GUJARATI LULLABIES: AN ORAL FORM IN FLOW

Abstract

A lullaby is a from that defies the frame of a proper definition. The word lullaby has its root in the Sanskrit word लालन गीतम्. Most popularly it is known as a cradle song. The reasons behind this deferment are primarily two. The first is its performative functional frame which allows the singer a vent to express one’s singularity through the collective form. The second is the striking contrast between the oral and the written traditions. According to the Markandeya Purana, the queen Madalasa used to put her children to sleep at night by singing to them a lullaby. It is thought that Madalasa, one of India's most admirable and learned women, attained enlightenment. It is also believed that only her four sons, Vikranta, Subahu, Shatrumardana, and Alarka, gave up the throne and went on a spiritual journey as a direct result of her teachings. Indian mystic tradition provides a well-known Story of Madalasa when her child started to cry, rather than trying to divert him with a variety of toys or other objects, she decided to give him the truth rather than try to distract him with sweet Lullaby like- सुखानि दुःखोपशमाय भोगान् सुखाय जानाति विमूढचेताः। तान्येव दुःखानि पुनः सुखानि जानाति विद्धनविमूढचेताः॥ This truth is sung in the form of a comforting lullaby called Madalasa Upadesha, also known as Madalasa Putra Upadesha. In Gujarat, the oral tradition of lullabies has remained for long a forlorn area. The present paper is an attempt to study this form from critical point of view, for this form is not as simple as it appears. Within Gujarat, there are four categories of lullabies as far as the oral tradition is concerned. Over and above, the present paper also tries to locate the functional aspects of this form and its lucid literariness. The primary data under the inquiry are part of performative tradition and their collection was carried out through random sampling technique. It is believed that the prime function of lullaby is to make a child sleeps. However, the present paper will prove an iconoclast as it sheds light on some of the covert features of Gujarati lullabies along with its transliterated versions.