Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahi - English Translation and Literary Appreciation

English translation and appreciation of the song " Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahi | Parineeti / Meri Pyaari Bindu”as per my understanding.

Please listen to this beautiful song for better understanding:




Introduction:

They parted their ways before they could bid farewell to each other. The meandering road of life brings them back together gifting them the pain of bidding adieu at last.  A beautiful yet heart wrenching conversation between two estranged beaus, who meet years after moving on with their lives. Unlike the conventional love birds, they don’t cry over their destiny or blame life for being unfair. Recollecting their past, they instead accept the present and speak about the future in a rather painful yet beautifully mature way. They express why and how they will, if they ever meet again in the future. Covering their grief under the beautiful veil of deceptive smile they express their paradoxical feelings in the form of a melodious song.

Lyrics:

“Maana ke hum yaar nahin
Lo tay hai ke pyaar nahin
Maana ke hum yaar nahin
Lo tay hai ke pyaar nahin
Phir bhi nazrein na tum milaana
Dil ka aitbaar nahi
Maana ke hum yaar nahi…”

English translation:

He-
Agreed that we are not lovers
It is decided that there is no love (between us)
She-
Yet don’t let our eyes meet
Because the heart is not trustworthy
He-
Agreed that we are not lovers

Appreciation:

They swallow the bitter truth of separation, what life or destiny had to offer them. Respecting the fact, they admit that they are no more lovers, they decide that there is no love between them. The only fact is the separation here, they just pretend that there is no love which is absolutely false and this is why the girl pleads to her beloved not to look into the eyes because they cannot behold the lie. Eyes always reveal the truth. No matter how perfect she may be in hiding her emotions behind her face, but it were her hazel brown eyes which were transparent, revealing the true emotions fastened somewhere deep inside her unfaithful heart. She did not trust her heart and she knew that it would tell it all.

Lyrics:

“Raaste mein jo milo toh Haath milaane ruk jaana
Saath mein koi ho tumhaare Door se hi tum muskaana
Lekin muskaan ho aisi Ki jis mein ikraar nahin Lekin muskaan ho aisi Ki jis mein ikraar nahin
Nazron se na karna tum bayaan Woh jis se inkaar nahin Maana ke hum yaar nahin”

English Translation:

He-
If you ever meet me, do stop for a handshake
She-
If you are with someone, acknowledge with a distant smile
He-
But the smile should be such that it does not manifest love
She-
Don’t express through your eyes, the words that you don’t agree with
He-
Agreed that we are not lovers

Appreciation:

For the sake of the best moments they had in life, he requests her not to ignore him if they ever cross paths again. Running away or ignoring each other like strangers would insult the love they had. Just like a devoted Indian woman, who gives everything to her husband regardless of how true or how intense her feelings were in past to someone else, she replies that if either of them are with their partners they can simply exchange smiles instead. Understanding her restrictions, he agrees with her but proposes a condition that the smile should be such that it should not manifest love. The same old smile that would uproot the deep buried irrevocable pain, summoning it back to life. He fears, not only for himself but also for her, going back through the same pain. To which she replies that, if not by smile, then let the eyes speak the truth, just to assure that their love is immortal. Regardless of the fact and separation and other manmade institutions like marriage, the emotion of love still thrives deep inside them.

Lyrics:

"Phool jo band hai panno mein Tum usko dhool bana dena
Baat chhide jo meri kahin Tum usko bhool bataa dena
Lekin wo bhool ho aisi Jis se bezaar nahin Lekin wo bhool ho aisi Jis se bezaar nahin
Tu jo soye toh meri tarah Ik pal ko bhi karaar nahin
Maana ki hum yaar nahi…"

English Translation:

He-
The flower which is enclosed inside the book, turn it into dust
She-
If anyone speaks about me, call it a mistake
He-
But the mistake should be as such that you don’t regret it
She-
I hope your sleep is like me, no peace even for a moment
He-
Agreed that we are not lovers

Appreciation:

He asks her to erase all the memories and the gifts symbolizing their love. The first rose which he gave her, which she had preserved in an enclosed book, he asks her to throw it away. Even after all these years of separation he has faith in her love and is sure that the roses and the other gifts which he had given are still with her. The confidence of true love which robustly stands out in his statement exhibits the intensity of love between them. She knows that their love was not a secret and everyone knew about it. With this she was sure that people mention her, maybe out of curiosity, jealousy or with an intention to hurt. Whatever it may be, she asks him to ignore them by terming it as a mistake. She does not want him to justify or rationalize the reason behind their separation. The love and the separation was between them and it does not make sense to explain it to a third person. She understands and so does he, and this is what matters the most. Keeping her heart happy, he says that he does not regret this mistake. It was one of the best things to have ever happened to him. There is no displeasure having this mistake done. The price of loss, disparity and heartbreak, no matter how profound the pain was, it was all worth it. It was worth being the time they were together, the proximity, that warmth, the thought of understanding, building their dreams, imagining their future together and that feeling of being together. Just like him, even she has blind trust on her love and to prove that she is pretty sure that just like her nights, even his nights are sleepless. She is sure that not even a single night he must have slept without thinking of the love, loss and her. She compares her sleeping pattern with him and says that there must not have been even a moment of peace while sleeping away from each other. She knows the warmth, the feeling of melting into his chest, sometimes she and sometimes him. The warm, cozy nights, the peaceful sleep with no worries or insecurities looming around them. His hand gliding over her back and the sweet sleep forgetting the ruthless and the harsh reality of life. An escape which no alcohol or drugs could intoxicate them with; the memory of sleeping in each other’s arms, would never let them sleep comfortably ever in their life.

Lyrics:

"Kisi daraz k kone mein,
Teri tasveer mili hai
Fir wohi kaaton ka safar,
Wohi phoolon ki gali"

English Translation:

 Monologue of Male:
In the corner of the cupboard
I found your photo
Again, the same old journey full of thorns,
Going through the flower laden lanes

Appreciation:

In his busy hectic life, he remembers her. Regardless of moving ahead in life, he does come across something that reminds him of her and this again cuts open the healed wounds. He goes through the mixed feeling remembering the golden time of their love, followed by the ruthlessness of their destiny.

Conclusion:

I love the conflicting conversation between them. The emotion of love overpowering each time by a reply when one says that there is no love. When one proposes hate the other replies with love and vice versa. On one hand, they accept that there is no love and on the other hand they also agree that the love between them is immortal. No matter how much they conceal their true selves with a shroud of fake or rude feelings, they can never hide the true essence of love. According to me there is no self-existence of hate, it is just the absence of love. Just like how there is no matter to the shadow, hate is a similar concept which is still a mystery for many.



P. S. : Writing this one was a difficult task for me, as it somewhere brushes through my personal life. Similar to the song there was a conflicting interest inside me. The strong urge to pen down my thoughts and the pain penning it down. It took me long to write this up. Special thanks to Snehankita Bhosale for editing and proof reading it.