Alternative title for this translation – Happy Birthday, Karunya C Banerjee.
Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNL8zhQf4xY

‘Aanchal’ refers to the extra fabric that remains after a sari is tied and is usually hung over the shoulder. It is a very popular image used in Hindi poetry and Bollywood, and as tradition remains, several women, across India, even today, tie their most precious possessions to it, whether it be money, jewels, or the keys to their wardrobes.

Gathered, I have, all

your love, in the

folds of my aanchal.

The grace of you,

I shall forever see,

in the hands of a clock,

as they swiftly flee,

against the passing

of every second.

Upon resting my eyes,

on your glimmering face,

from exhaustion of

this life, in a passing

moment, I feel salvaged,

I feel safe.

Embody all my dreams,

you do. To have you by

my side, is to fulfill the

purpose of this life.

Shone the lines of my

fate, in the lines of kohl

that adorn your eyes.

We shall be brought

even closer, by a

lover, somewhere,

sometime, and the

world shall see, our

reflection, in all his

tormented smiles.

It is a different time

that passes now,

don’t leave me alone, I

implore. The Jasmines

bloom differently, I fear.

Stay by my side, don’t

let me go for the

endlessly flowing tide

of this World and its facades.

Gathered, I have all

your love, in the

folds of my aanchal.