Kabaddi is a sport that’s popular in India, Pakistan, Iran and Bangladesh. Two teams compete to prove which is more agile, physically adept and clever. “Kabaddi” comes from a TAMIL world meaning “Let’s hold hands,” which refers to the fact that “defenders” hold onto each other to defeat a “raider.”
You want to learn how to play Kabaddi:
COUNTRY: India
LANGUAGE: Hindi
In music class we learn how to dance, Bollywood style, along to our version of the classic Bollywood love song “Uhre Jab Jab Zulfen Teri.” The track was originally performed by legendary playback singers Mohammad Rafi and Asha Boshle from the 1957 movie “Naya Daur,” a “man vs. machine,” “new ways vs. old” story of a contest between horse-carriage driver Shankar and Kundan, who brings in a bus to take people to and fro, thereby stealing the horse-carriage drivers’ business and dividing the once-peaceful village. Who wins the final race between valued old-world Shankar and disruptive new Kundan? No spoliers here — watch the derned film!
Original Lyrics
Ho uhre jab jab zulfein teri
Ho uhre jab jab zulfein teri ho
Uhre jab jab zulfein teri
Ho uhre jab jab zulfein teri
Kunwariyon ka dil machle
Kunwariyon ka dil machle jind meriye
Ho jab aise chikne chehre
Ho jab aise chikne chehre
To kaise na nazar phisle
To kaise na nazar phisle jind meriye
All Around This World lyrics
O uhre jab jab zulfen teri
Oh I love you when I look into your eyes
I love you when I look into your eyes
Oh I love you when I look into your eyes
I love you when I look into your eyes
Oh I love you all the time
I love you when I look into your eyes
“Uhre jab jab zulfen teri” means, roughly, “Whenever your hair flies askew like this….” In the original, after singing that phrase a few times, longingly, to her love, our heroine complete the lyric: “Whenever your hair flies askew like this…damsels hearts fly askew.”
— All Around This World’s adaptation with permission by The Royalty Network
COUNTRY: India
LANGUAGE: Bengali
“Champa Botir” is a Bengali folk song that tells the tale of a beautiful princess — a “golden girl,” associated with the vibrant champa flower, who a king wants to court. He takes a boat along the river to find her and appeal to her. When he makes his case does she agree…? The lyrics of our version don’t give an answer. There is a really nice version on the Smithsonian Folkways’ Folk Songs of India. According to the album liner notes, their “Folk Song from West Bengal” is a love song in which the young man compares his sweetheart to the champa flower surrounded by the beauty of nature.”
All Around This World’s lyrics:
Champabotir deshe re bhai, Champabatir deshe re
Champa botir, golden girl, all the flowers agree, oh champa botir deshe
Champa botir, golden girl, the river is running free, oh champa botir deshe
Champa botir, golden girl, the king sends a boat to see, oh champa botir deshe
Champa botir, golden girl, gives him her heart…maybe, oh champa botir deshe
COUNTRY: India
LANGUAGE: Rajasthani
“Bai Tharo” is a popular folk song from Rajasthan, a state in India’s northwest, that celebrates the region’s dancing and joy found in life. There are many interpretations of this song available online, though our favorite is a particularly lovely version found in the film Latcho Drom (“Safe Journey”), which follows the route of the Romani people from their (likely) ancestral home in Rajasathan.
Konnakol is South Indian “vocal percussion.” In konnakol, performers use each syllable, and its accompanying sound, to communicate a rhythm, sort of like a jazz singer would “scat” or a rapper would beat-box. There are vocalizations aplenty in konnakol, enabling the performer to effectively have entire conversations using it.
One of the web’s most prominent konnakol teachers is not a South Asian classical vocalist, but Danish percussionist Henrik Andersen For a solid introduction to konnakol and its many rhythms watch Henrik in action. Especially be sure to check out the Exercise in Adi Thala (Exercise in 8 beats) which starts at 3:12. (Take *that* T.H. Subash Chandaran!)
More information:
A konnakol conversation | legendary guitarist John McLaughlin is way into konnakol: www.johnmclaughlin.com | a contemporary konnakol performed by Lori Cotler
Konnakol is South Indian “vocal percussion.” In konnakol, performers use each syllable, and its accompanying sound, to communicate a rhythm, sort of like a jazz singer would “scat” or a rapper would beat-box. There are vocalizations aplenty in konnakol, enabling the performer to effectively have entire conversations using it.
One of the web’s most prominent konnakol teachers is not a South Asian classical vocalist, but Danish percussionist Henrik Andersen
For a solid introduction to konnakol and its many rhythms watch Henrik in action. Especially be sure to check out the Exercise in Adi Thala (Exercise in 8 beats) which starts at 3:12. (Take *that* T.H. Subash Chandaran!)
In class we to listen to “Konnakol Al Dente,” performed by Indian-descended British vocalist Sheila Chandra, and try a few of our own konnakol phrases.
More information:
A konnakol conversation | legendary guitarist John McLaughlin is way into konnakol: www.johnmclaughlin.com | a contemporary konnakol performed by Lori Cotler | You think konnakol is too hard for little kids? This 8 year old disagrees | By the, feeling overly cluttered lately? Sheila Chandracan help.
[wpspoiler name=”Banarsi Kajri by pt. santosh kumar mishra and sangeet mishra on sarangi ” open=”true” style=”aatw-video”][/wpspoiler]
[Information about kajri coming soon.]
[wpspoiler name=”Chadhal chait chit lage na rama Malini Awasthi sings Chaiti ” open=”true” style=”aatw-video”][/wpspoiler]
[wpspoiler name=”Sanjeev Bhatnagar performs a ghazal in Mumbai” open=”true” style=”aatw-video”][/wpspoiler]
[Information about ghazal coming soon.]
[wpspoiler name=”Baan Nainon Ka performs Dadra Shobha Gurtu” open=”true” style=”aatw-video”][/wpspoiler]
[Information about dadra coming soon.]
