Two Lullabies

First
चंदा मामा दू र के, पुए पकाए बूर के
आप खाए थाली मे, मुन्ने को दे प्याली मे
प्याली गयी टू ट, मुन्ना गया रूठ
लाएँ गे नयी प्याललया, बजा-बजा के ताललया
मुन्ने को मनाएँ गे हम दू ध मलाई खाएँ गे
चंदा मामा दू र के, पुए पकाए बूर के
आप खाए थाली मे, मुन्ने को दे प्याली मे

उड़नखटोले बैठ के मुन्ना चंदा के घर जाएगा

तारो के संग आँ ख लमचौली खेल के लदल बहलाएगा
खेल कूद से जब मेरे मुन्ने का लदल भर जाएगा
ठु मक-ठु मक मेरा मुन्ना वापस घर को आएगा
चंदा मामा दू र के, पुए पकाए बूर के
हो चंदा मामा दू र के, पुए पकाए बूर के
आप खाए थाली मे, मुन्ने को दे प्याली मे

Transcription
Moon uncle who lives afar
will cook sweet and sugary brown bread
He will serve himself in a big plate
while provide the toddler in a tiny little bowl

Tiny bowl slipped out of the hands and broke

Now, the toddler is upset

Will bring new tiny little bowls, while clapping with the happiness
will please the toddler, will enjoy milk and it’s cream

Moon uncle who lives afar

will cook sweet and sugary brown bread
He will serve himself in a big plate
while provide the toddler in a tiny little bowl
In flying chariot, toddler will travel to moon’s house
playing hide and seek with the stars, toddler will amuse himself
When my toddler will be heartily satisfied with the games
my child will toddle back to home

Moon uncle who lives afar

will cook sweet and sugary brown bread
He will serve himself in a big plate
while provide the toddler in a tiny little bowl

MEANING:

Moon has been portrayed as maternal uncle to the kid and who is
supposed to prepare sugar breads for the kid. And as expressed further,
moon uncle will eat those breads in a large plate and feed to the kid in a
tiny bowl as per the kid’s convenience. Then, in the trail, the bowl slips
down and breaks and the child gets upset when they plan to bring new
bowls in joy, clapping all the way to please the child and make amends
whilst the child will have milk and its cream, as this lullaby was often
used as accompaniment to feed the toddlers milk when they didn’t like
the taste of it, while diverting the focus and giving assurance that if you
finish this moon uncle will bring gifts and goodies as it was often told to
them that uncle and aunts are next parents who bring gifts and good
things.
Next verse makes it dreamier and presents how the toddler will visit
uncle moon’s residence in a flying chariot and will have time of
amusement by playing hide and seek with the stars of the galaxies. And
then its believed, when the child’s heart will be fulfilled with the games
and fun time, he/she would head back to home to the dear mamma.
And once again, the chorus/hook is repeated.

Second

Chhele ghumalo...
para juralo...
borgi elo deshe..

bulbuli-te dhan kheyechhe

khajna debo kee
Dhan furalo, pan furalo
Khajnar upay ki !
Ar kotadin shobur karo
Rasun bunechhi.

[My house-maid who I considered as my another mother is Bengali and

had spent her childhood in Kolkata. After a heavy pressure on memory,
she presented this as her childhood lullaby and as I was unable to
transcribe the language, she had helped me at her best in doing so and
some acquaintance, I had taken from this research paper -
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/jspui/bitstream/10603/154906/12/12_chapter%209.pdf ]

TRANSCRIPTION

When the kids slept and the locality went silent, looters came,

Birds ate all the paddy, how can I pay the tax?

The rice and betel leaf are finished, what would I pay as tax?
kindly wait for a few days, I have sown some garlic.

MEANING:

In this lullaby, the quality of sharing within the family is recited. Sharing
the anxiety which is projected in this lullaby to the child by the mother
who seems to have these hazardous issues, when its mentioned how
looters came in and birds have finished the paddy which was supposed
to be exchanged as the tax and furthermore, letting the child know that
to our worst, rice and betel leaf are available no more. But which, to it’s
necessity, ends with a ray of hope and sunshine that is shown when its
said that I have planted some garlic, in a few while it might get better.
To the conventional routes, this lullaby is unique and still, popular. Not
filled with too many goody fantasies but with some harsh realities that
people face with a realistic vision of hope and peace and rest.
 Subjective response to lullaby clips

I certainly could not help but notice what intent did the lullaby
carry. We also are aware of it’s prominent usage to put kids’ to sleep
easily. Musically speaking, it was of slow tempo, soothing (must have
contained major chords and major 7ths), designed in such way which
represents the bright side and had less to with dark emotions, but with
bright emotions and contained repetitive phrases, just like the ballad and
story-telling which exactly what it was.
Shifting focus to lyrics, it wrapped a lot many aspects of childhood. Its
constant aim was to be very fantasizing and dreamy and to present the
positive message. Even, the unique lullaby written in Bengali I had
mentioned above couldn’t help but end itself on a positive note, a ray
and vision of hope. As it also is developed keeping aspects like helping
kids successfully move to the next psychological/psychosocial childhood
stages, it had the particular aim and directory set. Which clearly seemed
to appear when I heard it at this point of life.

More subjectively speaking, I had read comments and views of people

when they heard lullaby at this point of life, they had fallen back in
retrospection. When I tried it, it just didn’t come close to it. I did not feel
anything, perhaps I made till the end for the sake of the assessment. I
am not sure, If everyone else felt that way but I would rather retrospect
on pink floyd’s songs than on this one. Also, at some point in life I
consciously had to delete the childhood and teenage memories due to
some very hard spots on the film of my journey to be able to survive and
continue with this life, may be that could be the reason I was not able to
retrospect and feel much from/in it. Or else, these lullabies are made for
kids with that intent as mentioned above, can be the reason I did not feel
much and evidence being, if this really helped in retrospection, people
who love to use music for the same reason would have been digging
deep in such genre of music and to our surprise, there are a lot of them
but it still is not that prominent when it comes to choose from the styles
and music genres, so that adds to it. But regardless, basic effects of
music I could sense on my mind and body but lyrically, I could just
understand and not relate to. A dishonest response would be bad on my
part so I did not write.

Submitted by:
Dharan Bharti
SKG182E0174