Ek Jhoka – Swing Away to Happiness – Chaukat Raja (1991)

A little girl’s birthday is being celebrated with a lot of zest. Her parents are happy and her mother takes her princess in her arms and makes her sit on a swing decorated with beautiful flowers. The girl starts swinging and the mother starts humming a tune. There is a smile on everybody’s face but the mom, although happy, is experiencing many other emotions which are reflected in her eyes. While somewhere, not far away, someone wakes up from a long sleep after listening to the tune.

Marathi film buffs might have guessed it by now that I am talking about the song from the film Chaukat Raja (1991) starring Dilip Prabhavalkar, Smita Talwalkar and Dilip Kulkarni in the lead roles. The film was liked by the audience and also got Dilip Prabhavalkar Maharashtra State Award in 1992 for his portrayal of Nandu (the disabled boy).

The song is sung by Asha Bhosle and composed by Anand Modak while the lyrics are written by Sudhir Moghe.

Ek jhoka, ek jhoka
Chuke kaalajaacha thhoka, ek jhoka… jhoka

Oh the lovely swing..
My heart skips a beat the moment the swing reaches the pinnacle…
Oh the swing!

Ujawikade, daawikade
Daawikade, ujawikade
Jara swathlaach feka

It moves, it sways ..
It goes right and left
Just throw yourself into its arms and enjoy!

The swing, for number of reasons, represents mixed emotions. The way it moves, it makes you feel giddy and happy at the same time. If you hold on to your fears you will feel sick. If you let go, you will certainly enjoy. And the swing asks you to do exactly this and so does life!

Naahi kuthhe thaanbaayache
Maagepudhe jhulaayache
Haach dharaayacha thheka

I wish the swing never stops swinging
I wish to go back and forth all the time
The rhythm has got my attention and I just want to swing along..

Sitting on a swing feels as if we are revisiting memories and living the future all the while sitting in the present! Isn’t this humble swing a great time machine!

Jaminila odhaayache
Akaashaala jodaayache
Khup maja, thoda dhoka

Let’s take the farthest fragment of the earth
And tie it up with the sky as we go high
Oh the sheer thought gives me so much bliss
Although, I know it is just a mirage!

The lyricist, so simply, connects the swing to life. Life is full of experiences; many joyous and some tumultuous. It is up to us where to concentrate.

This song is a mixture of happiness and sadness and the mood in the entire song too oscillates between the two emotions just like the movement of the swing. The music director has also attempted to play with the rhythm during the line ‘Chuke kaalajacha thoka’ which means skipping a heartbeat. We feel as if the rhythm is missed but it is just a play that the music director attempts and wins our hearts. This attention to details, the wording, music and the voice takes this song on another level altogether.

You can watch and listen to this mesmerizing song here and enjoy!