The Story of a Tired Father

This week, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (Marathi) telecast an episode celebrating Dr Saleel Kulkarni's birthday. This episode ended with a song sung by Dr Saleel Kulkarni. MIL gave a strong recommendation about this song with the fact that this song had the entire auditorium crying. It was performed in a concert called Ayushyavar Bolu Kaahi (Let's talk about life) and the song was Damlelya Bapachi Kahani (the story of a tired father). It is actually a poem. This song hit us close to home, esp the Mister, as we are also standing on the threshold of parenthood. Here is the poem and an attempt to translation.



Here's hoping to present the side of a father who is sad and apologetic that he cannot spend enough time with his kid as he is busy toiling to provide all the comforts to the same kid. Hope you will be able to forgive your father for doing the same as in this poem.

कोमेजून निजलेली एक परी राणी
उतरले तोंड,डोळा सुकलेले पाणी
रोजचेच आहे सारे काही आज नाही
माफी कशी मागू पोरी मला तोंड नाही
झोपेतच घेतो तुला आज मी कुशीत
निजेतच तरी पण येशील खुशीत
सांगायाचे आहे माझ्या सानुल्या फुला
दमलेल्या बापाची ही कहाणी तुला....
ना ना ना ना ना.. ना ना ना ना ना....

आटपाट नगरात गर्दी होती भारी
घामाघूम राजा तरी लोकलची वारी
रोज सकाळीच राजा निघताना बोले
गोष्ट सांगायाचे काल राहूनिया गेले
जमलेच नाही काल येणे मला जरी
आज परि येणार मी वेळेतच घरी
स्वप्नातल्या गावामध्ये मारू बघ खेळी
खर्याखुर्या परीसाठी गोष्टीतली परी
मांडीन मी थकलेल्या हातांचा झुला
दमलेल्या बापाची ही कहाणी तुला....
ना ना ना ना ना.. ना ना ना ना ना....

ऑफिसात उशीरा मी असतो बसून
भंडावले डोके गेले कामात बुडून
तास-तास जातो खाल मानेने निघून
एक-एक दिवा जातो हळूच विझून
अशा वेळी काय सांगू काय-काय वाटे
आठवासोबत पाणी डोळ्यांतून दाटे
वाटते की उठूनिया तुझ्या पास यावे
तुझ्यासाठी मी पुन्हा लहानगे व्हावे
उगाचच रूसावे नि भांडावे तुझ्याशी
चिमुकले खेळ काही मांडावे तुझ्याशी

उधळत खिदळत बोलशील काही
बघताना भान मला उरणार नाही
हसूनिया उगाचच ओरडेल काही
दुरूनच आपल्याला बघणारी आई
तरीसुद्धा दोघेजण दंगा मांडू असा
क्षणा-क्षणावर ठेवू खोडकर ठसा
सांगायाची आहे माझ्या सानुल्या फुला
दमलेल्या बापाची ही कहाणी तुला....
ना ना ना ना ना.. ना ना ना ना ना....

दमल्या पायाने जेव्हा येईल जांभई
मऊ-मऊ दूध भात भरवेल आई
गोष्ट ऐकायला मग येशील ना अशी
सावरीच्या उशीहून मऊ माझी कुशी
कुशी माझी सांगताहे ऐक बाळा काही
सदोदित जरी का मी तुझ्या पास नाही
जेवू खाऊ नाहू माखू घालतो ना तुला
आईपरी वेणी फणी करतो ना तुला
तुझ्यासाठी आईपरी बाबासुद्धा खुळा
तोही कधी गुपचूप रडतो रे बाळा
सांगायाची आहे माझ्या सानुल्या फुला
दमलेल्या बापाची या कहाणी तुला....
ना ना ना ना ना.. ना ना ना ना ना....

(संदीपचा आवाज) गद्य:
बोळक्यामध्ये लुकलुकलेला तुझा पहिला दात
आणि पहिल्यांदाच घेतलास जेव्हा तोंडी मऊ भात
आई म्हणण्याआधीसुद्धा म्हणली होतीस बाबा
रांगत रांगत घेतलास जेव्हा घराचा तू ताबा
लुटू-लुटू उभं रहात टाकलंस पाऊल पहिलं
दूरचं पहात राहिलो फक्त,जवळ पहायचंच राहिलं

असा गेलो आहे बाळा पुरा अडकून
हल्ली तुला झोपेतच पहातो दुरून
असा कसा बाबा देव लेकराला देतो
लवकर जातो आणि उशीरानं येतो
बालपण गेले तुझे-तुझे निसटून
उरे काय तुझ्या-माझ्या ओंजळीमधून
जरी येते ओठी तुझ्या माझ्यासाठी हसे
नजरेत तुझ्या काही अनोळखी दिसे
तुझ्या जगातून बाबा हरवेल का गं
मोठेपणी बाबा तुला आठवेल का गं
सासुराला जाता-जाता उंबरठ्यामध्ये
बाबासाठी येईल का पाणी डोळ्यामध्ये
ना ना ना ना ना.. ना ना ना ना ना....‍‍‍

--- संदीप खरे.
(Lyrics courtesy: http://ketki20.blogspot.com)
Read the translation below (translation is not necessarily literal, some of the meanings are implied)

There's my princess sleeping like a withered flower,
She sleeps with a fallen face and dried tears.
This is a story of everyday, just not today.
But I don't have a face to ask for forgiveness,
I take you in my arms in your drowsy mood,
and you still come to me
My little flower, I wish to share with you today
A story of this tired father.

There was a lot of crowd in this Kingdom Far Far Away,
And this King was caught in the crowd, dripping in the sweat,
Every morning the King would say
I wanted to tell you a bedtime story last night
But could not because I was late
But, even if I couldn't tell one last night,
I will surely come home in time tonight to tell you one
Then we'll play around in our fairyland,
A fairy tale for a real little fairy,
I'll swing you in my tired arms,
This is the story of a tired father.

When I sit in my office deep in my work,
my head spinning with a lot of turmoil
I spend hours bent on my work,
every light in the office goes off one by one
How can I tell you what I feel as such a time?
My mind crowds with memories, and my eyes with tears,
I want to just leave my work and come to you
Return to my childhood just for you,
Fight a childish fight with you
Join you in your childish games

You would say something to me in a careless manner
I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off you (as I think how right you are)
Then we would laugh out and shout out loud
You mother would watch us from afar
Yet we would create a ruckus
And mark each moment with a new mischief
I want to tell you my little one,
The story of this tired father.

When you yawn on your tired little feet,
And your mother feeds you with milk and rice,
Then would you come to me for a story
Into my arms which are softer than your pillow,
Listen, my baby, my arms wish to tell you something:
Even if I am unable to be with you every moment of the day,
Even if I don't feed you and play with you,
Even if I don't tie your hair in pigtails like your mother,
But my child, remember that your father is as crazy for you as your mother
He too cries silent tears for you at night
Listen, my little flower, I want to tell you
A Story of this tired father

(Recited by Sandeep Khare)
The first little tooth in your tiny mouth
Your first bite into softly cooked rice
Even before you said Aai (Mum) , you said Baba (Dad)
You conquered the whole house by crawling all over the house
You stood shakingly on your feet for the first time
But I saw all this standing afar, when I wanted to see it all up close

Just like that, my little one, I am stuck in an everyday rut
All I can do is watch you sleep from afar
What sort of a father the Almighty has bestowed on you?
The one who leaves early and comes home late
Now your childhood slips away from me
What else is left in our hands?
I see you smile at me every now and then
But there is something in your eyes for me, that I don't recognize
Is your father going to be swept away from you, forgotten
Will you remember your father?
On your way to your in-laws and your new life
Will you shed a few tears for your old father?