'Bhajan Bine Mann Baanware' by Vishnu Khuprao Deshmukh

जोरू लड़के धन के साथी ममता महल बनाया भजन बीने मन बाँवरे तूने हीरा जन्म गंवाया With wife, sons and money for companions You built a grand palace of attachments You didn't quieten your mind, O foolish one! You threw this precious life away *** Find lyrics/translation of this song at http://ajabshahar.com/songs/details/9... Discover a universe of Bhakti, Sufi, Baul poetry and music at http://www.ajabshahar.org. *** The song resonates with truth and authenticity in the voice of ‘Kabir Baba’ (Vishnu Khuprao Deshmukh), an itinerant street musician from Malwa. This home video was shot and shared with us by Prakash Bhalerao, who says... “A little bit about Kabir Baba. I have seen him since I was a kid. He was a street musician, wandering the streets of Malwa. Every once in a while, early in the morning, you would hear him from a distance and then spot him. He would walk by your house with his ektari, singing bhajans non-stop. He never ‘begged’. You would call him, and share offerings, he would accept them with a nod while continuing to sing. Then he would abruptly turn around and walk back. This behavior always puzzled me. I was too young to figure out his ‘algorithm’. After 50 some odd years, now I think back, he was only after ‘roji roti’ (daily bread). Yes, only ‘roji’ and ‘roti’. As soon as he met the needs for the day, that was good enough. He would walk back to his den. We talk Kabir, he lived Kabir. Un dinon, 10 marks ke liye hum Kabir ratt-te the, Kabir ke peeche bhaagte the. Ab Kabir hamaare peechhe bhaag raha hai. (In those days, for 10 marks in our Hindi exam paper, we would learn Kabir poems by rote, and run after him. Today Kabir is pursuing us.)” – Prakash Bhalerao (Click on Settings for subtitles in English & Hindi.) Ajab Shahar is a digital archive of mystic poetry and music drawing from the rich Bhakti and Sufi oral traditions in India and beyond... Explore a world of sung and spoken wisdom at https://ajabshahar.com Song Credits: Vocals & Ektara – Vishnu Khuprao Deshmukh Translation: Shabnam Virmani Video Credits: Camera: Prakash Bhalerao Editing: Sharanya Gautam & Megha Bhaduri Sub-Titling: Namrata Ratnam Source: Prakash Bhalerao Place: Indore, Madhya Pradesh Date of Recording: August, 1996