Born July 7, 1973 in Merut on the outskirts of Delhi, India to a family with Kashmiri roots, Kher moved to New Delhi as a young child. Kher’s father, a Hindu priest, was an amateur musician whose performances of traditional folk songs were a regular household event. Even as a four year old, Kher revealed a natural musical talent and he would often impress friends and family by belting out songs with his prematurely powerful voice. At the age of 14, Kher left home in search of a guru to further his musical training, and he embarked on years of classical and folk music study.
At first, his parents discouraged his dedication to music, and in deference to their wishes Kher tried his hand at the import/export business. Clearly, his passions lay elsewhere, as this endeavor proved a dismal failure. In 2001, Kher left New Delhi for Mumbai, the epicenter of India’s highly competitive music industry, to seek his fortunes as a professional singer. For a while, Kher struggled, living in cheap residence hotels and eking out whatever musical work he could find to make ends meet. Kher’s first recording was on an advertising jingle for a diamond company, for which he was paid the equivalent of $100.
Soon after recording a handful of jingles, the raw, earthy and soulful strength of his voice - often compared to the late qawwali maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - caught the attention of every production house and film composer in Mumbai. His big break came with the song “Allah Ke Bande” from the movie Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II. The song became more famous then the film itself, and its success made him a household name. By 2004, Kher had been catapulted into the national spotlight, and has since performed on over one hundred and fifty Hindi film soundtracks, has sung in over fourteen languages on a number of regional Indian films, not to mention recording more than four hundred radio and television advertising jingles.
Though the Bollywood playback world has proven rewarding, Kher finds more personal satisfaction in the music he writes and records with Naresh and Paresh Kamath, brothers and prominent members of his band Kailasa. Fixtures on the Indian rock and pop scene, Naresh and Paresh were veterans of the popular band Bombay Black.
Combining Kher’s strong traditional folk sensibilities and lyrics invoking Sufi mysticism, with Naresh and Paresh’s more modern rock, electronic and funk influences, Kailash Kher & Kailasa released their first album, Kailasa, in 2006, which resulted in the smash hits “Teri Deewani” and “Tauba Tauba.” This was followed in 2007 by their second album Jhoomo Re, which was also a critical and commercial success.
In 2008, Kher was invited to become a judge on the television series Indian Idol, the local version of the successful singing competition. With his bubbly spirit and an infectious, expansive personality, Kher endeared himself to the Indian mainstream. It is impossible for Kher to walk the streets anywhere in India without his being besieged by adoring autograph seekers, and he has earned even further admiration for the openness with which he treats his fans.
In 2007, Kher participated in a concert tour in the US, Canada and the Caribbean entitled The Incredibles, a massive stage extravaganza that also starred fellow Bollywood singers Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam and Kunal Ganjawala. While the show allowed Kher to perform in front of huge audiences at major amphitheaters, it was his appearance with Kailasa at the January 2008 edition of GlobalFest at New York’s Webster Hall where Kher’s true artistry was on display. The group’s performance that evening electrified the audience, and proved to be the first step in launching Kher’s career as a global world music star.
Never ones to rest on their laurels, 2009 promises to be an entirely new adventure for Kailash Kher & Kailasa with the release of their first international album on the acclaimed independent record label Cumbancha. The album will feature new songs, re-recorded versions of their most appealing tracks and acoustic versions of enduring hits. The time has come for the world to discover a voice that millions of Indians already consider one of the greatest in music today.
Chhap Tilak
Kailash Kher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
na main dekhoon gair ko, na tohe dekhan doon...
kajal dalu kirkara, jo surma diya na jaye.
jin nainan mein pee base (basay), dooja kaun samai... dooja kaun samai...
Chhap tilak sab cheeni -2 mose naina milaike
Chhap tilak sab cheeni mose naina milaike
naina milaike mose siana milaike-2
Premwati ka madwa pilai ke
Premwati ka madwa pilai ke
matwari kar deeni mose naina milaike
matwari kar deeni mose naina milaike...
Gori gori baiyan, hari hari chudiyan
Gori gori baiyan, hari hari chudiyan
Baiyan pakad har leeni mose naina milaike
Baiyan pakad har leeni mose naina milaike...
Bal bal jau tore rang rejwa,
Bal bal jau tore rang rejwa,
apni si rang deeni mose naina milaike,
apni si rang deeni mose naina milaike...
Khusro Nizam ke bali bali jaihai,
Khusro Nizam ke bali bali jaihai,
Mohe suhagan keenhi mose naina milaike,
Mohe suhagan keenhi mose naina milaike...
The song "Chhap Tilak" by Kailash Kher is a Sufi poem by the famous Sufi poet Amir Khusro. The lyrics talk about the devotion and love of the devotee towards the divine. The singer expresses the deep love and devotion towards the beloved, and that they don't want to see anyone else but the beloved in their eyes. The devotee wants to adorn the eyes of the beloved with kohl and surma, as they don't want any other person's gaze to fall on them. The phrase "jin nainan mein pee base" means the beloved resides in the eyes of the devotee. The devotee wants the beloved to merge with their soul so that they become one.
The chorus of the song, "Chhap Tilak Sab Cheeni," means that the beloved has taken away the writer's identity, and now the only thing left is the union of their soul. The devotee talks about how the beloved made them drink the wine of love, and now they are intoxicated in love. The lyrics also talk about how the devotee wants to merge their own colors with the beloved's, and they want to belong only to the beloved.
The last part of the song talks about how Khusro Nizam, a Sufi saint, has blessed the writer by making them the bride of the beloved. It represents that the writer has finally achieved the union with the divine and thus has become a suhagan, meaning a married woman.
Line by Line Meaning
aa sajna in nainan mein, palak dhak tohe loon...
Oh lover, I close my eyes to see you clearly in my mind.
na main dekhoon gair ko, na tohe dekhan doon...
I don't look at anyone else, nor do I let anyone else distract me from thinking of you.
kajal dalu kirkara, jo surma diya na jaye.
I apply kohl to my eyes, which never fades like other cosmetics.
jin nainan mein pee base (basay), dooja kaun samai... dooja kaun samai...
The one who resides in my eyes, who else could take their place...who else?
Chhap tilak sab cheeni -2 mose naina milaike
You have won me over just with a glance, like a seal on my fate.
naina milaike mose siana milaike-2
With your love-filled eyes, you have captured and enslaved me.
Premwati ka madwa pilai ke
My beloved serves me a drink made with love.
matwari kar deeni mose naina milaike
Completely intoxicated, my lover captures me with just a glance.
Gori gori baiyan, hari hari chudiyan
My fair-skinned lover with green bangles.
Baiyan pakad har leeni mose naina milaike
With a grip on my hand, my lover has taken me with just a glance.
Bal bal jau tore rang rejwa,
I would sacrifice my life for your colorful attire.
apni si rang deeni mose naina milaike,
I'll take on your colors, just with a look from you.
Khusro Nizam ke bali bali jaihai,
Hail to Khusro and Nizam, who sacrificed for love.
Mohe suhagan keenhi mose naina milaike...
You have made me a bride with a glance.
Contributed by Oliver W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sanjanashah6675
This is hands down the best version of Chhap Tilak with all the chorus and music. ♥️
@travel_as_you_like
Sanjana Shah listen to Abida Praveen
@anzaarhaider3118
Achchha mazaak tha
@guipranav
I concur. Bless!
@Ssookawai
This one is best as a lighter yet spiritual version. For a "deeper one", look up the one By Abida Parveen and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from coke studio (Pakistan).
@rahilsharma1265
I dont know how i lived this long without listening this masterpiece..... Randomly i saw a scene in kitani mohabbat hai(karan kundrra show) and this song was playing in the background. Best version of chaap tillak❤
@arathyvr792
Even I came across this version though that serial. Nearly a decade back
@nazmasultana9915
Mee too just listening it from last two days in that serial ...I just watching it on you tube and this song hits me
@shaolinaguha1547
I too came after watching it on kitni mohabbat hai on yt
@jahanzebhakro5469
i have listened to his teri deewani but this song has snatched my chaap tilak...my soul has started dancing...