Author: Caribbean Hindustani

Indentured laboreres who came to reside, in what are erstwhile colonies today, brought with them a folk song tradition that gave a narative within the context of the unque climate in India. The Monsoon is a weather pattern observed in India and the Pacific. Kajari is a folk style that ushers in the rains of…

Often Bhojpuri folk songs expressed the plight of the women folk. Often daughter-in-laws endured a lot regarding the curelty she met at her in-law’s. Here is one such example in a folk song from Suriname. Thanks MissRoshny BaithakSisters en Infotainment for the video: ढ़वा बेईमान माँगे करैली के चोखा (The old geezer wants karaili chokha)…

चाहूँगा मैं तुझे साँझ सवेरे (I will long for you dusk till dawn) फिर भी कभी अब नाम को तेरे (Yet ever your name) आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा, आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा (I shall not call) देख मुझे सब है पता (Look, I know everything) सुनता है तू मन की सदा (That you listen to…

Hosay (originally from Husayn) is a Muslim Indo-Caribbean commemoration that is popularly observed in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Jamaica. In Trinidad and Tobago, multi-colored model mausoleums or Mosque shaped model tombs known as Tadjah are used to display the symbolic part of this commemoration. They are built and paraded, then ritually taken to…

This song about the Indian indentured laborers was originally done by Beverly Pancham of Jamaica who originally resides in Jamaica. The lyrics were composed by Ramlal. We would like to thank her for providing us with the lyrics and Ramesh Prashadsingh for providing us with the translation. Both ChutneyMusic.com and Caribbean Hindustani endeavored on a…

A song by Sandeep Badloe that captures the ambivalence, sadness and hesitance of the indentured laborers that left India years ago bound for Suriname on the Lalla Rookh, yet going forth with faith and courage to forge a new life. दोहा: काहे के मोर देसवा छूटल, काहे के मोर नाता? Kāhe ke mor deswā chhūṭal,…

The song ‘Panghatwa Basal Bari Door’ was a Bhojpuri folk song made popular by Ramdeo Chaitoe of Suriname. It’s narrative presents the Ras Lila of Radha Krishna that most Caribbean Hindus are familiar with. Here is a version done by Ustad Veejai Ramkisoon of the band SRS Live and an English translation of the song:…

Many of the lyrics of Chutney songs come from the narrative of the Ramayan or Mahabharat. This is because Chutney draws its content from the folk tradition which has songs of Hindu religious references. A famous scene in the Ramayan is an enraged Parsuram rushing into the Swayamvar to confront the one who had just…

Indentured laborers mostly came from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. When they came to the Caribbean they brought with them folk songs that were sung at ceremonies of rites of passages called Sanskaars. Here is a Byaha Geet (wedding song) in the Bhojpuri language sung during the Vivah Sanskar or marriage ceremony welcoming the bridegroom to…

The ever popular song originally done by Ramdeo Chaitoe was ‘Babhana aawe jai’ (The Brahman comes and goes). How many of us know that the Bhojpuri word for Brahman is ‘Babhan’? How many of us know that this song was intended to mock the Hindu priest or Brahman. In the song he is made fun…