The refrain, Va va, means “Come, come.” This lullaby welcomes the baby by describing the joyous scene of forty people singing and dancing and referring to a baby coming in a golden chariot pulled by twelve horses. This may be a reference to the birth of a deity.

This lullaby playfully asks the child, “Do you resemble a lotus or a creeper? A dancing peacock, a Parijat flower, a lamp, or a bouquet of flowers? Are you as pure as milk or as fine as jasmine? Are you born with the blessings of Lakshmi Bhagavati or Lord Padmanabha?” The themes are typical and include the beauty of the child and the blessings of a god. It is sung to the rhythm of the cradle’s rock.

Sobane padagalu or wedding songs are sung by women during the various stages of a wedding. These songs often equate the bride and groom to Sita and Rama of Ramayana or Rukmini and Krishna of Mahabharata. Hence most of the descriptions are mythical in nature. In this song, the bride is described in detail. Her beauty, clothes, and jewelry are compared to those of Sita of the epic Ramayana. It is sung during the bride’s homecoming. The groom’s sister stops the bridal pair at the door, letting them enter only after receiving a gift from the groom.

Sonne, daughter of Siri, and her husband Ginde or Gurumarla pray to the deity Bermeru, asking the god to grant them children. Sonne then gives birth to twin girls, Abbaga and Daraga. Caught up in the joys of family life, the couple neglects their vow to Bermeru. Bermeru appears to Sonne and Gurumarla disguised as a fortune-teller to tell them that they will suffer greatly if they continued to neglect the god. All that the god had given them would be taken back. Gurumarla, angered by the fortune-teller, tells him to leave. When the parents are out one day, Abbaga and Daraga are playing chenne – a traditional board game. They have a quarrel over the game, and Abbaga hits Daraga over the head, killing her. Overcome with sorrow at her deed, Daraga jumps into a well and dies. Another version says that after Abbaga dies, the two sisters become spirits in the other world. This story owes part of its popularity to its featuring of three generations of Siri.

This is a nalangu song, which is part of the Nalangu ritual performed at weddings in Tamil Nadu. It often combines Sanskrit slokas with Tamil. This ceremony marks the welcoming of the groom’s family by the bride’s family and includes rituals in which the bride and groom get to know one another.

This Bārahmāh or “twelve months song” depicts the singer as a gopi, or girlfriend of Krishna, who is yearning for Krishna, throughout the changing seasons. The song starts with Chaitra, the spring month of March/April. As the Brindavan landscape changes throughout the different months, the gopi tenderly remembers Krishna, who is now away in Mathura. Sung by a group led by Nirmada Upadhyay at a wedding of her relative in 1991, the song is inflected with Punjabi, a reminder that the Punjabi had a strong cultural influence in Kangra, which was an administrative district of Punjab until 1966. Recorded and collected by Kirin Narayan

A na’at is a poem in praise of the Prophet. This is a Na’at in praise of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. \n\nLyrics: dehli toh dulhan bani aur dulha nizamuddin sare hind ke badshah Khwaja Moinuddin tu hind ke raja, maharaja me toh raj bhikaran, piya \nTranslation: “If Delhi is the bride, Nizamuddin (Auliya) is the bridegroom. But the emperor of Hind is Khwaja Moinuddin. You are the king and emperor of Hind. Then, oh beloved, I am the royal beggar.”

The chaudike is a string instrument. Chaudike songs are most popular in the northern part of Karnataka, especially near Dharwad, where goddess Yellamma is worshipped by millions of people. The songs are built around the story of Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. In Saundatti (Dharwad, Karnataka), Renuka is known as Yellamma. The rise of Renuka as a mother goddess was perhaps the result of a complex merging of numerous personalities and myths. Renuka is most popular among the lower castes, such as the Pariahs, who are the performers in this recording. The community of Devadasis performs rituals that include Chaudike songs at Renuka shrines. These songs tell the story of Jamadagni, Renuka, and their son Parashurama.

This is a Baisakhi tharya. A tharya is a dance song, like a jhumelo. Baisakhi tharya are related to spring, and danced for enjoyment. Tharyas are also danced when a bride enters her new home for the first time. Recorded and collected by Ragini S. Deshpande

Sandhya Vela means “evening time” and refers to one of the most important temple ritual tayampaka performances, and the most commonly performed. It follows the sunset ritual of Deeparadhane. Only after the drumming may the idol of the deity be brought out of the Sanctum Santorum of the temple.

This is a recording of various baje rhythmic patterns of the Pandav Lila as collected by Andrew Alter. 1. Bade. Dhol-damau 2. Badai and Sabd. Dhol-damau 3. Dunyal. Dhol-damau 4. Chaunwara of the Pandavas. (Pandav Lila)

A jhumelois a song that is danced to in group community dances for a variety of occasions. This jhumelo is sung by Tolchha tribal women during fairs and festivals. Recorded and collected by Ragini S. Deshpande