WilhelminaBoswel at 12:27, 1 June 2025

2025-06-01T12:27:54Z

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{{Infobox song
| name = Aaj Rang Hai
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| type = Song
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| genre = [[Qawwali]]
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| writer = [[Amir Khusrau]]
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{{Italic title}}'''''Aaj Rang Hai''''' ({{Langx|ur|آج رنگ ہے}}; {{Langx|hi|आज रंग है}}; {{Translation|Today There is a Glow}}) also known as '''Rang''' or '''Rung''' ({{Translation|'''Color'''}}) is a [[Qawwali]] written by the 13th-century Sufi poet, [[Amir Khusrau]]<ref>[http://www.hindi-kavita.com/HindiAmirKhusro.php Amir Khusro]. hindi-kavita.com.</ref> in [[Hindustani language|Hindavi]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kumar|first=Sukrita Paul|date=2015-09-03|title=The language of many tongues|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/the-language-of-many-tongues/article7612174.ece|access-date=2021-12-22|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> and [[Braj Bhasha]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-06-28|title=Amjad Sabri’s assassination: How the sufi qawwali rattles the jihadists’ grey worldview|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/amjad-sabris-assassination-how-the-sufi-qawwali-rattles-the-jihadists-grey-worldview/?frmapp=yes|access-date=2021-12-22|website=Times of India Blog|language=en-US}}</ref> dialects. In the song, Khusrau describes to his mother his ecstasy upon finding his ''[[murshid]]'' (spiritual master) in the [[Sufism|Sufi]] saint [[Nizamuddin Auliya]]. The song is a staple of most Qawwali sessions in North India and Pakistan, especially in the [[Chishti Order|Chishti]] shrines of [[Delhi]]. It is traditionally sung as a closing piece at the end of a Qawwali session.

The song is celebratory in tone and holds a prominent place in the landscape of [[Sufi music]]. The word "rang" or "rung" literally translates into "color." The theme of saturated colors, dyes, and hues is a well-known motif in [[Sufi poetry]] and imagery and is understood to symbolize union between the seeker and God (as the Beloved).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sufism - Symbolism in Sufism {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sufism/Symbolism-in-Sufism|access-date=2021-12-22|website=www.britannica.com|language=en}}</ref> In the context of the song, however, "rang" or "rung" refers to the happiness, splendor, or glow that Khusrau feels after having met his ''[[Pir (Sufism)|pir]]'' (spiritual guide). In this sense, "rang" or "rung" symbolizes Khusrau's euphoric and enraptured state, and this is borne out later in the song where Khusrau repeatedly refers to his world now being ablaze with divine light and a sublime glow. Consistent with Sufi poetry, the song intentionally blurs the lines between the seeker, the beloved, the spiritual master, and God.

The 1978 Indian film [[Junoon (1978 film)|''Junoon'']] opens with a rendition of ''Aaj Rung Hai'', and the film's plot sees the poem employed as a symbol of rebellion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/how-amir-khusraus-rung-inspired-the-film-and-music-culture-of-south-asia-4228239.html|title=How Amir Khusrau's 'rung' inspired the film and music culture of South Asia|website=Firstpost|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> In 2015 movie indian musical trio Nizami Bandhu sung Aaj Rang Hai in the movie [[Bajrangi Bhaijaan]].
The song has been sung by numerous vocalists over the years, notably by renowned qawwali singer [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]] and Sufi vocalist [[Abida Parveen]]. Excerpts from the qawwali were incorporated into the song ''Jhin Min Jhini'' from the soundtrack of [[Vishal Bhardwaj]]'s 2004 film, ''[[Maqbool]]''. In 2012, prominent Pakistani singer [[Hadiqa Kiani]] performed a rendition of the song in [[Coke Studio (Pakistani season 5)|Season 5]] of [[Coke Studio (Pakistan)|Coke Studio]] Pakistan.<ref>[http://www.koolmuzone.pk/2012/06/rung-hadiqa-kiani-coke-studio-season-5-audio-video/ Hadiqa Kiani - Coke Studio Season 5]. koolmuzone.pk.</ref> In 2015, a version of this song was released by [[Shafqat Amanat Ali|Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan]] as part of his third solo album ''[[Muh Dikhai]]''.<ref>{{Citation|title=Muh Dikhai by Shafqat Amanat Ali|date=2015-03-23|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/muh-dikhai/976512408|language=en-US|access-date=2021-12-14}}</ref> The renowned Qawwali singer [[Amjad Sabri]] also performed this song with [[Rahat Fateh Ali Khan]] in the season finale of [[Coke Studio (Pakistani season 9)|Coke Studio Season 9]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-dKd0D4ZM Rang — Amjad Sabri & Rahat Fateh Ali Khan]. [[YouTube]].</ref> It was also featured in the 2017 Indian [[Hindi]]-language film [[Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain (film)|''Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain'']], where it was sung by Jatinder Pal Singh, Sameer Naza, Mahesh Kumar Rao, and Mustafa with additional lyrics by [[Yogesh (lyricist)|Yogesh]] and music by [[Oni-Adil]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/in/album/1382728743?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512183127/https://itunes.apple.com/in/album/1382728743?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 12, 2018 |title=Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |publisher=[[iTunes]]}}</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:Qawwali songs]]
[[Category:Indian songs]]
[[Category:Year of song missing]]

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Aaj Rang Hai - Revision history

WilhelminaBoswel at 12:27, 1 June 2025