Challa ki Labhda phire: Complete Lyrics Translation

Challa literally means a ring, but here the singer calls himself a challa, something like 'the mad one' and sings in third person. The translation may be in first person or third for the ease of writing/understanding, but both ways it talks about the same person i.e. the singer. For detailed meaning of challa, see THIS POST.

Challa ki labhda phire
Challa ki labhda phire
Yaaron main ghar keda
Lokan toh puchda phire

What do I look for?
What do I look for like mad?
Where is my house,
I keep asking people..

Challa hansda phire
Challa ronda phire
Challa gali gali rulda phire
Challe tu sab da
Challe tera koi nai
Challa gali gali rulda phire
Challa ki labda phire

He roams laughing,
He roams around crying,
He keeps wandering in streets..
O mad one, you belong to all..
O mad one, no one is yours..
He keeps wandering in streets..
What does he want..

Rang satrangi de
Bulbulan di boli
Dhup de pairi chale
Chhawaan di lai doli
Hun kaale kaale badalan vich chand labda
Goongiyan hawaan diyaan awajaa sun da
Yaaro aase paase wasda hai yaar mera
Dikhda ni ohdi khusbuaan sungdaan
Challa ki labh da phire..

The twittering of nightingales
of seven colors..
my feet burn in the sun,
even though I carry the shadow..

Now he sees moon in the black clouds
and listens to the voices of mute winds..
O friends, my lover lives somewhere close by,
I can't see her, but I smell her fragrance..
O mad one what you look for..

Na visaal hoya kadi
Na judai hoyi
ishq de qaidi ti
na rihai hoyi

A union never happened,
and nor was there ever a separation..
for the prisoner of love,
there never came freedom..

lokon supne vich milne da vaada usda
saari saari raat na aankh lagdi
mere saa vi thode thode katti honde
meri nabaz vi thodi katti vajdi..
challa ki labhda phire..
logaan to puchhda phire..

she promised me to meet in the dream,
and I couldn't sleep entire nights..
my breath also has become a little hard,
and my pulse has also slowed a bit..
what does the mad one keep looking for..
he keeps asking people..

Check All Lyrics-Translations and Meanings from Jab Tak Hai Jaan HERE.

Love Gulzar? Here is a candid interview of his that you might like to read. [Text in Hindi]

Birth of a Song: Gulzar in conversation with Bhawana Somaaya at BLF 2013