Year: 1979
Movie: Golmaal
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Lyricist: Gulzar
Music Director: R D Burman
Lyrics: here
Year: 2008
Movie: Kung Fu Panda
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present"!
'Aane Wala Pal' is a beautiful song for living in the present moment. Many books have been written on this theme. A good contemporary book is The Miracle of Mindfulness (140 pages, 1999) by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. A more popular book is The Power of Now (208 pages, 1999) by Eckhart Tolle. These books emphasize paying attention to the task at hand and enjoying whatever we are doing right now, free from past and future worries. The song 'Aane Wala Pal' is along the same lines.
During my education in computer science and mathematics, which culminated in a Ph D from Stanford, I had always heard of time being a measurable quantity, ticking away. Four years after finishing my Ph D, I was going through a stressful phase in my life. During those days, I heard of 'an everpresent now' where we could be free from worries of the past and the future! This is not exactly a mathematical idea. It is psychological. A few days later, I was standing outside my office building with a close friend. I looked at the skies and the trees around and thought, "This is the everpresent now. Nothing else matters. The past and the future are not relevant." I felt peaceful :)
Two other songs from Hindi movies that emphasize the present moment: Zindagi Ik Safar Hai Suhana (1971, Andaz) — Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara (1980, The Burning Train).
Roman Script
Ho Sake To Is Mein
Zindagi Bita Do
Pal Jo Ye Jaane Wala Hai
Hindi
हो सके तो इस में
ज़िंदगी बिता दो
पल जो ये जाने वाला है
Translation
If possible,
spend a lifetime in the present moment.
This moment is about to pass away.
Interpretation
Roman Script
Khilte Hue Kaha
Khush Paash Main Chali
Dekha To Yaheen Hai
Dhoondha To Nahi Hai
Pal Jo Ye Jaane Wala Hai
Hindi
खिलते हुए कहा
खुश पाश मैं चली
देखा तो यहीं हैं
ढूँढा तो नहीं हैं
पल जो ये जाने वाला हैं
Translation
Blossoming, it said,
"I'm in a state of bliss!"
If you open your eyes, it is right here.
If you're searching, it is not there.
This moment is about to pass.
Interpretation
The message of the song is simple: This moment is also about to pass. So if you are asleep, awaken with the snap of your fingers to smile like a bud in bloom! :)
Roman Script
Wahaan Daastaan Milee
Lamha Kaheen Naheen
Thoda Sa Hansa Ke
Thoda Sa Rula Ke
Pal Ye Bhi Jaane Wala Hai
Hindi
वहाँ दास्तां मिली
लमहा कहीं नहीं
थोड़ा सा हँसाके
थोड़ा सा रुलाके
पल ये भी जाने वाला हैं
Translation
A story was discovered there.
The moment was nowhere to be found.
Making us smile a little,
making us weep a little,
this moment is also going to fade away.
Interpretation
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