Life in Trinidad

Main To Diwana

Song Title Main To Diwana
Movie Title Milan
Date Released (India) March 17, 1967
Date Released (Trinidad) Unknown
Singer Mukesh
Lyricist Anand Bakshi
Composer Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Starring Sunil Dutt, Nutan, Pran, Jamuna
Music video of Main To Diwana from the movie Milan.

Song Lyrics

About The Lyrics

The Hindi lyrics of this song were obtained from the Gaana.com website [1]. The English translation of most of the song was taken from the English subtitles of the original movie. The final versions of the Hindi lyrics and English translation were put together by P. Mohan [2] using Google Translate.

Fun Facts

The central phrase, “main to diwana” (मैं तो दीवाना), is a statement of identity which means, “I am just another madman“. This is a common theme in Indian poetry, where the unrequited lover is often portrayed as a diwana, or a crazy person. with “diwana” (दीवाना) being a Persian-derived term for a “madman“, “lover“, or someone “crazy” with passion.

In this context, it’s a tragic declaration as the singer sees himself as a madman whose joy is so great that people might not understand his tears. This is further explained in the line “khushi mein bhi aankhen bhigote hai aansoo” (ख़ुशी में भी आँखें भिगोते हैं आँसू), which translates to “even in happiness, tears wet the eyes,” capturing the complexity of his forced joy.

The song’s emotional core lies in the contradiction between the joyous occasion, referred to as “sama suhaana” (समा सुहाना), meaning “beautiful atmosphere,” and the protagonist’s hidden pain, revealed only through his tears (aansoo). He states that tears can be caused by both sorrow and joy, making them an “enigma to the world.”

The song uses other powerful words and metaphors to convey its message. The sound of wedding music, “Shehnaayiya” (शहनाईयाँ), is ironically described as “duhaayi” (दुहाई), or “a cry for help,” as it announces a painful separation. The line “naye rishton ne toda naata puraana” (नए रिश्तों ने तोड़ा नाता पुराना) translates to “new relationships have broken old ties,” a direct reference to the love triangle that drives the film’s plot. The final stanza uses the metaphor of a river of time (samay ki nadi) and the boatman’s (maajhi) boat, as the bride leaves her father’s house (baabul ki galiya), urging her to forget her past and her love, highlighting the finality of their separation.

References

[1] https://gaana.com/lyrics/main-to-diwana

[2] Mohan, Permanand. Life in Trinidad: A Journey Through Bollywood Film Songs and Trini Calypso. https://lifeintrinidad.org/

 

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