Ishwar Allah tere jahaan mein, nafrat kyon hain, jung hai kyon
tera dil to itna bada hai, insaan ka dil tang hai kyon
Oh God! why is there hatred and war in your world?
Your heart is so expansive, why are the hearts of humans so narrow?
kadam kadam par sarhad kyon hai, saari zameen jo teri hai
sooraj ke pehre dharti hai phir kyon itni andheri hai
is duniya ke daaman par insaan ke lahoon ka rang hai kyon
When all the land belongs to you, why are there boundaries drawn at every step?
Despite the sun guarding the earth, why is there so much darkness on earth?
why is there color of blood (of humans) on the ‘daaman’ of the world?
Goonj rahin hai itni cheekhein, pyaar ki baatein kaun sune
toot rahe hain itne sapne in ke tukde kaun chune
dil ke darwaazon par taalein, un taalon par hai zunk hai kyon
Ishwar Allah…
So many screams echo, who can possibly listen to any talks of love?
So many dreams are shattering, who can sift through them?
There are locks on the doors of heart, and why are the locks so rusty?
Daaman is an interesting word. It means a ‘chunni/dupatta or any kind of cloth covering that a woman may have, especially in the Indian subcontinent. But daaman is what usually covers the ‘lap’ so when you are impoverished you spread your daaman to ask for alms and the kids find solace in a mother’s daaman. Earth is like a mother according to Hindu scriptures, country is called ‘matrubhumi’ or ‘motherland’ , therefore this analogy. Hats off to Javed Akthar.
