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
Nadia
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bairee Bhayein
Mora Sainyaan
Bulaawei
Sune Naahin
The song "Nadia" by Nitin Sawhney refers to the story of a woman named Nadia who is longing for the arrival of her husband. The lyrics "Nadiyaan Bairee Bhayein" mean that the rivers have become hostile or unfriendly, which may symbolize the distance or obstacles that are preventing her husband from returning home. The repetition of "Bairee Bhayein" emphasizes the sadness and isolation that Nadia is experiencing. The next line, "Mora Sainyaan Bulaawei," means that Nadia is calling out to her beloved and asking him to come back home. The use of the word "Mora" is an endearing term in Hindi, which further highlights the emotional connection between Nadia and her husband. The final line, "Sune Naahin," means that her belovéd can't hear her cries, further emphasizing Nadia's solitude and sorrow.
Sawhney's use of traditional Indian instruments, such as the sitar, tabla, and sarod, adds a cultural depth to the song's message. The lyrics, which are sung in Hindi, also contribute to the song's storytelling element. It's a unique way of presenting a narrative through the medium of music that transcends language barriers.
Interestingly, the inspiration behind the song came from a meeting that Nitin Sawhney had with a Rohingya refugee named Nadia during his travels to Bangladesh in 2018. Nadia shared her harrowing story of being a survivor of sexual violence and displacement. Sawhney was deeply touched by her story and wrote the song as a tribute to her strength and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
Nadiyaan Bairee Bhayein
The rivers have turned hostile, becoming enemies
Bairee Bhayein
They have become hostile
Mora Sainyaan
My lover
Bulaawei
Calls out to me
Sune Naahin
But can't hear me
Contributed by Eli F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Pratikmayekar4
The singer's name is Swati Natekar. Just felt like there weren't enough mentions here.
@mireilledischer3380
Thank you I had wanted to know.
@JDDavid
Totally, thanks a lot and glad there's a shout-out to the real OG on this song =)
@bhavnamistry6318
Definitely is Swatiji
@FBGOODIE
She's awesome!!!
@trixietracey14
Thank you - what a voice! ❤
@sandyverhelst5740
my daughter is 14 years old, we named her Nithin. still love the name! (Belgium)
@rahulshaman92
sandy verhelst Nithin is a boy's name. Nithin means 'Master of the Law/Morality/ Righteous path'. Some hindu girl names which start with 'Ni' are: Niharika, Nima, Nikita, Nitya, Niveditha, Niraja, Nimisha, Nirmukta, Nirali etc. :)
@aisera1986
Rahul Pandey I suppose she won‘t change the name of her daughter after 14 years and the meaning of Nithin is beautiful und would suit a girl, too :)
@noelturnbull4076
I am 62 year old Aussie bloke who just discovered both versions...never too old to learn...