She is away from her loved one but in heart, willing to cross the seas for him, she longs to be by his side. The song is a plea:

કુંજલ ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર , હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર
Do not kill the kunjal. Oh please, don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas

She does not want him to forget her. That would be equivalent of killing the kunjal , a local name for the demoiselle crane, that flies to the arid grasslands in Kutch every winter from faraway Siberia. The kunj bird that she identifies with is a familiar, much loved and revered one in Kachchhi folk culture. It effortlessly enters the world of women characters, as a friend, confidante and counsel, even a metaphor of her identity and aspirations.

What he can do instead, she says, is to get her some jewellery pieces: a nose ring, a necklace, a pair of anklets, ornaments for the forehead and fingers. And get a pair of kunjal birds carved on each of them in a way celebrating their union. This song beautifully rendered by Juma Vagher of Mundra taluka is another beautiful one among the number of ‘ornithological folksongs’ found in this series.

Listen to the folk song sung by Juma Vagher from Bhadresar

કરછી

કુંજલ ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર, હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર
કડલાર રે ઘડાય દે વીરા કડલા ઘડાય દે, કાભીયે જે જોડ તે કુંજ કે વીરાય
કુંજલ ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર, હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર
મુઠીયા રે ઘડાય દે વીરા મુઠીયા રે ઘડાય, બગલીયે જે જોડ તે કુંજ કે વીરાય
કુંજલ ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર, હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર
હારલો ઘડાય દે વીરા હારલો ઘડાય, દાણીએ જે જોડ તે કુંજ કે વીરાય
ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર, હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર
નથડી ઘડાય દે વીરા નથડી ઘડાય, ટીલડી જી જોડ તે કુંજ કે વીરાય
કુંજલ ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર, હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર
કુંજલ ન માર વીરા કુંજલ ન માર, હી કુંજલ વેધી દરિયા પાર

English

Do not kill the kunjal . Oh please,don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas
Make me a couple of kadalas , please, a pair of anklets for my feet,
and get two kunj birds carved on each
Do not kill the kunjal . Oh please,don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas
Make me muthiyas , please, muthiyas for my fingers,
and couple of bangles with a pair of kunj birds carved on each.
Do not kill the kunjal . Oh please,don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas
Make me a haar , please, a haar adorning my neck,
and get a pair of kunj birds carved on it.
Do not kill the kunjal . Oh please,don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas
Make me a nathani , please, a nathani to adorn my nose,
and a tiladi for my forehead, with a pair of kunj birds carved on those.
Do not kill the kunjal . Oh please,don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas
Do not kill the kunjal . Oh please,don’t! The kunjal will go across the seas

PHOTO • Priyanka Borar

Type of song: Traditional folk song

Cluster: Songs of love and longing

Song: 12

Title of the song: Kunjal na maar veer kunjal na maar

Composer: Deval Mehta

Singer: Juma Vagher from Bhadresar village of Mundra taluka

Instruments used: drum, harmonium, banjo

Recording year: 2012, KMVS studio

English translation: Pratishtha Pandya

These songs, 341 recorded by a community-run radio Soorvani, have come to PARI through the Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS). For more of these songs visit this page: Songs of the Rann: archive of Kutchi folk songs

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.

Series Curator : Pratishtha Pandya

ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠಾ ಪಾಂಡ್ಯ ಅವರು ಪರಿಯ ಹಿರಿಯ ಸಂಪಾದಕರು, ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ಪರಿಯ ಸೃಜನಶೀಲ ಬರವಣಿಗೆ ವಿಭಾಗವನ್ನು ಮುನ್ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರು ಪರಿಭಾಷಾ ತಂಡದ ಸದಸ್ಯರೂ ಹೌದು ಮತ್ತು ಗುಜರಾತಿ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಲೇಖನಗಳನ್ನು ಅನುವಾದಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಪಾದಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠಾ ಗುಜರಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುವ ಕವಿಯಾಗಿಯೂ ಗುರುತಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದು ಅವರ ಹಲವು ಕವಿತೆಗಳು ಮಾಧ್ಯಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗಿವೆ.

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Illustration : Priyanka Borar

ಕವರ್ ಇಲ್ಲಸ್ಟ್ರೇಷನ್: ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕಾ ಬೋರಾರ್ ಹೊಸ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ ಕಲಾವಿದೆ. ಹೊಸ ಪ್ರಕಾರದ ಅರ್ಥ ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಹಿಡಿಯಲು ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಯೋಗಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವರು ಕಲಿಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಆಟಕ್ಕೆ ಎಕ್ಸ್‌ಪಿರಿಯೆನ್ಸ್ ವಿನ್ಯಾಸ‌ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಸಂವಾದಾತ್ಮಕ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ ಇವರ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ. ಸಾಂಪ್ರದಾಯಿಕ ಪೆನ್ ಮತ್ತು ಕಾಗದ ಇವರಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಆಪ್ತವಾದ ಕಲಾ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ.

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