'Koi Nahin Apna' by Vishnu Khuprao Deshmukh

We are utterly alone in this world. We come alone, we go alone. We may dress up this reality in multiple delusions that help us forget. But Kabir doesn’t let us, and in this utterly direct and bare song, which goes to the heart of all that we deny, he says – ‘No one is your own - understand, oh heart!’

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Find lyrics/translation of this song at
http://ajabshahar.com/songs/details/7...
Discover a universe of Bhakti, Sufi, Baul poetry and music at http://www.ajabshahar.org.
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(Click on Settings for subtitles in English & Hindi.)

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 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

This is one of a series of uploads for Ajab Shahar, a webspace dedicated to mystic poem and song, created by the Kabir Project team (http://www.ajabshahar.org ; http://www.kabirproject.org).

Song Credits:
Vocals & Ektara – Vishnu Khuprao Deshmukh

Translation: Shabnam Virmani

Video Credits:
Camera: Prakash Bhalerao
Editing: Sharanya Gautam & Megha Bhaduri
Sub-Titling: Shruti Kulkarni & Vipul Rikhi
Source: Prakash Bhalerao