1. |
Chahi Taret Khuntakpa
05:36
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Translation:
While the aristocrats were conspiring for the throne
While the aristocrats were busy in their rivalry
While the princes were busy with their enmity
While the princes were pulling each other down
The Awa invaded us
The Awa massacred us
Able men taken captive palms drilled with yairi
Babies smashed and killed against boulders
Many made to suffocate in the fumes of burning chillies
Devastated was Kangleipak
Many fled to the hills
Many fled to Cachar
Spineless royals, cowardly king
Hiding in Cachar
Devastated was the valley
For seven years devastated
Sons and daughters made prisoners
Taken as captives to Awa land
-----
Awa : Burmese
Yairi : long cane and used like thread
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2. |
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Translation:
They left along the Tongjei Maril
The old folks
Settled on the banks of Barak
Settled on the valley of Surma
They made settlements
The old folks
Made kabok
On the banks of the Barak
Built the homes
The homestead
The courtyard
The outhouse
Cultivated paddy
Harvests of rice
Prepared chempak
Prepared kabok
The market sprang to life
(Traditional folk song)
Ting ting chaoro (grow)
From the stories of our fathers
From the stories of our forefathers
Grow as the cucumber entwines
Grow as the sun rises up
Ting ting chaoro
Emerge O sunshine
Fade away, O shade
In the courtyard of Haoreibi the cotton bale is being dried
Don't let the dogs and the hens mess it up
Ting ting chaoro
Grow as the cucumber entwines
Grow as the sun rises up
Let us gather the fire wood, let us gather the paddy grains
Shower our offerings to the gods.
-----------------------------
Kabok : Puffed rice
Chempak : Rice flake
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3. |
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Translation:
On the bank of Barak
In the village of Singerband
On the crumbling river bank
I saw many old cottages
The feeble light that spilled from those cottages
Illuminating the moonless night
Mesmerizing!
Khamba and Thoibi were exchanging words of affection
On the river bank
Ema keithel was bustling
Singju, Chempak were being sold
Elisha were being fished
Lai Haraoba was being celebrated
And the sounds of my mother tongue
Enchanting!
Many streets and lanes
Crisscrossing the communal land
Making kabok muri
Making kabok khoidum
A female deity for every keithel
Yongchak in every winter
Sumban in every household
Sangoi in every courtyard
The ritual bonfire every Yaoshang
The mothers sing the hymns
The children go for nakatheng
And Thabal in the nights
Ho Hojai
---------------------------
Sumban: Traditional rice pounder
Sangoi: Out house
Nakatheng : Door to door money collection by children during Yaoshang
Thabal : A traditional form of community dance
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4. |
Khamba Thoibi Tangkak
03:50
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Translation
This is a story from the land of Kegey Moirang
The story of Khamba and Thoibi
It is a love story
And I, your humble servant
Narrating from the valley of Barak
Hear me out, my elders and companions
Khamba was born into poverty
Khamba was the one who tamed the bull
Orphaned and brought up by his sister Khamnu
On the bank of Barak
Thoibi cast her "en", captivating to behold
On the opposite side, Khamba with his fishing rod
Alternating his gaze, at his "langon" and then at Thoibi
A full grown Elisha
Caught by the hook and tugging at the line
Bobbing up and down - now it’s above the surface, now it’s below
In a flash it dragged the line 'jiri jiri'
Khamba sharply flicked the rod and line
The hook snapped
Nowhere to escape for the Elisha
Khamba jumped in and there it was within his palms.
The Elisha that Khamba caught
Gifted to Thoibi, the woman with the sanapun on the opposite bank
His sister Khamnu muttering with disappointment
Elisha, Elisha, the taste of an Elisha.
---------------------------------
En: fishing net
Langon : a small piece of wood which is a part of fishing rod that keeps floating until the fish is trapped
Sanapun : Brass water container
Elisha : Hilsha fish
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5. |
Thiri Emagi Khongul
03:38
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Translation
Mother, I am retracing your footsteps
Beyond these nine ranges of hills
On the banks of Barak river
On the soil of Surma valley
Mother, I am searching for your story
Within the prose of Laininghan
Mother, I am looking for your vision
In the poems of your children
O mother clad in a worn out Phanek
O mother who is persevering
O mother who carries the Yempak
O mother who sings our folk songs
Stories of the great leader Irabot
I heard from the Pabung of Bisgao
Stories of Chandrakala too
Narrated by the Oja of Banubil
Songs of the Chigonglei flower
From the Ema of Sylhet
Broken hopes and dreams of the past
Dare to renew and rejuvenate
Stories of the freedom struggle
I heard in Vanugach
Struggles of the peasants and their uprising too
I heard in Vanugach
Korbak in front of me
And armed with the khorjei
I shall write your story, Mother.
Laininghan : a title given to Naoriya Phullo
Phanek : Traditional Manipuri Sarong
Yempak : Traditional bamboo umbrella
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6. |
Eisu Nangi Nachani
04:06
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Translation:
Ema, is it your voice that I hear
Ema, is it your song that I hear
I too am your child
Remember me with affection just once
Let me drink to my fill water from your hands
Feed me a mouthful of rice with your hands
I too am your child
Remember me with affection just once
I have travelled far to come to you
Let me rest one night in your fold
I have searched far and wide for you, Ema
And today we meet at last
Ema, I come searching for my roots
I seek your blessings at your feet
I too am your child
Share with me the stories just once
Across numerous hills and lakes I have come
I shall carry your tales to my distant home
I shall narrate your stories, Ema.
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7. |
Angangba Korou
03:29
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Translation:
Your history, your folk tales
Your prose, your poetry
Your joyful laugh, your tears
Your songs, your stories
Narrate to me, let them fill me with courage
Share with me, let them fill me with courage
The stories of Bisgao, of Banubil
Of Jaribond, of Lakhipur
Stories of freedom struggle, stories of peasants
Stories of struggles as a minority people
Narrate to me, let them fill me with courage
Share with me, let them fill me with courage
Fears of fragmentation of our land
But beyond the nine hills hope and belief in unity
In Bangladesh, in Assam, in Tripura, in Burma, in Meghalaya
Though torn apart decades ago
May we be united once again
Beyond these boundaries are stories of you and me
The red sun will rise in the sky yet again
We shall be together in mother's fold.
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Imphal Talkies and the Howlers Imphal, India
Imphal Talkies is a folk rock band from Manipur, India, formed in 2008 by Ronid alias Akhu Chingangbam. The band has cut four albums so far, Tidim Road(2009), When The Home Is Burning(2014) and ‘Maria and the flower child’(2018) and have released various singles from time to time. The band released its fourth album “Ema gi Wari (Stories of My Mother)” in February 2019. ... more
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