Satinder Sartaj - A Gem of a Performer

[Believer]

Namaste,

For Punjabi speakers not familiar with Satinder, he is a very well educated poet/singer/musician. The soulful renditions of his poetry are worth listening to. He holds a PhD from Punjab University, Chandigarh and is a real quality humble person, free of any vices associated with today's singers/poets/performers. Youtube carries lot of his compositions as well as interviews conducted at different locations around the world. One such interview associated with his performance at Vancouver in 2014, is at the following link,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HT0kaB5G2U

His first recorded composition 'Sai' is at,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM3FjnpTsvY

On a lighter note, his 'tappay' song is at,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiWWHnUg8Jw

Pranam.

[ratikala]

namaskaram Beliver ji

thank you for posting this , ...ever since I first heard Sai I have been attracted to listening to some of Satinder's songs although sadly unless they have subtitles I canot understand them , ...so it is good to hear one who can confirm what appears , ..that he is a humble and sincere artist . I have watched many of the concerts and he seens to work with very traditional musicians , I would love if you do not mind to tell me some more about this style of music , if I am understanding correctly he is trained in Sufi tradition ? but he is from a Sikh family ?

musicaly I realy love this one , ....but would so love to know what he is narating , ...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn6pDjQnjSM

[Believer]

Namaste,

Here are some details about Satinder,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satinder_Sartaaj

From his interviews, it appears that he is a very spiritually inclined person whose soulful poetry/songs/music come from the depths of his heart. Traditionally, all successful Punjabi singers start their overseas tours with their first performance in UK. But because of his use of traditional musical instruments and soulful songs, he has not been very popular with the younger generation and was invited by Punjabis all over the world to give concerts before he set foot on the British soil. When asked why has UK been the last overseas locale for him, he simply replied, "I was never invited to come here before". One of his songs that I like very much is,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg4yMBwYJNM

In it he is very introspective and says, '(with my travels and exposure to outside influences,) my heart is not the same and has grown (slightly) cold; simple sounds of my childhood sound like noise now'. A general feeling of sadness is expressed at the loss of "innocence" that permeated his life in a small village during his childhood, and while being an unknown during his early adult years.

Pranam.

-

[ratikala]

namaskaram Beliver ji

I have found translation for the Song you give here , ...I never thought to searc for translations before , ...

http://zouve.com/punjabi/dil-kathor-...msg135/#msg135

Kathor here is translated as Hardened , ..in sanskit can mean become riged , stiff , hard heartesd , offering resistance , cruel , ...

So yes to say grown cold I can understand , ....

last three lines I find hard to understand , ...He is speaking to himself , reminding himself ? ......or he is reminding another ?

thank you , ...I will now enjoy to read other translations , ...please do tell me if the translations on this site are not good .

Pranams

[Believer]

Namaste,

Thank you for taking the time to find the translations. My google search had not turned up anything.

The literal meaning of Katthor indeed is hard (or hardened). For the heart, arteries become hardened with plaque and heart itself goes cold. To me the two words are interchangeable.

The whole song is introspective. Many times poets use their name in their lyrics as if it is a third person, but it is not. He is still talking to himself. In the last three lines he says, 'Sartaaj sang a (spiritual) song for me, that woke me up (from my slumber) and made me feel refreshed (and alive) again'. It is an expression of how his heart which became a bit cold and hardened due to the influences of fleeting glitter of this world, found its true bearings and was again brought back in line with Sartaaj's spiritual nature - a self correction. That is my interpretation, but I am no Sartaaj.

I find that most translations tend to be literal. People putting in the effort are not at the spiritual level of the poet and tend, many times, to miss the underlying emotions/spiritual context/depth. So, yes, the translations are credible in the literal sense, but often come out short on giving the essence of the thought process.

Pranam.

[ratikala]

Namaskaram Beleiver ji

Namaste,
The whole song is introspective. Many times poets use their name in their lyrics as if it is a third person, but it is not. He is still talking to himself. In the last three lines he says, 'Sartaaj sang a (spiritual) song for me, that woke me up (from my slumber) and made me feel refreshed (and alive) again'. It is an expression of how his heart which became a bit cold and hardened due to the influences of fleeting glitter of this world, found its true bearings and was again brought back in line with Sartaaj's spiritual nature - a self correction. That is my interpretation, but I am no Sartaaj.

it is a nice interpretation and I am sure fitting , ..
true you may not be Sartaaj , ...but I am sure he does not sing for his own appreciation alone he sings to inspire the same appreciation in others , and to share in their enjoyment ...

I find that most translations tend to be literal. People putting in the effort are not at the spiritual level of the poet and tend, many times, to miss the underlying emotions/spiritual context/depth. So, yes, the translations are credible in the literal sense, but often come out short on giving the essence of the thought process.

yes, I understand your concerns completly , ... I have learnt to be very carefull with translations that one should allways look beyond the literal and try to understand the style of the author especialy with Bhajan or any thing of a spiritual or devotional nature

Do you like Kalams of Sain Zahoor ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYtr4-N0Ifw

pranamas

[Believer]

Namaste,

Do you like Kalams of Sain Zahoor ?

I don't venture much beyond Hindi/Punjabi stuff as it requires a laborious process of finding translations to figure out what they are singing about and be able to connect with and enjoy their poetry.

Pranam.

[Believer]

Namaste,

The 'Real' punjabis might be familiar with this old song 'Mahiya Tere Vekhan Nu', but I came across it in the last few days. It is billed as a spiritual song with the mahiya (beloved) in this context being the Divine Himself. Any comments from Satay or any other punjabi visitors to this forum will be appreciated. I am reviving this old thread instead of starting a new one to keep the punjabi bhajans in one place. Song starts at 1:18 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4jB...&start_radio=1

Lyrics (not well transcribed) and translation,
http://asrar-e-ishq.blogspot.com/201...wonderful.html

Pranam.

[satay]

Namaste Believer,
Thanks for the link to the song. It is really beautiful. I had not heard this one before. What happened to this type of setting of listening to beautiful nazams and actually enjoying it. The singer has an amazing voice and the setup of audience is even more amazing. That enhanced the listening experience for me. So are you saying that Sartaj will sing this song or has he sung it already? Bulleh shah poetry is timeless and borderless indeed. Speaking of sartaj I listened to him when he just started coming out but haven't been listening to music in general much in the past two years.

[Believer]

Namaste Satay,

Yes, the rendition is in a class by itself and so mesmerizing.

No, I am not saying that Sartaj will do this one; just that I decided to put it in the same thread to keep them together.

Wadali Brothers have been the giants of their time; unfortunately the younger brother passed away some time back. Here is a link to their rendition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Maxd5kRe-08

And a newer one with the remaining older brother and his son,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlWOlRB5zTM

Pranam.