This song has haunted me for many days.. And has moved me to tears many a time..
I have tried a very rough translation of this song. But I doubt if the English translation retains even a millionth of the bhavam and depth of emotion of the Malayalam words.. This song is immortalized by all the 3 elements - lyrics (Girish Puthencherry), Music (our beloved Raveendran Mash) and playback (The nightingale.. Chitra).
The original:
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Karmukil Varnante chundil
Cherum odakkuzhalinte ullil
Veenurangunnoru shriragame ninne
pulkiyunarthaan marannu kannan
Njaanen mizhinalam anayatherichum
Neerum nenjakam akilayi pukachum
Vadum karalthadam kanneeray nanachum
Ninne thedinadannu thalarnnu krishna
Neeyen nombaramariyumo shyamavarna..
Ninte nandanavrindavanathil
Pookkum parijatathinte kombil
Varum janmathilengilum shaure
Oru poovayi viriyaan kazhinjuvengil
Ninte kalkal veenadiyuvaan kazhinjuvengil..
The translation:
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In the flute that joins the lips of the one who has the colour of the dark cloud, O the gently asleep Shriragam, the Lord forgot to awaken you...
Lighting the lamp in my eyes, taking care that it will not flicker and go out,
Burning my heart to smoke like the camphor,
Wetting my dry cheeks with tears,
I am seeking you, O Krishna..
Will you know my passion, O Shyamavarna?
In your garden of vrindavan,
In the branch of the flowering parijatha,
Atleast in the next janmam, O Lord,
I wish I could be a flower that blooms,
And fall on your beloved feet..
Nandanam is a timeless classic. It tells a tale of love and devotion. I had heard the song well before seeing the movie and I experienced what real Bhakti is, when Chitra’s voice soared higher and higher, and Balamani burning with pain..