The Wadali Brothers (Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali) were a Sufi sin… Read Full Bio ↴The Wadali Brothers (Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali) were a Sufi singing duo from Guru Ki Wadali in the Amritsar District in Punjab, India.

Born into the fifth generation of musicians given to singing the messages of Sufi saints, the Wadali brothers dabbled in the most unexpected of professions before they became Sufi singers. While Puranchand Wadali, the elder brother, was a regular in an akhara (wrestling ring) for 25 years, Pyarelal (died in 2018) contributed to the meager family income by playing the role of Krishna in the village Raasleela (classical Indian dance).

Their father, Thakur Das Wadali, compelled Puranchand to learn music. Puranchand studied music from celebrated masters like Pandit Durga Das and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. Pyarelal was trained by his elder brother, who he considered his guru and mentor up till his death.

Their first musical performance outside their village was in Harballabh Temple in Jalandhar. In 1975, the duo went to Jalandhar to perform at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan but was not allowed to sing because their appearance did not pass muster. Disappointed, they decided to make a musical offering at the Harballabh temple, where an executive of All India Radio, Jalandhar, spotted them and recorded their first song.

The Wadali Brothers sing in the gurbani, kafi, ghazal and bhajan genres of music. They live in their ancestral house in Guru Ki Wadali, and teach music to those who promise to preserve it. They do not charge their disciples, and lead a very simple life devoted to the divine one.

They believe in the Sufi tradition deeply. They consider themselves as a medium through which the preaching of great saints is passed on to others. They have never indulged commercially, and they have only a handful of recordings to their name (mostly from live concerts). They believe in singing freely as homage to the divine one. They do not feel very comfortable in using electronic gadgets in their music, and stress on Alap and Taans. They believe that spiritual heights can only be attained if you sing unreservedly, in a free atmosphere.

In 2003, they entered Bollywood, rendering music director and writer Gulzar’s soulful lyrics in their unique style in the film Pinjar. They also sang one song in Dhoop. On the cards is a documentary which the Discovery Channel is planning to make on them.
Pyarelal died on 9 March, 2018 after a cardiac arrest.

Discography
Aa Mil Yaar
Paigham-E-Ishq,
Ishq Musafir
Folk Music of Punjab
Yaad Piya Ki
Filmography
Pinjar (2003)
Dhoop (2003)
Chikku Bukku (2010, Tamil) Song: "Thooral Nindralum" Sung by: Hariharan, Wadali Brothers
Tanu Weds Manu (2011)
Mausam (2011)

Awards
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 1992.
Tulsi Award, 1998.
Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 2003.
Puranchand Wadali was awarded the Padma Shri award by the Government of India, 2005.
Life Time Achievement Award 2015 in PTC awards in jalandhar

Bas Kar Jee Hun Bas Karjee
Wadali Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
Ek baat asaan naal hans ker jee
Enough is enough
Talk to me with smile

Tusi dil wich merey wasdey-o
Aywein sathoon door kion nasdey-o
Naaley ghaat jadoo dil khasdey-o

Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
You live in my heart
And yet you me beguile
I am charmed with your name on my lip
You try as usual and give me a slip
Enough is enough

Tusi moyiaan noo maar mukadey se
Naat khaddoon wang kuthandey se
Gal kardia da gala gutheey se
Hun teer lagaya kas ker jee
Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
You killed the ones who was already dead
Tossed like a ball with your baton on head
You choked my words in my throat
Your arrow hit the quarry and smote
Enough is enough

Tusi chupdey-o asan pakrrey-o
Asaan naal zulf dey jukrrey-o
Tusi ajey chupan toon takrrey-o
Hun jaan na milda nas ker jee
Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
Trying to hide, I've caught you
Tied you with the lock of my hair
You are yet trying to flee
This time I'll allow no plea
Enough is enough

Bulleh Shah mai teri bardi-aan
Tera mukh wekhaan noo mardi-aan
Nit so so mintan kardi -aan
hun beth hijr wich dhas ker jee
Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
Says Bulleh, I am your slave, my Master
I long to have a glimpse of you
I plead with you time and again

Make ky heart your shell of an oyster
Enough is enough

Overall Meaning

The song "Bas Karjee Hun Bas Karjee" by Wadali Brothers is a Punjabi track about a man's plea to his lover to stop playing games with him and to talk to him honestly. The chorus is a plea for her to stop playing games and to talk to him with a smile, indicating that he has had enough of her deceitful ways. He acknowledges that she lives in his heart, but questions why she is distancing herself from him. He goes on to say that she has already killed his heart, choked his words, and now it is time for her to stop running away and face him.

The rest of the song continues with the same theme of the man pleading with his lover to be truthful with him instead of playing games. The lyrics also reference the poet Bulleh Shah, who speaks about his devotion to his Master and how he longs for his master's presence. The song ends with the man appealing one last time for his lover to come back to him.

Overall, the song is a melancholic plea for honesty and truth in a relationship that has been affected by deceit.

Line by Line Meaning

Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
Enough is enough

Ek baat asaan naal hans ker jee
Talk to me with smile

Tusi dil wich merey wasdey-o
You live in my heart

Aywein sathoon door kion nasdey-o
And yet you me beguile

Naaley ghaat jadoo dil khasdey-o
I am charmed with your name on my lip

Bas ker jee hun bas ker jee
Enough is enough

Tusi moyiaan noo maar mukadey se
You killed the ones who was already dead

Naat khaddoon wang kuthandey se
Tossed like a ball with your baton on head

Gal kardia da gala gutheey se
You choked my words in my throat

Hun teer lagaya kas ker jee
Your arrow hit the quarry and smote