January The 13th

Lohri is celebrated as the Harvest festival in punjab, wheat is ripening , turning golden, soon it will be cut the grain taken and the farmer will take it to be sold for the rest of the nation to fill their bellies.

It is also Celebrated as the Eve of Maaghi a very auspicious day For Sikhs, Maaghi means primarily the festival at Muktsar Sahib, a district town of the Punjab (it is also my home town), in commemoration of the heroic fight of the Chali Mukte, literally, the Forty Liberated Ones, who laid down their lives warding off an attack by an imperial army marching in pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

The following song is sung as a tribute to Dulla Bhatti, he is the central character of most Lohri songs , He was regarded as a hero in Punjab, a Punjabi version of Robin Hood as he besides robbing the rich and giving to the poor, would rescue girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He would then arrange their marriages to boys of their religion with rituals and provide them with dowries. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

Sunder mundriye Hoye	Oh beautiful one like a ringlet one
Tera kaun wicahara hoye! Dullah bhatti walla hoye Dullahe ne dhee vyayae hoye!	Who will save you poor one (to a rescued girl) Dullah Bhatti is here for you (He rescued the girls who were abandoned and rejected after kidnap!) He married off his daughter (the rescued girls were adopted by him as his daughters)
Ser shakkar payee hoye! Kudi da laal pachaka hoye! Kudi da saalu paatta hoye! Salu kaun samete!	He gave a measure (ser about a kilo)of sugar! The girl is wearing bridal red dress! But her shawl is torn (poor and soiled-girl has been raped?)! Who will stitch her shawl(repair her reputation)?!
Mame choori kutti! zamidara lutti! Zamindaar sadaye!	The maternal uncle made sweet ghee bread (choori)! (maternal uncles were responsible to vouch for chastity of the girl) The landlords ravished it (meaning the girl kidnapped by rich moghul landlords!)!
bade bhole aaye! Ek bhola reh gaya! Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya! Sipahee ne mari eet!	Lots of innocent guys came (poor grooms) One innocent boy got left behind (the poorest of poor!) The soldiers arrested him! (Indicated that he was in collusion with Bhatti the rebel) The soldiers hit him with a brick! (tortured him)
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! Pahnnve ro te pahnnve pitt!	Give us lohri (gifts) ..long live you couple! Cry or howl!

Back home in India I would have got up early, worn nice new clothes, met up with my friends from the neighborhood and then go house to house, singing the above song demanding some gift. We would get money or sweets… Money usually..

The house that gave money was blessed by US by

“Dabba bharaya leera da”
“Ai ghar ameera da”

The house that did not give

“Hukka bhai Hukkaa”
“Ai ghar bhukka”

My grandfather would give me the traditional 500Rs, My dad is a miser he would not give :), mum would give though depending on how much she has… I bet if mum was not at home a lot of the above Hukka bhai hukka was sung in front of our house he he he … I am just kidding

It would soon be college time, oh yes holiday-no holiday, festival – no festival, College is a must,  Not just me but everyone in the group would be there, to start the planning how to go about celebrating (I do think Now , why did we not plan a day earlier on the 12th.. hmmmm, would have saved coming all the way to college) , where can we have the big pyre lit have the dholi beat the dhol… dance around the fire eat the sweets the gachaks ( groundnuts and jaggery), Rewadi’s , nuts , next door neighbours would come a few other friends make a night out of it .. Dancing- singing … then once exhausted just sit around the fire till late in night just chatting…

So Here’s wishing

Mere SAARE YAAR BELIYAAN NU                   — (To all my friends)
Te uhna diyan Sohnia Sohinia saheliyan nu  — (and to all their beautiful Girl friends)

Mere Yaar Sharabiyaan nu                                — (To all My drunkard friends)
Te meriyaan Shonia Sohnia Bhabhiyan nu    — (To all my beautiful sister-in-law’s)

Mere Yaar Puraniyan Nu                                   — (To all my old Friends)
Te uhna di Nikke Nikke Niyaniyan nu            — (And to their Little Children)

Te Sab Budhiyaan Nu                                          — (To all the Oldies)

HAPPY LOHRI EVERYONE…. Have a blast .. EAT – DRINK and BE MERRY… Enjoy

HAPPY LOHRI . and dont forget my LOHRI… ..

Day 13:- Happy Lohri

Lohri is celebrated as the Harvest festival in punjab, wheat is ripening and is turning golden.. soon it will be cut the grain taken and the farmer will take it to be sold for the rest of the nation to fill their bellies ..

Dulla Bhatti, is the central character of most Lohri songs , He was regarded as a hero in Punjab as he besides robbing the rich, would rescue girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He would then arrange their marriages to boys of their religion with rituals and provide them with dowries. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

Lohri reminds me on 13th January, we would go around the neighbourhood, house to house… singing the Lohri song demanding some gift, People would give money or sweets… Money usually..Takes me back to the good old days as I call them when my grand-dad and my dad were alive. Daddy as I called my Grandfather, would give me the traditional 500Rs, which use to be a lot of money in those days. Wants were and needs were less, Enough to go have a chicken soup at Goldie’s roost and a meal at Shangrila the Chinese place.

I remember our neighbours, The house on the left an old lady lives, She would have a bowl full of sweets ready, I would go and ring her bell, she would say “KHULA HAI” (its open).. Then a crisp 100Rs note and a bowl of sweets and TONS AND TONS OF WISHES, blessings, I miss them so much, don’t get all those wishes anymore from the heart.

The house right opposite us, were one of those misers too, hardly saw lights on in that house, I think the owners were in states, only a caretaker was there.. So nothing from there…

About 10 am it was time to go to college, as everyone would be there all my friends. meet up then the planning starts how to go about celebrating it, which usually started in the college canteen. In evening all of us would meet and visit every friends house , especially the girls 🙂 and the look on their faces seeing boys come to their house . In those days it was such a big deal if a boy talked with a girl or went to a girls house.

And since it is punjab, the visits always involved a few drinks here and there…

Then reach home, Dad always had a big BIG pile of wood… Lit the fire, have the dholi beat the dhol… dance around the fire eat the sweets The gachaks, Rewadi’s , nuts , next door neighbours would come a few other friends make a night out of it .. Dancing- singing … then once exhausted just sit around the fire till late in night just chatting…

HAPPY LOHRI EVERYONE…. Have a blast .. EAT – DRINK and BE MERRY… Enjoy

HAPPY LOHRI . and dont forget my LOHRI… ..

Lohri Festival

The following song is sung as a tribute to Dulla Bhatti, he is the central character of most Lohri songs , He was regarded as a hero in Punjab as he besides robbing the rich, would rescue girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He would then arrange their marriages to boys of their religion with rituals and provide them with dowries. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

Lohri is celebrated as the Harvest festival in punjab, wheat is ripening and is turning golden.. soon it will be cut the grain taken and the farmer will take it to be sold for the rest of the nation to fill their bellies ..

Sunder mundriye Hoye	Oh beautiful one like a ringlet one
Tera kaun wicahara hoye! Dullah bhatti walla hoye Dullahe ne dhee vyayae hoye!	Who will save you poor one (to a rescued girl) Dullah Bhatti is here for you (He rescued the girls who were abandoned and rejected after kidnap!) He married off his daughter (the rescued girls were adopted by him as his daughters)
Ser shakkar payee hoye! Kudi da laal pachaka hoye! Kudi da saalu paatta hoye! Salu kaun samete!	He gave a measure (ser about a kilo)of sugar! The girl is wearing bridal red dress! But her shawl is torn (poor and soiled-girl has been raped?)! Who will stitch her shawl(repair her reputation)?!
Mame choori kutti! zamidara lutti! Zamindaar sadaye!	The maternal uncle made sweet ghee bread (choori)! (maternal uncles were responsible to vouch for chastity of the girl) The landlords ravished it (meaning the girl kidnapped by rich moghul landlords!)!
bade bhole aaye! Ek bhola reh gaya! Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya! Sipahee ne mari eet!	Lots of innocent guys came (poor grooms) One innocent boy got left behind (the poorest of poor!) The soldiers arrested him! (Indicated that he was in collusion with Bhatti the rebel) The soldiers hit him with a brick! (tortured him)
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! Pahenve ro te pahnnve pit! “	Give us lohri (gifts) ..long live you couple! Cry or howl!

13th January Lohri day… I would have got up early… worn nice new clothes… met up with my friends and then house to house… singing the above song demanding some gift. We would get money or sweets… Money usually…Imagine the beat of the DHOL… with a group of people singing the above song, the bhangra included…

The house that gave money was blessed by US by

“Dabba bharaya leera da”
“Ai ghar ameera da”

The house that did not got

“Hukka bhai Hukkaa”
“Ai ghar bhukka”

My grandfather would give me the traditional 500Rs and my sisters 500Rs, and my sister would always give her share to me… so I would have a 1000 to start with… the other one is a miser and doesn’t love me that much ch ch ch ch 😦 So she keeps her money.

My dad is a miser he would not give :), mum would give though depending on how much she has… I bet if mum was not at home a lot of the above Hukka bhai hukka was sung in front of our house he he he … I am just kidding

Then neighbours, The house on the left an old lady lives, She would have a bowl full of sweets ready, I will go and ring her bell, she would say “KHULA HAI” (its open).. Then a crisp 100Rs note and a bowl of sweets and TONS AND TONS OF WISHES, blessings…

The neighbours on the right now this is a tussle, because they have two sons, a year younger than me , the tussle is no one wants to go first because its POLITICS .. Yes … religion main bhi POLITICS hai (even religion has politics)… look the ones who go first will get money so the other set of parents will have to match it… So it’s always hoping they go first so we can tell my dad to give bit more to them… hence we get the same when we go to their house… Yeah you see POLITICS works everywhere 🙂

The house right opposite us, were one of those misers too, hardly saw lights on in that house, I think the owners were in states, only a caretaker was there.. So nothing from there…

By then it would be college time, oh yes holiday-no holiday, festival – no festival, College is a must… and why not cause everyone in the group will be there so meeting up time, meet up then the planning starts how to go about celebrating it, first sukhi’s , then vikrams, then mine and so on.. Evening comes we go for a gedi first in different parts of the city people have organized things, visit them have some fun… a few drinks here and there… Then reach home, Dad always had a big BIG pile of wood… (On second thoughts I think that’s why he did not give money he is saving all that to buy all this wood, or ordering the poor maali (gardener) to break some from the trees 🙂 ah well Now I know )

Lit the fire, have the dholi beat the dhol… dance around the fire eat the sweets The gachaks, Rewadi’s , nuts , next door neighbours would come a few other friends make a night out of it .. Dancing- singing … then once exhausted just sit around the fire till late in night just chatting…

Oh Sunder mundriye hoye!
Tera kaun wicahara hoye!
Dullah bhatti walla hoye!
Dullahe di dhee vyayae hoye!
Ser shakkar payee hoye!

HAPPY LOHRI EVERYONE…. Have a blast .. EAT – DRINK and BE MERRY… Enjoy

HAPPY LOHRI . and dont forget my LOHRI… ..

Ps:- This is a repost with a few changes.

Snooze Button

Uma’s post today reminded of this post that i had written ages ago.. so thought of reposting it ..

The SNOOZE button on the ALARM :- Why have they made it .. I am yet to understand that .. Obviously if it is there then it is meant to be used …

You will use it

You will wake up and press it You cant help it, If it is there to be used   Am sure you are NOT going to say I have had a LONG sleep So I am going to have a NAP for another 10 minutes or 15

Have you seen this button on a FIRE ALARM..  Imagine If it had a snooze button .. someone running to you there is a FIRE in there ..

Will you say I tell you WHAT…  press the snooze, we will have an extra 15 minute.. let it burn a bit …

HE HE HE HE 🙂

and Then have you experienced sometimes when you have woken before the Alarm goes offf..

thats the best ..

You look at the Clock and say NOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

I am not moving ..

 Oh NO SIR … NOT MOVING Till you go offf… I will wait for you to move and then Press the Snooze button .. keep laying there and then When you go off the second time I will get up

🙂

from this post you can well imagine i am bored at work it 2am in morning and i got two more hours to go please can you all remind me not to do favours to anyone i was to have a hockey game go to a pub have fun and then sleep but because i could not say no to a favour i have had to go play the game, shower change and get to work to do a night shift ahhhhhhh i am so sleepy now and tired and i know something is going to kick off. I am so looking forward to sleep and yes hopefully switch off the alarm.

PS:- Its Lohri today ..

Moongfalli di khusbooo  te Gud di mithaas                                          
Makki di Roti te Sarson da Saag
Dil di Khushi te Apniyaan Da pyaar
Mubarak hove Sab nu .. LOHRI da Teyohaaar

 Happy Lohri everyone