[Reader-list] Popular Music and configuration of Jat identity in hayana
Deepak Kadyan
hie_deepak at yahoo.com
Tue May 8 03:09:15 IST 2007
Hi,
I am a recepient of independent fellowship
2007and working on 'popular musical traditons and
configuration of jat identity in haryana 1900-2000'.
This posting is a preliminary investigation of an
artist who produced more than three thousand
compositions and has acquired a status unmatched by
anyone.A vast corpus of vernacular literature is
available on him and a study of svang tradition(a
musical traditon,also known as nautanki in western
uttar pradesh)and the following text is just a part of
it.
Lakhmi Chand(1903-1946)
Before analyzing Lakhmi Chands works and his cult
image in Haryanavi society, let us take a look at the
form itself. Popular culture presents itself in
diverse forms and the tradition which Lakhmi Chand
excelled in was swang/ sang. It would be interesting
to analyze the history of the word swang itself and
how it has come to be associated with a particular
form of popular culture. The literal meaning of swang
is to impersonate, to stage or to perform, disguise,
imitate. It is also contended that the word sang is
associated with sangitak of Sanskrit. It is seen as
contributing to the Sanskrit drama in terms of influx
of prakrit words in Sanskrit drama; inclusion of
comedy both as theme and characters as well;
amalgamation of poetry and prose . There are
references to the word sang in ancient texts as well
which point to a longer history of this tradition. The
word sang finds a place in Kalidas Granthavali and
Gorakh nath also complains of the nuisance created by
sangis and other numerous references in works like
Padmavat, Raskhan and Kabirs preachings. The most
popular form of folk drama found in various parts of
India are Tamasha or Sangita in Maharashtra, Bhawai in
Gujarat, Khyal in Rajasthan, Videsia in Bihar, Maach
in Madhya Pradesh, Jatara in Bengal, Jashan in
Kashmir, Nautanki and sang in Punjab. It would of
interest for a comparative study of these forms and
map a cultural history of these forms and the common
themes underlying in them and the variations in them.
Sangs in Haryana have been one of the important
sources of entertainment since the second half of
eighteenth century. The earliest known sangis of
Haryana are Bansi Lal, AliBaksh, Krishan Lal Bhatt in
the fourth, sixth and seventh decades of eighteenth
century respectively . Lakhmi Chand is credited for
introducing raginis in sang. It wasnt entirely a new
innovation but he popularized it as the most import
ant medium of rendition. Sang is a combined form of
prose and verse but the latter is more prominent than
the former. It consists of singing and dancing as well
but this is done only by the female characters,
though, performed by men as social customs havent
allowed women to appear in these sang groups. A sang
is performed in an open ground encircled by the
audience. A stage is prepared in the centre using
wooden cots or takhats and the performance is done on
this raised platform. The most commonly used
instruments are sarangi, harmonium,dholak, nagara,
cimta(tongs, pincers), khartal, bansuri(flute). All of
these constitute pucca saj. These instruments are
played by sajinde, who historically have been from
mirasi caste, and uptill partition they were a part of
almost every sangi bera. They are also referred as
tekia, as they repeat tek. A tek is the initial two
lines of any ragini pertaining to a specific kissa
followed by kali which is further explanation of the
context. No matter who the sangi is, it is very
difficult to change the tek and modifications can be
brought only in the internal content but keeping the
context intact and it is this fluidity which makes it
really hard as to which ragini is whose composition
and sometimes it has resulted in controversies . There
no notion of curtain in these performances, every
artist remains on stage and plays his part and in
between forms part of the chorus.
A normal sangi bera usually have ten to twelve people
but the number rises to sixteen in case of prominent
sangis. There is no fixed notion of director and the
group has an egalitarian character about it and the
performance depends on the reaction of the audience.
Just before the start of the sang, sajinde takes
position on the stage and starts playing music and the
female characters being played by men dances to the
music. This is called goonga ghamora (dumb wandering)
. A sang can be performed in mane styles. A sang
usually revolves around a plot or a theme called kissa
and ragini is the narrative mode of presenting the
story. This narration can be done by one of the sangis
but usually specific roles are assigned to the members
of the group and sometimes one can act for more than
one character as well. Every ragini is followed either
by a conversation between the characters or a brief
summary of the conversation. The most difficult way is
when there are multiple layers of dialogue within one
ragini though it would be very easy to sing the
already composed raginis but to compose new raginis of
this genre would mean serious work. This kind of
dialogue can be in the form of characters interacting
through kali that is one character narrating one kali
and the response in the succeeding kali. But the
toughest form is when interaction is line by line and
it is here that Lakhmi Chand excelled . Another very
important aspect is the language of sang. It is highly
syncretic with the influx of Persian, urdu, English
and hindi and few words from Punjabi also find a place
in these raginis. Sang is very important in collecting
funds for social purposes like goshala, temple well,
ponds, schools and community centers. People give
money or gifts for the purpose and also to the
performers appreciating their work. This is announced
on the stage alongwith the name of the village and the
antecedents of the donor. This is called chamola . But
the high point of any sang which keeps people seated
is the character of nakalchi( an imitator) who not
only ridicules the performers but also passes scathing
remarks on the villagers it is being held. This
provides some of the really hilarious moments and most
of those characterizations are still very much in
circulation . But the common theme in this ridicule is
the modern, English educated person who sees this as
ribald and somewhat inferior. The performers also come
under the hammer of ridicule of this nakalchi, for
instance the central female character in Kissa-
Nautanki is portrayed as an extremely beautiful but
nakalchi describes her as following;
Hath te tundi,
per te landadi, kali-kali shan
Nak te nakti,
thoda dikhe, aankhya me nuksan
( she is handicapped by
hand, legs, and has a dark complexion. Negligible nose
and has defects in the
eyes as well).
It is of importance to note that female dancers
existed in Haryana at this time as well and they also
performed sang but this was seen as highly derogatory
by the people as it might their women to this
profession and other important factor being that these
performers were prostitutes as well. Firstly peasants
could not have afforded such luxurious entertainment.
Secondly, the interaction and reaction that is there
in case of male performers is not possible in the case
with women performers. Thirdly, in the absence of
modern technological gadgets, women fount it
extremely difficult to sing at a very high pitch in an
open space .
Apart from the performative aspect of sang, the
structural aspect of ragini is also of significance. A
ragini consists of doha(rhyming couplet, which
contains two lines), qafiya(rhyming syllable,
containing three lines), savaiya(a hindi quatrain of
dactylic structure, containing four lines), chaubola(
in the form of rhyme containing eight lines). All this
kind of structural divisions have further
differentiation within it. The most notable case is
the chaubola which contains doha and muktal and the
dialogue is not as strict as it is in the case of
ragini which demands answer to be in the same form.
An oral history of sang tradition and the changes
introduced in it by various sangis is available in
Pandit Mange Rams ragini
Haryane ki kahani
sun lo do sau saal ki
Kai kism ki hawa
chali nai chaal ki
sabte pehle ya
chitrai kishanlal ki
unte piche lakhmi
chand ne doli barsai
bata upar kalam
torgaya aaj kal ki
( listen to the story of Haryana of two hundred years,
many genres have taken life here, yake a look at this
new one, started first by Kishanlal, Lakhmi Chand has
penned down present and future).
Deepachand Ke kheema
kutbi dholi chadar odha karte
Lakhmi Chand mali ki
banke saari bandhya karta
Heer ke ka din bigara
hindu rahya na musalman
(this ragini takes a look at the changes brought about
in the performative aspect of sang by different
sangis. Deepchand used to wear white shawl, lakhmi
Chand impersonated for gardeners wife, and Heer by
coming into sangi remained neither hindu nor
musalman).
Lakhmi Chand born in Janti Kalan in Sonepat district
of Haryana on 15th July 1903 and entered the sange
bera of Mansingh, a jogi(a type of ascetic, though
having a family but living a simple life with minimum
necessities but owns ancesteal property and survives
mainly on traditional forms of bhiksha i.e. going door
to door every morning for flour and other essential
commodities) by caste, a blind person but was an
excellent sangi and had his own akhara( not a
wrestling place but kind of a group in which new
entrants are admitted, but there is no formal learning
or teaching, it is just watching and learnng. The new
entrants work in the kitchen and other domestic works
in the akhara and accompany the group on their visits
to other villages and thus refine themselves as well
and act as sajinde as well).
Before analyzing specific content and context of
Lakhmi Chands composition, just one glimpse into the
power of popular culture would make it suffice for us
to recognize this as a medium to be taken very
seriously. During first world war, when the colonial
authorities were facing a shortage of manpower in
army, Harayana supplied huge numbers, though, one
cant discard the geo-economy of the region, but
Deepchand was honoured with the title of Rai Bahadur
for composing raginis for mobilizing the youth of
Haryana for colonial army,
Bharti
Hole re
Tere
bahar khare rangroot
Hare mile
tane dhakke mukki
Wahan
mile salute
Hare mile
tane fate purane
Wahan milenge suit
Hare mile
sukke tikkar
Ure
milenge biscuit.
( O youth, get recruited to the army, the authorities
are at your gate. Here you get only scolding and
kicks, rags, there you will get suit, boot, salute,
biscuit).
Lakhmi Chand made ragini indispensable to the sang in
Haryana and also increased the number of members upto
fifteen and most importantly started holding sang in
day as well which made it accessible to women as well.
The other mystery that shrouds him is that there is
not even a single photograph of him, which was his
own decision as he enjoyed direct interaction with the
audience and was thus against a mediated form. An
analysis of Lakhmis compositions throws a binary but
not a very rigid one and while making an analysis of
his raginis, a comparative study of other sangis of
the times is very important. This is because of the
fact that till1924, Deepchand had an indisputable
hegemony and his period is considered as an era itself
in the popular culture of the region. Lakhmi Chand
revived his own sangi bera in 1926 after recovering
from illness when some of his opponents had given
mercury in his food and most of his earlier raginis
are a response to them and also re-establishing
himself. Lakhmi Chand faced intense competition from
Baje Ram, from nai(barber) caste, and was called as
Baje Bhagat( it was because of extremely good nature
and the kind of raginis which he composed mainly about
good conduct and propagating an austere life and his
compositions always positing a conflict between good
and bad and good coming on top). Initially, Lakhmi
Chand could not match Bajes popularity, thus his
initial compositions were centered around love and
explicit description of man and woman and their
desires. These gave Lakhmi Chand a recognition and a
popularity among the youth but was highly criticized
by the elder generation.
Lakhmi Chand met Pandit Tika Ram, who was renowned
scholar and had extensive knowledge of puranas,
mythology, and other rituals. Both of them soon became
good friends and a turn also came in Lakhmis
compositions and a strong content of religious themes,
mythology and to an extent it can be said that
institutionalized and organized religion set its foot
in Haryana as well. This would become somewhat clear
in the later discussions.
In the swang/sang men performed female characters and
in a male dominated society it became a matter of
ridicule and assault and were never given due respect
and Lakhmi Chand composed one ragini specifically
pointing to such characters, though within the kissa;
In marda
me kya dosh hai dharana me bhesh janana
Pratham to
shareer tera triya hi se pyar hua
Triya hi
ke rajveerya e milke eksar hua
Nau mahine
garbh me rakhya sakshi se bahar hua
kuch
din piche shadi ho ke triya ka das hua
( whats wrong in wearing women clothes, after all
your body has also emanated from a womans boby, you
have in her womb for nine months and after your
marriage you have become slave of woman).
Haryana has a tradition of bridal price as well but
there is a strong emphasis on dowry and much of it has
been portrayed as voluntary and woman slaves were also
gifted in dowry;
Hum bir mard
thare badle me apna gāt den ale se
Hum heere panne lal
mani ki dat den ale se
Thare rajputa ke
naukar-chakar sath den ale
(we will ourselves in exchange of your man, and give
you diamonds, pearls, ruby, servants alongwith all
this).
In a patriarchical society, a son is always a
preferred child and this has been stressed again and
again in almost all the kissas;
Putra bina moksha na hoti,
chahe ho grahsthi ne gyan
Bete bin tuk bhi ghar ne
zeher dikhai de
( without son there is no salvation in life, no matter
how knowledgeable the family is. Without son
everything appears gloomy and even a morsel of food is
poison).
Though, devar-bhabhi relationship is about an
extra-marital affair but even when conflicts arise it
is always the female that is held responsible for all
the quarrels and problems in the house;
Mere bhai mere sir
pe chad gayi khagadi badmash hori se
Mard kit e sab
tariyah mushkil ho rahi se
Lugai jab le tar mard
ki pagri badmash ho rahi se
( O brother, your wife is hurting me and she has gone
bully, i am finding difficult to survive from every
corner, she is not even respectful of your honour.
That man is of no respect who cant control his wife).
There is a strong contempt of women and any activity
that transgresses the traditional boundary as
bringingndishonour to family.
Wo
bir nahi kam ki jo rad kar de
Baste
hue dhoondh ne ujar de
tere
jaisi ghar ne ghana ujar de
ghar
ki jagah bitoda par gitwad karde
(these lines point out to the discourse about homely
wife and how if she wishes can make a house into
heaven or if someone gets a wife like this can even
bring destruction to a settled house. A woman like you
will only transform a house into a dumping ground).
Lakhmi Chand brought many themes together like popular
beliefs and legends into his compositons, for instance
he appropriates the story of Bhim killing a demon
during their exile and thus blends mythological
stories the narration.
Baniya community is the one group which has been held
in contempt throughout all the kissas, as they resort
to all kinds of means to cheat upon peasants. This was
also the period of the emergence of kisan sabhas in
this region and Chhotu Rams anti-landlord movement
was also gaining momentum but very little or say
negligible resistance finds any place in this form
apart from explicating the various means by which a
baniya cheats upon peasants.
Pasang rakhe dandi mare
Baniya jat gha tole
( baniya would keep the balance entangled, deduct here
and there. It is the nature of Baniya caste as to
never give the exact measure and would always weigh
less).
It is the female body which is depicted as inclined
towards physical intimacy rather than men, that asks
for more strict control over female body and thus
perpetuating dominance of men in every sphere of life.
It is contended that peasant women have more freedom
than the middle class women but a serious examination
of working conditions that too having face covered
with chunni or dupatta which makes inhaling so
difficult, then are the peasant women really fortunate
to go out to work
.
Mere
jovan ke ke aag lagave
Mere uthe
chis ishq ki jane
Nigore ikhre
tane ghani satai re
(why are you increasing the heat of my youth, this
thorn of love is pricking again and again. Oh cane,
you have troubled me a lot).
There has been no direct references of communal
tensions but whenever there is a muslim character, he
is always the villain of the plot and a good muslim is
one who fights for the honour of hindu women.
Mere udasi cha
gayi , ur gaye hosh hawash
Apne hindu dharm hone lag raha nash
Kala
hindu dharm ki ghatati hamari prachin marayda mitati
ek
hindu ki nari, musalman ne hari
( we are losing our ancient glory, and hindu religion
is in decline. A hindu woman has been captured my a
muslim).
Brahmins are supposed to possess supreme knowledge but
the Brahmins of Kashi and Awadh are more revered and
there is constant evocation of these places to assert
the supremacy of brahmans knowledge
Pandit kashi padhya hua se, na jhooth bahkave
Ek
minute me door kare, chahe jaisi kardai.
( I am a pandit educated at kashi, would never mislead
you, will solve your problem in a minute, whatever it
is).
Kissa- Jyani Chor presents one of the instances of
communalism moving into the domestic sphere and an
explicit attack on symbols of reverence.
Teri mooch aur dadhi
kat li adali, le chala mahakade nari ne
Je tane hamari taraf
muh mora, te ibke thaloonga begum thari
( O Adali, your beard and moustache have been cut by
me, and has released mahakade your hostage. If you
ever look towards us again, I will take your wife with
me).
Notions of patriarchy are strongly entrenched in the
popular culture and daughter is not even supposed to
have a discussion in the family affairs and it is the
father who is the supreme authority in these matters.
Pita ki baat pe uttar-prashna chahiye na
tha karma
Syani dhee beti ne chahiye mata pita te
darna
Baap ghar beti gudar lapeti nu bade badere
kaha kare
Mata-pita te bair laga kyon bajjar ka jiya
kare
( daughter, you shouldnt have questioned your parents
wisdom. A good daughter should be afraid of her
parents. A daughter in fathers house should live in
minimum luxury, in rags. Why are you making life hard
for yourself by quarreling with your parents.
It often happens that in marriage the partners ages
are not of same group, either the husband is too old
or vice-versa. This kind of mismatch also finds a
mention in these kissas but here they go on smoothly
without any hassles, thus justifying parents wisdom.
Mein
to ek baccha su tane bhartar chahiyega
Na
boodha na balak mard eksar chahiyega
Mat
ghabrave balakpan mein gelan bahu jawan teri
Mane
tu ram barabar lage, beshak umar nadan teri
( here husbands tells wife ofm the utter mismatch in
age but wife replies that you dont worry, you are
still like a god to me and I will take care of you.
This kind of portrayal further deepens the discourse
of the chastity and subservience of wife to husband
and his family).
An interesting aspect of rural life is the strong
belief in superstions and other notions of good and
bad omens,
Saras jot khari ne bani boli chod
fikr ne chal padya
Diya saun chidi ne bakul kholi, taj
ke dar ne chal padya
Dahine mrig dikha re tarj, bamme
bishyar tha bil farj
( a couple of crane were chirping, even the snakes
gave way. All these are considered as good omens and
if all these happens in one day then one should forget
all fears and should proceed for work).
Baniya
Kangla ladka neeve se re, zakhm jigar ne
seeve se re
Tu mah lala ke peeve se re bhar duam ke
bele
Mane sukhi roti de khan ne re, tu
chhonke roj karele
Mein sir par lakdi dhoya karta, tu beche
bhar bhar thele
( O lala, i am a poor finding it difficult to earn for
a days meal and you are taking full bowls of milk.
I am the one who is getting you wood on my head and
you are selling them everywhere).
In case of love theme the language is double
entendred.
Bodi lake choli
pehni, chhati pe kadhe the phool
Sattrah attrah sal ki
thi mad joban me rahi thu tul
Ghaghre ki ghoom lage
sathal upar baje nara
Polygamy seems to be accepted in the society as most
of the characters have more than one wife.most of the
male protagonists have more than one wife and Mehr
Singhs ragini constantly talk about the problems that
the first wife faces because of second one. An
analysis of demographic composition and inheritance
would further help in understanding the nature of
polygamy in this region.
The behavioural norms for a newly wed are clearly laid
down in these raginis.
Jo patibrata bir
jagat me dharm ki har nahin karti
Sas-sasur aur pati
nanad te kade talrar nahin karti
Pihar te nyari rahan
sahan ki chal sasre me ho ja se
Jo daay dharm ki sar
janati wo Gir te pyar nahin kartis
( that woman who never digress fro the rightful path,
never fights with in-laws keeps the house intact. In
husbands family living style also changes and the
woman having considerations for morality never
indulges in infility).
It is in-fighting between the women of the house that
gives the men the upper hand in the family matters as
women are considered fighting only among themselves.
Mother often complains of arrogant newly wed whereas
wife complains of ill treatment meted out to her by
the other females of the house. It is also very
significant as it instantly characterizes women fron
certain regions possessing peculiar traits.
Kahan chahoon aapse
par ave sarm lihaj
Teri bahu ne mere sath
me kari larai aaj
Mein piti aur pida
toda, dan ne dur baga diya charkha re
Wo meri ijjat ne
taregi, na kati manti darka re
( I want to tell you something but its too
embarrassing, your wife fought with me today, she beat
me up threw away the spinning wheel. She doesnt care
my words that witch is ready to kill me).
It would be a matter of inquiry as to understand
incest vis-à-vis polygamy in this region. This region
is sending lots of healthy men to colonial army which
is bringing a shift in the demographic patterns of the
region and the open practice of karewa not only
between devar-bhabhi but with father-in-law as well
and on a more serious observation with the male sof
extended family as well, which renders the notions of
sexuality very fluid and contingent on the
circumstances and keeping this practice in
consideration that many of the kissas abhor the
relationship within the family. Another factor which
keeps the notions of sexuality so open could well be
the mismatched marriages. In case of grooms being a
child, the bride is open to exploitation by the elders
males of the family.
Khud bete
pe ashiq ho gayi jhoothi bat failadi
Ishq nashe
me andhi hui mausi uska kam sunya ho
( maternal aunt having lost her heart on her sisters
son, passion has made her blind to worldly affairs).
The opportunities provided by colonial state to men in
general and keeping in view the geo-economy of the
region the sons though already preferred now became
much vaunted. Another strand is the desire for
continuance of family name which is possible with
sons only and it is the latter factor that has been
the driving force behind ever increasing
marginalization of women in this region.
Mere pita ke me ek
lal tha, vamsa chalavan ala
Nam leniya nahin raha
koi, mane swarg sidhara
( I was the only son to my father who had to
continue the family line. Now, there is no one left
behind as I proceed to heaven).
Karewa
Bin mali rah kaun
rukhala, is tere joban chaman hare ka
Prem kare te apna ho ja,
gair manus so kos pare ka
(as there is no protection of garden without gardener,
who will protect your youth. If one wants to love,
even a man can be yours, no matter how far is he
from).
Tane koi beta-beti jan
ke, bahu kade rang jaccha ka chantya na
Chahe mard ho chahe
lugai, par jalya poban datya datata na
( O daughter, you havent given birth till now,
whether it is man or woman, no one can control his or
her youth).
Sachi bat khol ke kahde
isme aur safai ke se
Maualsre ki churi pahar
le isme teri burai ke se
Sawai jot rup ki khile, na
joban ki jhok jhile
Din katja pati mile, bata
iski aur davai ke se
( O daughter, tell me very clearly there is no other
explanation. There is nothing wrong if you wear
bangles in the name of your uncle, your youth will
only blossom, neither you will spoil your youth
elsewhere. You will get a husband making your life
happy, tell me is there any other alternative than
this).
Society has given consent to early marriage, it is
done under a presumed threat form female sexuality. It
is considered an inexcusable mistake on the part of
the parents not to marry off girls at an early age and
this notion of uncontrollable female sexuality gets
buttressed in these raginis. Not only families are
socially ridiculed but the character of girls also
comes under suspicion.
Ib talak tu phire kawari ke dhan lootgi
Jawanipan ki dor sarande teri chootgi
Tere bap utia jane ki kyun sarm uthgi
Ke
teri ma andhi se ke ankh footgi
Jori bhartar bina kade soya na jata
Bina pati tu tu age dukh pave dekh liye
(O Sarande, your prime youth is passing, what have you
gained being unmarried. Has your father lost all
morality and so unashamed? Is your mother blind or
has she lost her eyes of now? Without a husband it is
impossible to sleep, you will be in pain without
husband. You are wise, dont lose your youth like
this).
Mere kaisi
aur jagat me koi foote karma ali na
Barah baras
bap ke ho liye pati ne kati sambhali na
( there is no more unfortunate in world than me. It
has been a long twelve years at fathers house neither
husband has taken any stock of my situation).
Early decades saw crystallizing of caste identities in
haryana, when lower castes were marginalized paving
the way for jats to assert themselves and occupy a
martial character, partly due colonial states
patronage and partly due to having ownership rights to
land. Thus, an amalgam of various factors at a certain
historical juncture put jats on a high pedestal as
against earlier when they were more or less at the
same social pedestal though enjoying slight upper hand
in terms of landholding. Early decades saw jats
closing ranks for marriages in lower castes and the
notion of community brotherhood asserted itself to a
great extent.
Gair jat me pati bataya
muskil rahni khair
Ke karoongi biradari ka tana
khogya ta
Gair jat te byah ho gaya te
thookega sahar
Hath bhi na lavan deng apne
hath ke
Gair lugai gair jat ke kaun
jagi thahar
Ise pati se achi me chupki
baithi kalar kare
( you are telling a groom in other caste, how will one
survive. What will I do if community loses its pride.
Every one will spit at me, no one will even allow me
to touch their hands. Where will I go from there. I am
much better being unmarried rather than this kind of
marriage).
Fear of female sexuality
Pandrah sola sal
ki se umar nadan iski
Kamdev ka jor horya
bajti na tan iski
Bin pati rahe
sarande bhookhi asnai ki
Ankh futgyi khud
janani mai ki
( sarandes age is very immature of about fifteen or
sixteen, sexual urge is also pressing itself on her.
It is extremely difficult for her to live without
husband, has her own mother lost sight of it).
Caste barriers for marriage being subverted in these
raginis as the resistance to such marriages are not
only from upper castes but also from lower castes
Tu
ksatri rajput bhup se me tahal karaniya nai
Mhari
teri jat mile na kar du kis dhal sagai
Nichi
nar jat me hojya mere batta lana chahve
Gair
jat ke beti byah ke kah du kis dhal jamai
( you are a kshatriya rajput, I am a barber how can I
engage my daughter with you. Why do you want to demean
my status within my caste and how can a marriage take
place between different castes).
Direct inferences of polygamy can be found in popular
culture and the complaints of wife to her husband
Ke pahli rani ghani suthri se tu man
bhai konya
Kaun bat pe jhagra chalya jo khatpat
hogyi thari
( was the first wife more beautiful that he didnt
like you or you people quarreled over something).
It is very interesting to note as to how certain
colours, smells, etiquette come to be associated with
lower castes which over a period of time get social
sanction
Meri nigah me dikhe se
kisi unchi jat ka
Sundar aur ujla rang se
iske gat ka
( to me he seems to be a person of high origin, a
handsome and fair complexioned person. The inference
that could be taken forward is that persons belonging
to lower castes will be dark in colour and physique)
polygamy
hargiz bhi na
manoonga bat tere kahane ki rani
uske lad karoonga me
tere te hui gilani
( I wont listen
none of you and adore her).
Its curious to read through all these kissa as nowhere
women falls in love to the other man, it is only the
physical hunger that propels woman for forging a
relationship outside the existing relationship but
within the family. It is the man who falls in love
with other woman which is pristine that too readily
accepted by other women of the family.
Rajpat sab taj diya kar ek thikane dhyan
Teri jaroorat na mane photu me base pran
( I have left all worldly affair and concentrated on
you, even if you are not here, my life is captured in
your photograph).
This love is expressed in highly double-entendred
words and an erotic description of their love.
Bhran bat ke
fut liye, joban k eras loot liye
Babaji ras
ghoomt liye, bharya kele kaisi dhar me
Me morni ban
ke amsu thau, tu mor nachiye jhar me
Incest- the notion of incest in this region is not
only limited to household but extended to community as
a whole and this community is then carved out into
cultural, historical and mythical fragments, which
then lays down the rules for marriages within the
community. Though, these rules are not codified
formally but are mere conventions to keep society in
order and overtime owing to certain factors some
concessions have been conceded but it is strange to
observe that despite the penetration of money economy
there is an assertion of these notions rather than any
weakening.
Jiske lage wo nar jane chot ashiqan ali
Ek tha mansoor adam ka ladka ishq thikana tohya
Bahan ke rang me ashiq hogya kat liya jis aboya
Pathar mare jab na roya, phool lagya jab roya
Bahan ke rang me ashiq hogya dekh ansh ki thali
( it is only him who knows whats love who has been
struck by it. Once there was son of a man named adam
who found love in his sister. No stone hurt him but
wept when hit by a flower).
By the early decades dowry had made stronghold in this
region displacing bridal price as custom and an
institution as well.
Teelam ke bugche gahane
ke dibbe thok-thok bhar diye
Dola bandi dhan maya ke
sab intezam kar rakhe
Jitne farz bahan beti k
eek nahin sir rakhe
Heere panne mohar asarfi
lal manga dhar rakhe
( O daughter, we have completed all the formalities
due to a daughter or a sister, your palanquin has been
decorated, maid is sent with you and all other
important items like pearl, diamond and ruby have been
loaded).
Communalism had made deep inroads into the popular
culture by 1920s and 1930s and social and spiritual
spaces were contested and the resolution to this
problem appears in the form violence.
Je rajputam ne jan
patjya te bat na rahe na bas ki
Kat tere do tukde
karde teri bilkhe gharm pathani
( if rajputs get to know this, situation will worsen
and get out of hand. They will tear you apart and your
pathani i.e. wife of a pathan will be left in tears).
These raginis instead of using the word muslim, uses
the figure of pathan who shared a cultural as well as
territorial presence in this region. If one has to map
a cultural territory of haryana through these raginis
it spreads more towards the north western parts of
India with the mention of jhang, sialkot, bharatpur.
Musalman ki kaum isi se
behu jal me nhale
Soor bina ghinya konya
bhed aur bakri kha le
Ma ka doodh ne bacha ke
ne khud chacha tau ki byahle
( this muslim community is no mentioning, they take
bath in dirty water. They dont even abhor eating pig
and sheep, barring mothers daughter they marry the
children of their own family).
Marriages between hindus and muslims were a strict no
during this period and strong taboos are attached to
such marriages in the popular culture.
Ganga-jamna
ka dham chor ke masjid me jaya kariye
Sudhi-sudhi-kodi ho ke thaddu thaddu baya kariye
Tale pajama
kana me bali sir chir sajaya kariye
Satpakwani
taj ke bairan mams aur mati khaya kariye
( since, you have married in a muslim family, you will
be going to mosques leacving the sacred banks of ganga
and jamna. You will be wearing pajami and will be
eating all flesh and dirt leaving satvik food here).
Lakhmi Chands raginis also needs to be analyzed in
the backdrop of strong arya samaj movement in this
region which had by now established a strong cadre in
its ranks and prominent leaders like Chhotu Ram,
Chajju Ram and others were highly motivated by the
activities of arya samaj and themselves became
champions of virtues of aryas in this region. The
histories written at this time sought antecedents to
vedic age and proclaimed themselves as the great
warriors from antiquity but this also sparked a
counter reaction from the Brahmins who also produced
histories degrading jats to extremely low status .
Thus, jats forged their identities in two directions,
one by claiming a higher status mostly by the educated
elites and simultaneously at the level of popular
culture by a strong critique of other social groups
but leaving brahmans outside the purview of this
contempt.
The varna system is very well appropriated by Lakhmi
Chand which jats re-appropriated to fill in the second
category of kshatriya code.
Unch nich varn ki karke
seva, nich te unch varn me chadhte
Jo sahi varn maryad
jante, ve nahin badya ke syahmi arte
( one can acquire upper status by serving the upper
varnas, those who know the moral code of behaviour of
varna, they dont confront the higher ones).
Many mythic stories are appropriated in these raginis
but the emphasis is different from the original. For
instance a whole sang has been composed on Draupadi
being assaulted in the royal court.
Yo to mera devar
dussasan se iska matlab jan liya
Mane dukh dega param
pareka, yo gahak se mere badan ka
( O Dussasan, I have understood your intentions, you
just want my body there is nothing else that you want
from me).
Indebtedness has been a great problem in a peasant
society, even forcing them to sell or mortgage son to
other well-off peasants. Though, this is one of the
reasons, as the entry of a male member provides help
in field and in the household activities as well. This
custom while on the one hand provides economic relief
to debt ridden family, on the other hand it increases
the working hands to the recipient family. It is quite
paradoxical that money which is considered to dissolve
these very practices actually augments them and every
gets presented in a transmuted form.
Eklota cha
sal ka ladka isne girvi dhar aao
Do sau rupye
mang liyo jake ve jhat palle me ghalenge
Apne jaisa
poot samajh ke tere lal ne palenge
( this is our only son of just six years, mortgage and
get two hundred rupees. They will nourish him as their
own child).
In some of the compositions there is an influx of
Awadhi in Lakhmis ragins. Though no particular reason
can e put forward but it is found mainly in his
muktak( context- free i.e. not forming part of any
kissa) compositions, one conjencture could well be
that the last years of Lakhmi Chand were also Indian
film industrys initial years which had an
overwhelming devotional tinge to it which might have
prompted him for a form of ragini which corresponded
to aartis( prayer or hymns in praise of god).
Tum ridhi sidhi ke data, dil mera
milne ko chahta
Krishna sudama kesa nata, me
din-din das tera
There is a sense of pride as well for haryana in these
raginis but its only of cultural heritage.
Mhare haryane me kukarm karte
beiman mare se
Grihstha dharm ka palan karte sab
pundan kare se
Tirth vrat yatra me mhare rishi
muni dhyan dhare se
Gau brahman sadhu ki seva sari
duniya ke satsang se
( in our harayna everyon is afraid of doing any crime,
we furnish all duties of an ideal life, regularly go
to pilgrimage, sadhus of our land are famous for their
knowledge and meditation, respect is given to cow,
Brahman and ascetics).
____________________________________________________________________________________
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