He studied music composition at the University of Toronto, winning there the Glenn Gould Composition Scholarship in 1985. Mychael also served for five years as composer-in-residence at the McLaughlin Planetarium in Toronto (1987-1992). Works for dance include music for Dead Souls (Carbone Quatorze Dance Company, directed by Gilles Maheu 1996), and a score for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Gita Govinda (2001) based on the 1000-year-old classical Indian erotic poem, with choreographer Nina Menon.
Recent projects include Deepa Mehta's Water, Atom Egoyan's Where the Truth Lies, Terry Gilliam's Tideland, and Bennett Miller's Capote.
Chunari Chunari
Mychael Danna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chunari chunari
Chunari chunari
Chunari chunari
Lal ganj ke lal bangle se lal chunariya layi
Chunari Chunari
Chunari chunari
Chunari Chunari
Chunari chunari
Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam
Kuchh na mein boloon tujhe meri kasam
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam
Kuchh na mein boloon tujhe meri kasam
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
Hay
Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam
Kuch na mein boloon tujhe meri kasam
Chunari Chunari
Chunari Chunari
Meri chunari lal rang ki sharmaaye ghabraaye
Tu jo daale ispe nazar ye aur lal ho jaaye
Chunari Chunari
Chunari Chunari
Teri chunari lipat lipat ke pagal mujhe banaaye
Pehle se hi tadap raha tha aur mujhe tadpaaye
Jane tamanna kar na aise sitamb
Kuch na mein bolu tujhe meri kasam
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
Hay
Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam
Kuchh na mein boloon tujhe meri kasam
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
Chunari Chunari
Chunari Chunari
Chikne Chikne badan se tere sar sar chunari sarke
Aisa lage ke bin baadal ambar pe bijli kadke
Chunari Chunari
Chunari Chunari
Jee karta ye bijli mein tujhpe aaj bithaoon
Tujhko bhar loon baahon mein ye chunari tujhe udaoon
Badta hi jaye dard ho na khatam
Kuch na mein bolu tujhe meri kasam
Hoo...
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
Hay hay
Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam
Kuchh na mein boloon tujhe meri kasam
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
The lyrics to Mychael Danna's song Chunari Chunari are about a woman's flavored and colorful veil, which is being chased by her lover. The first line of the song states that the woman has brought a red-colored veil from her hometown. The rest of the song is about the man's passionate chase for the woman's veil and his desire to be with her. The lyrics reflect the man's feelings of being madly in love with the woman and his desperation to have her.
The lyrics describe the color red in multiple ways, bringing out the importance of the color and its symbolism. The red veil or "chunari" is the central theme of the song, and the man's urge to be with it is a symbol of his desire to be with the woman. The lyrics evoke feelings of passion, rage, and madness as the man's chase for the chunari intensifies. The words "Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam" are repeated throughout the song and translate as "Come, my dear, and touch my chunari." The lyrics then reveal the man's pledge to his lover that he will not speak of their love affair.
Line by Line Meaning
Chunari chunari
The beauty and intricacy of our clothing is celebrated in the song.
Lal ganj ke lal bangle se lal chunariya layi
A red veil is brought from the red buildings in Lal Ganj.
Lal rang me daal daal ke lal lal rangvaayi
The veil is dyed red multiple times to get the perfect shade of red.
Aaja na chhoole meri chunari sanam
The singer is inviting their beloved to come close without touching the beautiful veil.
Kuchh na mein boloon tujhe meri kasam
The singer promises to stay quiet and not say anything inappropriate to their beloved.
Aayi jawani sar pe mere
The singer is young and energetic.
Tere pe kya karoon jawani pe rehem
The singer doesn't know what to do with their youthfulness around their beloved.
Meri chunari lal rang ki sharmaaye ghabraaye
The veil is shy and blushes at the attention it is getting.
Tu jo daale ispe nazar ye aur lal ho jaaye
The singer is saying that their beloved's gaze makes the veil even redder.
Teri chunari lipat lipat ke pagal mujhe banaaye
The singer is going crazy over how the beloved is admiring the veil.
Pehle se hi tadap raha tha aur mujhe tadpaaye
The singer was already yearning before and now being taunted with the veil.
Jane tamanna kar na aise sitamb
The singer wants their beloved to fulfill their desire and not tease them this way.
Chikne Chikne badan se tere sar sar chunari sarke
The veil is touching the beloved's smooth body and hair, swaying around it.
Aisa lage ke bin baadal ambar pe bijli kadke
The singer describes the feeling of electricity and sparks flying metaphorically as if lightning struck without a cloud in sight.
Jee karta ye bijli mein tujhpe aaj bithaoon
The singer wishes to sit the beloved down in an electric field.
Tujhko bhar loon baahon mein ye chunari tujhe udaoon
The singer wants to embrace the beloved and spread the veil around them both.
Badta hi jaye dard ho na khatam
The singer is okay with the pain increasing but doesn't want it to stop altogether.
Contributed by Ethan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.