February was a hectic month due to a wedding in the family. My bua's son ( Puphaat as they say in "Nij" (typical) Sindhi), Gaurav, recently got married and the entire Teckchandani family got together to join the celebrations. It was nice to meet everyone in the extended family after a long time. One of the more interesting aspects of a Sindhi Wedding are the traditional wedding songs sung as a part of the celebrations. These are known as "Laadas" although their popularity unfortunately is declining by the day.
Mummy fondly remembers how Nani was adept at singing these songs using the traditional thaal ( Round Plate usually made up of Steel) and Chammach (Spoon) and how in the olden days the entire clan used to get together a few days before the wedding and each night there used to be a singing and dancing session post dinner. Nani's favorite laada was " Dikh Ji Raat Lade Mundiyun Gharayun, Soran Achran Jhariyun, Soran Heeran Mariyun"a song which talks about getting wedding rings laden with gold and diamonds made for the bride .With the current pace of life especially in a Metropolitan city like Delhi, it is an utopian dream to think about week long gatherings. A couple of years ago when my cousin Sohraab was getting married, Milloo Chacha had arranged for a Sindhi musical evening where singer Usha Shahani jee had sung a number of foot tapping songs and laadas. I distinctly remember her singing " Raano Cho na murke , hale baah lode, sohni milas kuwaar, Raano cho na murke" which when translated in English will mean something like " Why shouldn't the Bridegroom walk with a sense of pride, having found a good looking bride, why shouldn't the bridegroom walk with a sense of pride! .
Then there is another light hearted song " Ahro jo murs maryo ghuman na tho de, ghuman na tho de ta maryo theng tippa de, ehro jo murs maryo ghuman na tho de" which is about a wife complaining to her friends about her husband's lack of interest in traveling saying that not only does he not allow her to travel but also whines when she is out of the home.
Traditional songs such as these remind us of an era gone by .For me personally it is through instances such as these that I remember my Nani ,someone whom I never had the privilege to meet as she expired much before I was born. I pray to Lal Saeen to rest her soul in peace and also congratulate my brother Gaurav on a Happy and fulfilling married life.
I am ending this post with links to two different Laadas from two different eras. The first one " Hal Maarya Ghot Pe" is from 1969 Sindhi movie "Ladli". Given my fairly limited Sindhi vocabulary, I am unable to translate this but the in a nutshell, the song details how the bridegroom's parents will celebrate the big wedding day. I cannot stop smiling looking at the dance steps which reminds me of some of our elderly relatives.
The next one is another Mohit Lalwani video which is a contemporary take on a classic yet a very popular laada " Hik Sone Jo Rupiyo, Allah Ri Allah". Congratulations to Saeen Mohit for always trying something new.
I hope you too both the videos as much as I did.
Jai Jhulelal
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