Khereyan de naal - Then and Now

"Main ni jana khereyaan de naal"

"I do not want to go with the Khera's" - says Heer to her mother. She has been fixed to marry this man from Saida Khera, but how can she? Ranjha is her love, as if since eternity, and definitely till she breathes her last. She insists that she should stay where her Ranjha is. So what if people call him a 'jogi' - an ascetic, Heer finds the Supreme Being in him.

Many of us from Northern part of Indian subcontinent have heard the tragic love story of Heer and Ranjha. Written in mid-eighteenth century by Waris Shah, a Punjabi sufi of Chishti order, it is often compared to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Some believe that the characters were inspired from real people. It has been narrated, sung and enacted so many times since then that it has become a cultural element of Punjab region, making its way to the folk. The romance comes hand-in-hand with the tragedy, and that makes it so loved by all. And since it has been a part of folk for more than some 250 years now, the story has served as grounds for a number of sufi and folk songs, by various maestros, spanning different eras, with each song undergoing many improvisations. One such song is 'Khereyaan de naal' - which I heard about 5-6 years back and it just stuck. As usual, this song also has been rendered by many famous as well as not-so-famous, expert as well as aspiring singers, but I am a fan of particularly two versions, almost a generation apart. One is rendered by Tufail Niazi sa'ab and other is from Niazi Brothers' Coke Studio album (season 7, episode 5). 

I listen to these both, and I marvel at the composition, at the depth and strength of its notes, at the fact that it hasn't lost its soul in the latter one, which sounds so evoking in the former one. The song is set in Heer's home, where Heer hears in the last hours of night, just before dawn, a flute in the distance, which reminds her of Ranjha. This has brought Ranjha's memory to her and she now insists her mother to not get her married to another man from Khera. The starting flute piece is worth commending, the way it has been recorded takes the listener to a small Punjab village, the smell of fresh earth fills the air.

The technical expertise of Tufail Niazi sa'ab anyway does not need any mention, its beyond the boundaries of words that praise. There are places (Iike in the second stanza, the line "mainnu te rabb da jamaal", the word 'jamaal' in particular) where he touches the notes that a critical listener is least expecting. And what variations! The same line is sung many times, but with different notes' combinations and formats, keeping the soul intact. The whole song has this rustic, earthy and honest feel to it, cozy and comfortable.

On the other hand, the latter version by Niazi Brothers from Pakistan is a fusion. So perfectly done and so fresh that it gives a whole new life to the story. The young ears mostly do not like the old sounds, traditional instruments and fuzzy/noisy recordings of old times, but this one has everything that a music lover of today could ask for in a composition - piano, flute, drums, strings and on top of all, high-definition digital recording.

They start in a very relaxed manner, in perfect harmony. The 'main nai jana' notes totally make your heart reach out to poor Heer. The best part of this rendition also is the flute - but unlike the former version, flute makes an entry with a grandeur in the last part. It does not impart to you the warmth that it does in the former one, instead it makes you tap your feet to the beats. The tempo keeps varying, which initially sounds very text-bookish, but beautiful nonetheless. The whole crescendo part awakens all your senses, and by the end of it, you are aware, and smiling.

I may sound exaggerating every bit of it, but I hope no true lover of music thinks such and would agree to all what I observed and shared above.

Happy Listening!

PS: There are many other versions of this song available on YouTube, among which the most famous is by Shafqat Amanat Ali, which has been attempted by a plethora of contestants in all sorts of music shows/competitions in India and Pakistan alike.