| Description |
Barsāti means “rain song.” This genre is associated with the monsoon and often expresses longing for an absent husband. It was sung to ease the labor of transplanting rice. Bent over in cold muddy water, women passed the time chorusing such songs. Here, the woman confides in her husband’s sister of a pain in her side, and a Vaid healer is brought from Mandi. However, her yearning is so intense that she feels she will die without her Ranjha(“true love”), referring to the tragic Punjabi folk epic of Heer Ranjha. The lead singer here is Urmila Rana. This song was recorded in the field. The sound of splashing water and other sounds from the field provide an authentic context. Recorded and collected by Kirin Narayan |
