals (my wife and the generation of her parents) restlessly trying to find grandpa, somehow. But he was never to be found.
Gian dhan jo bohrdon° paya; sooe nu ohee darshaya.
Meaning: The raindrop encoded with all information gathered during interaction with banyan tree passed it on to branching out channels closer to delta. This signifies that we taught our children those values which we received from grandpa.
Dhan bohrd jo meinu dhahiya; kalli kani nu samandaron° milaya.
Meaning: Thanks to the banyan tree which let me trickle on it and then drop me under it as that led to the raindrop flowing through and becoming a part of an ocean. It signifies that I learnt a lot from grandpa and it was he to whom my wife talked and agreed with him to let us marry. So partly owing to him we could end into union of hearts and mind.
Deepak Loomba.
You are exceptionally talented witb words. English was your forte but in recent years you found your love for the mother tongue and your writing in hindi for me, which so sadly is the last ever; was a proof that you were now exploring further. Love forever ❤️
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