Ami Jabo

About Phire Chalo

The Bengali song Phire Chalo featured in the 1932 film ‘Chandidasa’ and was made immortal by the blind singer Krishna Chandra Dey. The lyrics were written by Sourindra Mohan Mukhopadhyay and the melody composed by Raichand Baral.

Sri Chinmoy would have heard this song countless times in India and its influence stayed with him throughout his life. At his first recitals in America and later at his Peace Concerts around the world, he would sing this plaintive, devotional song accompanying himself with a simple harmonium.

In 1966, Sri Chinmoy gave a recital of spiritual and devotional songs at the Indian Cultural Centre in New York. He explained briefly to the audience the spiritual or philosophical significance of each song. Phire Chalo was the final song on the programme:

“Now we come to the last song, Phire Chalo. By singing this song, a great singer of India, K. C. Dey, became immortal overnight. God had denied him sight; he was stone blind. But God sang through him in such soul-stirring grandeur as he sang this song for the famous film ‘Chandidasa’ that his name became immortal in India.

“In this song, Home is beckoning us. According to the Vedas, Home represents Heaven on Earth, for it is by abiding in the soul here on earth that we achieve spiritual Bliss. In the Rig Veda, the seers sing: Madhumat Punarayanam which means ‘Sweet be my return (home)’.”

Remarks

Sri Chinmoy referred to Phire Chalo in answer to the question, “What is the soul's world?” in his 1976 book Flame Waves, Part 8.

Sri Chinmoy: The soul goes back to where it came from, to its original home, to take rest for some time. As earth is our body's world, so also there is a world which we call the soul's world. You have a home. You go to play in the playground and after you have played for a few hours you come back to your home. Then after taking rest, tomorrow you go again to play. Similarly, the soul comes here on earth to play for a few years and then the soul goes back to its own region. Then it returns to earth in another body. The soul's original abode is Sat-Chit-Ananda. It means Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. There is a Bengali song, Phire Chalo, it means, “Let us go home”. This home is the home of the soul. The soul, the aspiring soul, is returning home, where it is all Light and Delight. In this home there is no death, no suffering, no sorrow, no decay; it is all Joy, Light and Delight.