- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
“Words are the character of a song, and ultimately that remains." - Javed Akhtar
It is said that music is a universal language, a medium beyond words in fact, but the truth of the matter is that although bilingual music may be dominating the musical charts and it is not necessary to know what a musician is saying to enjoy and appreciate their work, there is a certain joy in understanding the lyrics completely that accompany the melodic tunes that enthrall us time and again. Translating lyrics is not as easy a feat as one might think. Fidelity to the envisioned meaning, poetic structure and rhythms, and staying faithful to the original composition goes beyond mere translation as we see it. It is with dedication and perseverance that Somesh Chandran carries out this task on the website Dohaz, meant to help readers discover the meaning behind the words of a song that is often lost in translation.
A 24-year-old sports journalist working in Mumbai, Chandran along with a group of talented individuals run the website that offers for readers the translated works of a variety of musical styles--right from powerhouses like Gulzar, the popular music of Lucky Ali and a number of Bollywood tracks both old and new, to the works of Rumi, Urdu rapper Naezy and rock band, Indian Ocean.
“Well I didn’t really plan to set up the website professionally. But I remember I was listening to a lot of Jay Z, Kanye West and MF Doom at the the time of its conception. I was just inspired by their life, their interviews and mostly, their lyrics. I figured I should start taking more risks in life,” Chandran tells Homegrown. Initially, he says, he started “decoding lyrics” with the help of a Hindi poet and tutor he’d visit twice a week--”she would help me with it. Once I got a hang of it, I realised I needed a bigger team and started looking for talented people to contribute.” Every team member of Dohaz was, in fact, discovered via Facebook. We caught up with Somesh Chandran to understand what drives this website to succeed and just how
HG: In your opinion, what is the need of such a website today?
****************************************
Click here to visit Dohaz and expand your lyrical mind.
Feature image courtesy of Dohaz.
