"Jai Ho!" - "May Victory be Yours!"

"Jai Ho" means "be victorious." It can also mean "Praise," "Hail" or "Hallelujah." When translated directly into hindi, "Jai" means "prayer" or "pray." "Jai ho" is usually said collectively during and at the end of prayers. The lyrics are mostly in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi interspersed with some Spanish lyrics. Rahman, who performed "Jai Ho" live on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on February 23, 2009 with the rest of the original performers, was asked by Oprah what the song title means. A.R. Rahman then stated, "Jai Ho" means "May Victory be Yours." In the context of the song, "Jai Ho" means that life is hard but don't fear, never lose hope, victory will be yours.

The song "Jai Ho" is composed by the renowned Indian singer, composer and music director, A. R. Rahman (Note: Full name - Allah Rakha Rahman, but born on January 6, 1966 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India as A.S. Dileep Kumar. The Time Magazine has referred to him as the "Mozart of Madras.") The lyrics of this song is written by the famous Indian Poet, lyricist and director Gulzar (born as Sampooran Singh Kalra on 18 August 1936, better known by his pen name Gulzar.) The lead singer is Sukhwinder Singh (also known as "Sukhi"). The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah and Vijay Prakash.

"Jai ho" appears for the end credits of the film "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008), where it accompanies a choreographed dance sequence.

Here is the link containing the video of this song from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" - http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2346544/jai_ho_slumdog_millionaire/

The lyrics of "Jai ho" are as follows. The English translation is given below each line, in brackets. "Jai ho":

Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho

(Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee)

Aaja, aaja, jind shamiyaane ke taley
(Come, come, below the decorated tent of life)
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley
(Come under the glittering blue sky)
Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho

(Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee)
Jai Ho.., Jai Ho.., Jai Ho.., Jai Ho..

(Victory to thee.., Victory to thee.., Victory to thee.., Victory to thee..)

Ratti ratti sachchi maine jaan gawayi hai
(Night after night I lost my life)
Nach Nach koylon pe raat bitaayi hai
(Spent the nights dancing on coal)
Ankhiyon ki neend maine phoonkon se udaa di
(I have blown away the sleep from my eyes)
Gin gin taarey maine ungli jalayi hai
(I have Burnt my fingers while counting the stars.)
Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
(Come, come, below the decorated tent of life)
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley
(Come under the glittering blue sky)
Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho

(Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee)
Jai Ho.., Jai Ho.., Jai Ho.., Jai Ho..

(Victory to thee.., Victory to thee.., Victory to thee.., Victory to thee..)

Baila! Baila! (This is the Spanish part)
(Dance! Dance!)
Ahora conmigo, tu baila para hoy
(Now come with me, you dance for today)
Por nuestro dia de movidas,
(On our day of moves)
los problemas los que sean
(whatever problems may be)
Salud!
(Cheers!)
Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Chakh le, haan chakh le, yeh raat shehed hai.....Chakh le
(Taste it, Yes, taste it, this night is like honey, taste it)
Rakh le, haan rakh le,
(Keep it, yes, keep it)
Dil hai, dil aakhri hadd hai, Rakh le
(Its the Heart, Heart is the last limit...Keep it)
Kaala kaala kaajal tera
(Your Black eyeliner)
Koi kaala jaadu hai na?
(Isn't it like some black magic?)
Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
(Come, come, below the decorated tent of life)
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley
(Come under the glittering blue sky)
Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho

(Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee)

Kab se, haan kab se, jo lab pe ruki hai
(Since when, yes, since when, its been on the lips)
Keh de, keh de, haan keh de
(Say it, yes say it,)
Ab aankh jhuki hai
(Eyes are downcast,)
Aisi aisi roshan aankhein
(Such, such, bright eyes,)
Roshan dono heerey hain kya?
(Are those two bright diamonds.)
Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
(Come, come, below the decorated tent of life)
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley
(Come under the glittering blue sky)
Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho, Jai Ho

(Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee)
Jai Ho.., Jai Ho.., Jai Ho.., Jai Ho..

(Victory to thee.., Victory to thee.., Victory to thee.., Victory to thee..)

Note: "Jai Ho" was originally composed for the 2008 hindi (Bollywood) film "Yuvvraaj," but was turned down by director Subhash Ghai who thought the song was not suitable for actor Zayed Khan to perform onscreen. After his Oscar win, A. R. Rahman revealed in an interview that it was Ghai who had asked him to use the words "Jai Ho" in a song. After its inclusion in "Slumdog Millionaire," it was later nominated for "Best song" at the 2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, the 2008 Satellite Awards and at the 2008 Houston Film Critics Society Awards. In 2009, this song won the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Original Song, beating out WALL-E's "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel, and "O... Saya," also from Slumdog Millionaire and composed by A. R. Rahman.

In February, 2009 Gulzar won the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Original Song for "Jai Ho" from the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

In 2009, for his composition of the song "Jai ho" for the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman won the Critics' Choice Award, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, and two Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song at the 2009 Oscars.

Photograph: Picture of a magnet inscribed with the words "Jai ho" (meaning, "May Victory be Yours.")

Note: Link to the song "Jai ho" courtesy Metacafe. Information for this blog is courtesy Wikipedia.