کِسی کے دِل میں رَہْنا تھا

kisii ke dil meN rɛhnaa thaa

kisii ke dil meN rɛhnaa thaa

Touch on each word to display its meaning

کِسی کے دِل میں رَہْنا تھا

"You were meant to dwell in someone's heart"

ہوئے مَجْبور ہَم

اَور دِل مُحَبَّت کَر کے پَچْھتایا

خُوشی کو لوٹ کَر میری ،

بتاؤ ، تُم نے کْیا پایا ؟

You made me helpless,

and my heart now regrets ever loving.

Having plundered all my joy,

tell me - what did you gain?

کِسی کے دِل میں رَہْنا تھا [ x2 ]

تو میرے دِل میں کیوں آئے ؟

بَسائی تھی کوئی محفِل [ x2 ]

تو اِس محفِل میں کیوں آئے ؟

کِسی کے دِل میں رَہْنا تھا

If you were meant to dwell in someone's heart [x2],

why did you enter mine?

If you'd built your home elsewhere [x2],

why come to my door?

You were meant to dwell in someone's heart.

میرا دِل لے کے

میرے پیار کو تُھْکرا دِیا تُم نے

سہارا دے کے آنکھیں پھیر لیں ،

یہ کْیا کِیا تُم نے ؟

You took my heart,

then spurned my love with disdain.

After giving me hope, you turned away -

what kind of cruelty is this?

خبر کْیا تھی کِہ ارمانوں پہ

تُم بِجلی گِرا دو گے

میری ہنستی ہوئی آنکھوں کو

رونا بھی سِکھا دو گے

How could I know you'd strike

lightning upon my dreams?

That you'd teach my laughing eyes

the art of weeping?

تُمْہارے گِیت مَیں گَاتی تھی

ہر دم ہو کے دیوانی

میرے دِل کی ، مگر آواز بھی

تُم نے نَہ پَہْچانْی

I used to sing your songs

breathlessly, madly devoted,

yet you never recognized

even my heart's voice.

About this song

Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Music: Naushad
On screen: Nargis, Munawar Sultana

kisii ke dil meN rɛhnaa thaa (Hindi: किसी के दिल में रहना था, Urdu: کِسی کے دِل میں رَہْنا تھا), which translates to "You were meant to live in someone's heart", is an iconic song composed for the Bollywood film Babul (1950), representing the pinnacle of melancholic composition from Indian cinema's golden era.

Created by legendary composer Naushad with lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni, the song features a captivating female duet that personifies the two leading ladies: fiery Bela (Nargis) and delicate Usha (Munawar Sultana), both vying for protagonist Ashok's (Dilip Kumar) love.

Shamshad Begum's powerful voice lends Bela her assertive, accusatory tone, while Lata Mangeshkar's ethereal vocals embody Usha's sacrificial fragility. The structure alternates their individual verses, interspersed with the reproachful refrain "kisii ke dil meN ...", culminating in a poignant chorus where both voices intertwine - symbolizing their shared destiny.

The melody follows the Raga Bhairavi framework, its musical nuances heightening the narrative's sense of heartbreak and unresolved tension, showcasing Naushad's compositional genius.