Nitin attended Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and studied law at Liverpool University for a short time. He then went to London, where he met Sanjeev Bhaskar. The pair became friends and created a comedy double act, The Secret Asians, together. The show sought to turn absurdly dated Asian stereotypes on their heads. It led to a contract with BBC radio and eventually grew into the award-winning BBC TV sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
During that time he met up with an old school friend, acid jazz keyboards-player James Taylor. He joined Taylor for a 40-date tour in as part of The James Taylor Quartet. It introduced him to the jazz club scene and provoked him into forming his own band, The Jazztones. He moved on to join forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio and, after that collaboration ended in 1993, released his debut album, Spirit Dance on his own label. Shortly afterwards, he signed with Outcaste Records.
Sawhney's music is intensely political, commonly approaching themes of multiculturalism, empowerment, identity, immigration, poverty, and spirituality. He is active as an artist in residence for five different performing arts organisations in Europe and Asia, and along with George Martin is a patron for the British Governments Access-to-Music Program which brings music education to the inner-city students.
Sawhney's skills include classical and jazz piano and flamenco guitar. He has released six studio albums, as well as countless remixes and collaborations. After releasing Beyond Skin on London's Outcaste Records in 1999, he was signed by V2 to do six albums. His first album with the Virgin subsidiary, the millennial/apocalyptical Prophesy, in 2001 won a MOBO Award and a BBC Radio 3 Music Award.
Sawhney's music is influenced by his roots in India, utilising and featuring Urdu and Hindi lyrics, Qawwali singing, tablas and other instruments from the subcontinent, and Raga phrasings in music which is often primarily meant for the dance floor.
Sawhney's work in production and arrangement has led to his working in film and television scores. He has scored television ads for Sephora and Nike, as well as more than 25 films from his London-based Spirit Dance Studios. He was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Film and TV Composition in 2004 for his music on Channel Four's film, Second Generation. From there, he has begun to see acceptance from the "classical" community, and in 2004 he was commissioned by the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Symphonia to compose new performance works. London's Royal National Theatre invited him to write, direct, and score a work to be opened in 2005.
For photographs and additional information visit Nitin's official site, www.NitinSawhney.com
Fragile Wind
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aa hi gaye hum aa hi gaye (hindi)
inside the dark, deepest part of my mind. Through sunshine and rain, idle dreams keep my sane.
we're only feathers in the wind falling from the sky without wings and
Though the world may fall I know, I see sunlight through the rain over me.
we're only feathers in the wind falling from the sky without wings and
Though the world may fall I know, I see sunlight through the rain over me
Haath pakad kar chalte rahe, saath samundar chod gaye, andhiyaari se roshni tak,
Aa hi gaye hum aa hi gaye
inside my head I can be anything (x 5 and fade)
The first lines of the song in Hindi indicate a story of companionship and how it was lost. The words 'haath pakad kar chalte rahe' represent holding hands and walking together. 'Saath samundar chod gaye' implies the separation of two friends who went their separate ways even though they were as close as the ocean. 'Andhiyaari se roshni tak' means from darkness to light, reflecting on how the journey was from shadows to illumination. Finally, 'Aa hi gaye hum aa hi gaye' signifies that they have arrived, possibly at their destination, or after all that they have gone through, they've made it through.
Moving onto the English lyrics, it begins by exploring the depth of the human mind, where thoughts and ideas are born. The 'sunshine and rain' symbolize the highs and lows of life, and 'idle dreams' imply that one can find solace in their thoughts when there is chaos around. The refrain, 'we're only feathers in the wind falling from the sky without wings,' suggests that humans are fragile, prone to challenges and struggles but that we keep on striving against all odds. The next line, 'though the world may fall I know, I see sunlight through the rain over me,' insinuates that even when everything feels like it's crumbling down, one should keep hope alive as there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The final stanza emphasizes that beyond the darkness of the mind and the chaos of the world, one still has hopes and fears. The phrase 'innocent eyes watching as worlds collide' depicts the picture of a younger generation stuck amidst the uncertainties of the world, forced to witness the struggles of their elders. Once again, the chorus echos the fragility of human life, how we must continue even when the world falls around us, and how there's hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Haath pakad kar chalte rahe, saath samundar chod gaye, andhiyaari se roshni tak
Through life's journey we held hands, leaving behind the safety and comfort of the familiar, and moved towards the unknown, towards light in the midst of darkness.
Aa hi gaye hum aa hi gaye
Eventually, we have arrived at our destination, wherever it may be.
we're only feathers in the wind falling from the sky without wings and
We are nothing but insignificant beings subject to the whims of fate and circumstance.
Though the world may fall I know, I see sunlight through the rain over me.
Even though everything may seem to be falling apart around us, there is still hope and light shining through the darkness.
beyond the dark lie the hopes and the fears. Innocent eyes watching as worlds collide
In the unknown future, there may be both hope and fear, and those who are innocent may be caught in the midst of forces bigger than themselves.
inside my head I can be anything (x 5 and fade)
In the innermost workings of our minds, we have the power to imagine ourselves as anything, to escape reality and create our own truth.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NITIN SAWHNEY, TINA GRACE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind