I will miss the courtyard; I will miss your ways.
A foreigner, a guest. O mother, I will miss this place.
A woman on her way to her in-laws’ village after her wedding ceremony sings a gloomy song. Lyrics and tunes that capture the painful separation of a woman from her family and friends are common in many cultural traditions across the country. These songs sung at the time of the wedding form an important component of the rich repertoire of oral traditions.
The songs, seemingly simple in their form and subject-matter, passed on, preserved, and sometimes adapted by different generations, play a crucial role in the social construction of identity, often gendered. In a patriarchal society marriage is not just a special event in the life of a woman, but also an important landmark in her identity formation. Courtyards that stand for the memories, families, friendships and freedom that she has known until now, are to grow unfamiliar and distant from this point. This loss of all things familiar, mandated by culture as desirable, awakes in her a complex set of emotions.
The song presented here by a fisherman, Juma Vagher of the Muslim community in Bhadresar village of Mundra taluka, is one of 341 songs recorded by Soorvani, a community-run radio station started in 2008. A collection that has come to PARI through KMVS, these songs capture the immense cultural, linguistic and musical diversity of the region. The collection helps preserve the musical tradition of Kutch, which is in decline, its sounds fading across the desert sands.
It is safe for her to sing of her anxieties and fears through songs, feelings that she cannot otherwise express freely.
કરછી
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા મૂકે વલણ જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આંઊ ત પરડેસણ ઐયા મેમાણ. જીજલ મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા,મિઠડા ડાડા જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ ત પરડેસણ ઐયા મેમાણ, માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
આઊ ત વિલાતી ઐયા મેમાણ, માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા મિઠડા બાવા જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ તા રે પરડેસણ બાવા મેમાણ, માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
આઊ તા વિલાતી ઐયા મેમાણ, જીજલ મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા મિઠડા કાકા જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ તા પરડેસણ કાકા મેમાણ,માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા મિઠડા મામા જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ તા રે ઘડી જી મામા મેમાણ, માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ તા વિલાતી ઐયા મેમાણ, માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા મિઠડા વીરા જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ તા રે પરડેસી મેમાણ, વીરા મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા મૂકે વલણ જાધ પોંધા (૨)
આઊ તા રે પરડેસણ ઐયા મેમાણ, માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
આઊ તા વિલાતી ઐયા મેમાણ, જીજલ મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા
આઊ તા રે ઘડી જી ઐયા મેમાણ,માડી મૂકે અંઙણ જાધ પોંધા (૨)
અંગણ યાદ પોધા મુકે વલણ યાદ પોધ
English
I’ll miss this courtyard; I’ll miss your ways
I’m a foreigner, a guest. Oh mother, I’ll miss this place
I’ll miss this courtyard; I’ll miss my beloved dada, my grand-father (2)
Oh I’m a foreigner, grand-pa, a guest. Oh mother, I’ll miss this courtyard.
A foreigner, a guest. Oh mother, I’ll miss this place
This courtyard, and beloved bava. I’ll miss my father. (2)
I belong to another land, father. Oh mother, I’ll miss this courtyard
A foreigner, a guest. Oh jeejal, oh mother, I’ll miss this place.
This courtyard, and beloved kaka. I’ll miss my paternal uncle (2)
Oh I’m a foreigner, uncle, a guest. Oh mother, I’ll miss this place
This courtyard, and beloved mama. I’ll miss my maternal uncle (2)
Oh I’m a foreigner, uncle, a guest. Oh mother, I will miss this courtyard
A foreigner, a guest. Oh mother, I’ll miss this place.
This courtyard, and my beloved veera. I’ll miss my brother (2)
On I’m foreigner, brother, a guest. I’ll miss this place
This courtyard, and your ways. I’ll miss them all (2)
A foreigner, a guest. Oh mother, I’ll miss this place
I’m a foreign guest, jeejal, oh mother, I will miss this courtyard
I’m here for a short while, mother, I’ll miss this place (2)
This courtyard and your ways. I’ll miss them and this place.
Type of song: Traditional folk song
Cluster: Wedding songs
Song: 4
Title of the song: Aangan yaad podhaa mooke, valan yaad podhaa
Composer: Deval Mehta
Singer: Juma Vagher from Bhadresar, Mundra. He is a 40-year-old fisherman
Instruments used: Harmonium, drum, banjo
Recording year: 2012, KMVS studio
Gujarati translation: Amad Sameja, Bharati Gor
English translation: Pratishtha Pandya
A special thanks to Preeti Soni, Aruna Dholakia, secretary, KMVS, Amad Sameja, project coordinator KMVS for their support and to Bhartiben Gor for her invaluable help with Gujarati translation
