Nisukoni Geet, The Soothing Assamse Lullaby

Some of the early memories of my childhood are those of my Grandma singing lullabies to me. Her familiar and beautiful voice would often calm my discontented restless little body and lull me to sleep. As my Grandma crooned over and over those soothing tender tunes, I would often feel swiftly transported into dreamland, a fantasy world of vibrant colors and sweet imaginations. Today the tables are turned. I often struggle with my kids who many a time tire me out with their boundless energy and their insatiable thirst for stories and songs. I then felt the need to remember, mixed in fond memories, those quaint old songs to sing to my little ones. And help came unexpectedly and in pleasant surprise.

Mr Rajen Baruah of Houston, after painstaking research, has collected and compiled, in the Roman script, around twenty of those lyrical lullabies which in Assamese are called  “Nisukoni Geet”. On a recent trip to Austin, Mr. Baruah came over to my place and we worked together in compiling and giving voice to these age old songs. He believes that sound has its own energy and that sound breathes and shapes itself into musical work. He also believes in the importance of getting the pronunciations phonetically correct in order to preserve and uphold our Assamese language.

Rajen Baruah  is also the founder of Friends of Assam & Seven Sisters (FASS) , a non-profit non governmental organization, an international ‘think-tank’  which is aimed at providing an inspirational energy and a motivating force for overall revival and development of the North East India in all spheres. FASS aims to promote research and studies on the social, cultural and economic   problems of the North East; to engage in cultural, educational, and social action, based on such research and to endeavor for overall economic development and cultural integration of the people of the North East to its best. Readers may read the FASS website www.friendsofassam.org to know more about these activities.

We were also delighted to have Alpona Barooah of Houston in our midst that day. Ms. Barooah possesses insurmountable energy and has a great passion for life. She enthusiastically volunteered to give her voice to recording those sweet lullabies. We watched in awe and delight as she began singing, putting her heart and soul into each song, some of which she often sings to her own little grandson. A few of the lullabies also got laced by the melodious voice of Ajanta Baruah of Houston and Ranu Dutta of Austin.

Dear Readers, for all those with little children to enjoy, and for the rest who are far away from their homeland, these beautiful lullabies will touch your hearts and bring back memories of times gone by.

The following is a preliminary collection of such Assamese Nisukoni Geet. These songs are written in Roman Script. Assamese words in Roman Script are written phonetically. That is to say, one will have to pronounce each and every letter as per the following guidelines. Guide in pronunciation of the Roman Script in Assamese are noted below:
Consonants do not need any special guideline except the following:
j is pronounced not as j as in John but a z as in zoo.
x sounds like kh and is pronounced as ch as in the Scottish word Loch, or German word Bach,
Assamese Vowel sounds need to be learned carefully to correctly speak Assamese..words.

These are:

= as in the word father or art
è = as in the word met or end
e = as a in the word map or act
i = as in the word hit or pill
ò = as on the word bone or over
o = as in the word boy or order
u = as in the word put or foot
w = as in the word war or wall (w is used as a full vowel here)
ä  = a nasal etc (two dots on top of the vowel denote nasal sound)
(1)
ama.rè moina, xubò,
bari.te bògòri, rubò;
bari.re bògòri, pòki xòribò,
ama.re monai butòli khabo.
(2)
xiali è nahibi rati
twre kane kati loga.me bäti
kan-katir murò.te mòura phul
kan-kati pale.gòi roton.pur
(3)
i bwle kan-kota xi bwle kan-kota
kan-kotai nw ki kam kore
kanot ronga sati aru hatot lòi jathi-da
kankotai lòrar kan kati phure
(4)
ròdali è ròd de
ali kati jali dim
samor pira pari dim
tate bòhi bòhi ròd de
ròdalir makor tini.dal suli
ròdali pale.gòi biri.nar guri
(5)
jwnbai è bèji èti dia
bèji.nw kèlòi? mwna xibo.lòi,
mwna.nw kèlòi? dhon bhora.bolòi,
dhon.nw kèlòi? hati kini.bolòi,
hati.nw kèlòi? ut.hi phuri.bolòi,
hatit ut.hi pani.ram ghoro.lòi jai
alibator manuh bwre ghuri ghuri sai.
(6)
bògòli è xoba.hòlòi nògòli kio?               gòi.sïlw goi.sïlw batot bòrò.xune pale
rong.dòir gho.rote xw.mabo khwjw.te
seng.dòi kukure khale
sèi kukur sèi, nahibi, jopona dèi
bähor mürha bògòrir gura
kòr pora ahile sòku sel.wa bur.ha
(7)
xalikie kore ròtòu tòu
bhat hòl xak hòl xaliki kòlòi gòl?
ei khini.te asile gwbor khu.sòri
kwnw.bai lòi gòl dingi musòri
(8)
ò phul ò phul nup.hulo kio?
Goru.eje äg  khai moi.nw phulim kio?
ò gòru ò gòru äg khäwo kio?
Gòrò.khiai je gòru nerakhe moi.nw
ek.ham kio?
ò gòròkhia ò gòròkhia gòru nerak.ho kio?
rand.honi.eje bhat nerand.he moi.nw rak.him kio?
ò rand.honi ò rand.honi bhat nerand.ho kio?
khòri-kòtiai je khori nekate moi.nw rand.him kio?
ò khòri-kòtia ò khòri-kòtia khòri nekato kio?
komare je da nogor.he moi.nw katim kio?
ò komar ò komar da nogor.ho kio?
meg.he je bòròxun die moi.nw gor.him kio?
ò megh ò megh bòròxun dio kio?
bhekulie je twr.twrai moi.nw nidim kio?
ò bhekuli ò bhekuli twr twrao kio?
bwpa kokar brit.titw moi.nw erim kio?
(9)
èitw kar dòl ? …. rojar
bhangi.bòlòi dibane? …. nidïw
kòlik matim ne? … nema.tiba.
bògik matim ne? … nema.tiba.
kòli  òus, bògi òus, thekes!

(10)
tai mai lwne mase bhat khai
bor ghoror mèkuri xòru ghorolòi jai
dhakwn pelai poita bhat khai
èitw toi kha, èitw moi khäw
èitw ghor-ròkhia burha.lòi thöw.

(11)
dhwl bai kòt? … roton.puròt
khwl bai kot? …. roton.puròt
ka.uri kele.kelai, ban.dòri nòsuai
bäh-bäri bäh-bäri gwxäi ghorot

(12)
kaurie kore ka ka
jïlie mate ja ja
kauri gòl,  gòd.huli hòl
amar saul ekot.ha mukòli hòl

(13)
hur hur böta sorai
mwr dhan nek.habi
twk dim gwta korai
dhan.w kham potan.w kham
twk biya kòri ghoro.lòi jam

(14)
agòli kola.pat lore ki sore
siloni ai mwr agote pore

(15)
bur.hi ai è nahili xuk.hor kalot
xat joni nigòni khirai khai.silw
gerela bai.silw halot

(16)
ram ram bhekulir bia.lòi
ram ram ahe indro.debe
ram ram botah bòròxunot titi hè
ram ram sor.gor opes.sori
ram ram nami ahi.se
ram ram bhekulir bia xuni hè

(17)
(First Bird)
hoï.ë koli, hoï.ë koli
oto.bwr dhan sal ki koli?
(Second Bird)
wo.ë khale pw.ë khale
thwk thwk thak thak

By Ankur Bora, Dallas, Texas