Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

The lyrics mean, “Oh, my dear golden girl, are you born out of a seashell, with the blessings of Lord Vaikathappan*? Are you born from the many good deeds of your mother and your father, with the blessings of Lord Vaikathappan?” * In India, gods are often referred to with the title “Lord.”

This lullaby describes the dusk hours, the end of the day, and asks the child to go to sleep, using the phrase Jo jo bala. “The calf is tired after calling out to its mother, and it has now gone to sleep. The sparrows were chirping but are now resting in their nests. The moon had come out but is now hiding behind the clouds.”

This cradle song is sung by a Charan singer. The Charans form a community known for its prowess in recitation and singing. The lyrics describe Devki, the mother of Krishna, putting him to bed. Lullabies and cradle songs about the god Krishna are common in many parts of India. They are sung also on Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, when Krishna’s birth is celebrated. Children are often compared to Krishna and seen as forms of gods. Krishna is often represented in child form, worshipped and referred to as Bal Gopal, which is perhaps why lullabies to Krishna are so common.

Jagar, from the word jag, means “awake” or “awoken.” Those who sing jagars are Jagariyas. Jagars are akin to ballads and come in many different forms that exist in many parts of India. Their purpose is to wake up deities. The spirits of gods and deities are invoked by singing about them, their deeds and exploits, and by asking for blessings and favors. The Nanda Devi jagar is a religious narrative associated with the Nanda Devi pilgrimage. The pilgrimage of Nanda Devi happens every few decades when the idol of Nanda Devi is carried in a palanquin to her husband Shiva’s abode. This pilgrimage entails a long and arduous journey through a rough terrain and fields of snow. The Hindu goddess Nanda Devi is worshiped in the former Western Himalayan kingdoms of Garhwal and Kumaon, which together make up the modern Indian state of Uttarakhand. During Nanda Devi’s annual festival, in the Hindu months of Bhadrapad and Shravan, her songs are sung by women throughout the state. The jagar of Nanda Devi is an example of a religious ballad that lasts for several hours and can go on through the night. This extract is the very beginning of a commissioned recording made by William Sax in 1981. The original version is six hours long. The performers are the women of Nauti village, District Chamoli, Garhwal, Uttarakhand. This initial part is a local cosmogony in which female forces and goddesses play the major roles, and are summoned. They are followed by the story of the goddess Nanda, a local version of the myth of the goddess Parvati.

This is song tells part of the Ramayana story when Sita is exiled to the forest. It is accompanied by chikara, a three- string fiddle played in many parts of North India. The chikara is usually used as an accompaniment to singing.