The Meaning of Iktara: The One-Stringed Soul The word ‘Iktara’ literally translates to ‘One-stringed.’ It is a traditional string instrument used in folk music across India and Pakistan, often associated with wandering minstrels and Sufi saints. In the song, the ‘Iktara’ represents the protagonist’s heart—singular, soulful, and resonating with a deep, solitary longing for a … Read more
Koi Fariyaad Lyrics Meaning and Translation: Koi Fariyaad from Tum Bin is Written by Faaiz Anwar and sung by the legendary Jagjit Singh is one of the most beautiful Ghazals I have heard. Composed by Nikhil-Vinay for the 2001 movie Tum Bin, its presence is complimentary to the beautiful soundtrack of the movie. I make … Read more
Before Javed Akhtar wrote the beautiful poems in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, he wrote a gem of a poem in another Farhan Akhtar starrer. Rock On sent the critcs raving and won the National Award and many other awards, but I felt there wasnt much justice done to the most beautiful part of the movie. … Read more
For the month of August I have decided to do something that I had been putting off for a long time now. I am a huge fan of Urdu & Hindi poetry and derived a lot of pleasure from translating my favorite verses into English. The process allowed me to better understand the nuances of … Read more
Its been over a month since my 27th birthday and there is a good reason why I didn’t write about it till now….
Every year I take time to write about how the day went and about my hopes for the year ahead, but this time things were different.